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METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON, DC
OPERATION TIPP
A Program Designed to Detect and Prevent Terrorism in the Nation’s
Capital
WASHINGTON, DC
Anthony A. Williams
Mayor |
Charles H. Ramsey
Chief |
Here’s a “TIPP” we can all use
Preventing terrorism is everybody’s business
Why Operation TIPP?
It is no surprise that terrorism continues to be a
threat in the United States. What may be surprising, however, is that
some terrorists use materials and equipment that are generally available
in the marketplace. Some terrorists may attempt to portray themselves as
legitimate customers in order to procure the goods they need, while
others may attempt to steal them.
In either case, it is usually an individual business or
service organization that will be the first to notice something out of
the ordinary When that happens, it is critical that these suspicions be
immediately passed on to law enforcement, so that the information can be
examined, evaluated and, if necessary, acted upon.
That is why the Metropolitan Police Department created
Operation TIPP (Terrorist Incident Prevention Program): to make it easy for businesses, service
agencies and other organizations in the National Capital Region to get
directly involved in terrorism prevention.
Operation TIPP has two key parts: 1) educating businesses within very
specific industries on what to look out for in the way of suspicious
activity related to their industry; and 2) providing easy and convenient
ways — including a confidential
toll-free telephone number (1-877-YOUWATCH) -- for businesses to report
suspicious activity to the police.
The MPD encourages all businesses in the DC area to
become familiar with Operation TIPP and to become actively involved in terrorism
prevention.
What To Look For
If terrorists have demonstrated anything, it is innovation and creativity in devising ways to
attack. There is no one plan of assault they are likely
to use, but rather a wide range of possible methods that could be used.
Terrorists almost always rely on the element of surprise, in an attempt
to catch their targets off guard.
Operation TIPP tries to take away that element of
surprise by educating and empowering the business community and others
in knowing how to spot suspicious activity that may be related to
terrorism.
The Metropolitan Police Department has identified more
than four dozen separate industries and services that terrorists could
potentially target. All of them have legitimate materials, equipment or
services that could be misused by terrorists plotting
attack.
For each industry or service, the MPD has identified a
number of very specific activities that may be of concern to law
enforcement. Through Operation TIPP, the MPD is making this
information available to individual businesses within the identified industry
or service groups. This is accomplished through customized mailings to
businesses, as well as coordination with major business and industry
groups in the region. As a follow-up to the initial distribution of
materials, the MPD is dispatching
Distribution Information Teams to meet with individual businesses and
organizations, to go over the materials and answer questions.
Finally, the Department is reminding all business owners,
supervisors and employees on how to describe and report suspicious
persons and vehicles (see the back panel of this brochure for more
information).
What to Do
Recognizing and being able to describe suspicious activity is the first step in
terrorism prevention. But by itself, that's not enough.
Businesses and other organizations need an easy-to-use,
reliable and confidential way to provide their information to law
enforcement.
Operation TIPP meets that need through a round-the-clock,
toll-free Terrorism Prevention Hotline: 1-877-YOU-WATCH (1-877-9689282).
Alternatively, calls may be placed to (202) 727-9099. Information can
also be mailed to the Intelligence Section of the Metropolitan Police
Department, 300 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Calls to the Terrorism Prevention Hotline are answered by
trained police professionals from the Metropolitan Police Department.
All calls to the hotline are confidential, and callers need not provide
their names or contact information. However, the MPD does encourage
callers to provide their names, to support any follow-up investigations
that may be needed.
The information that is collected is then forwarded to
appropriate anti-terrorism officials in the MPD and, if appropriate,
other law enforcement or homeland security agencies.
How You Can Help
The key to success of Operation TIPP -- and, ultimately,
the key to preventing terrorist incidents in our nations capital-is
cooperation between law enforcement and the community. Operation TIPP is
an easy, but extremely valuable way to promote the sharing of
information that can be critical to the early detection and prevention
of terrorist plots.
But the program will be only as successful as the extent
to which it is used by the community. Here are a few of the ways that
the business community can help support this initiative:
Educate yourselves and your employees. The information
developed for Operation TIPP is easy-to-read, easy-to-understand and
customized for specific industry or service groups. Share the
information with your executives, supervisors and line employees. Make
sure they are clear on what they should be looking for, and what to do
when they see something suspicious.
Ask questions. The Distribution Information Teams that
the Metropolitan Police Department will dispatch to the community can
provide a wealth of information about the program and terrorism in
general. Take advantage of their visits and other resources. It's
critical that all industry partners are well versed and vigilant in this
area.
Use the hotline. Anti-terrorism leads are developed only
when law enforcement has information to analyze and follow up. Generating useful information is the
primary purpose of Operation TIPP, so it's critical that our partners use
the hotline and other means for reporting suspicious activity. If you're
not sure about whether something is really suspicious, go ahead and call.
It's better to err on the side of caution.
Provide feedback. Operation TIPP is a dynamic program, and the MPD is constantly seeking ways to make
the initiative better. If you have ideas on ways to improve the program
or have additional additional information that you think should be shared via Operation TIPP, please contact
the MPD's Special Operations Division at (202) 727-4631.
How to Describe or Report Suspicious Behavior
Person
- Sex
- Race
- Height
- Weight
- Build (medium, heavy)
- Hair (color, length, include facial
hair)
- Complexion (light, dark, olive)
- Peculiarities (scars, tattoos,
missing limbs)
- Clothing (from head to toe, style,
etc.)
- Weapons (if any)
- Method of transportation (direction,
vehicle, etc.)
Vehicle
License Plate (most important)
Year, make, model & color
Body type (2 door, 4 door, van, SUV)
Passengers (number of people in
vehicle)
Damage or anything unusual (logos,
etc.)
DO NOT TAKE DIRECT ACTION,
Call (202) 727-9099
OR
1-877-YOU-WATCH
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
300 INDIANA AVENUE, NW . WASHINGTON, DC 2000I
WWW.MPDC.DC.GOV
Back to top of page
HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Dear Business Community Partner:
Detecting and preventing terrorism truly is everybody's
business. That is why the Metropolitan Police Department is reaching our
to a wide spectrum of businesses and industries across the Washington,
DC metropolitan area to enlist your support in the battle against
terrorism.
The enclosed packet introduces the MPD's new Operation
TIPP -- Terrorist Incident Prevention Program. Operation TIPP has two
key components: 1) educating our partners in the business community on
what' you can do to detect suspicious activity in your particular
business or industry that may be related to terrorism, and 2) providing
an easy, reliable and confidential way for you and your employees to
report suspicious activity to the police through the MPD's toll-free
Terrorist Incident Prevention Hotline at 1-877-YOU-WATCH (or,
alternatively, 202-727.9099).
As the enclosed program materials explain, there is an
ongoing concern that individuals seeking to commit acts_ of
terrorism-while portraying themselves as legitimate customers-may look
to purchase or lease certain materials or equipment or undergo
formalized training to acquire certain skills or licenses. There is also
a concern that such individuals may simply steal certain types of
vehicles, equipment or materials in the inventory of legitimate
businesses. Whatever the method, these items, once acquired, could be
used to facilitate a terrorist plot.
Operation TIPP is designed to make it easy to report
suspicious conduct that you and your employees may observe-conduct that
may not be criminal per se, but may raise your suspicion because it does
not match your experiences in dealing with legitimate customer requests.
Through Operation TIPP, this information can be analyzed and followed
up, as needed, by the appropriate authorities. In short, Operation TIPP
is intended to encourage and facilitate an exchange of information
between industry and law enforcement as we work toward our common goal
of preventing terrorism and protecting our communities.
I encourage you to review the enclosed materials and get
actively involved in Operation TIPP. How? By sharing the
industry-specific information and tips with your supervisors and line
employees. By displaying posters and other Operation TI-PP information
in your workplace. By requesting an Operation TIPP presentation by the
MPD. And by using the Terrorist Incident Prevention Hotline and other
program resources. Together we can make the difference.
Thank you for your interest and participation. If you
have any questions about Operation TIPP or would like to offer feedback
on the program, please contact Commander Cathy Lanier, MPD Special
Operations Division, at (202) 671-6505.
Sincerely,
Charles H. Ramsey
Chief of Police
Back to top of page
HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM
Parking Garages and Vehicle Storage Lots
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Operation TIPP is based on the idea that certain
legitimate businesses and industries may be exploited by terrorists who
portray themselves as honest customers seeking to purchase, lease or
somehow appropriate certain material, licenses and/or services to
covertly further a terrorist plot.
The following examples of activity relating to your
specific business, though not fully inclusive, may be of possible
concern to law enforcement:
- A vehicle remains unclaimed by its
owner or exceeds the parking term agreement.
- A vehicle appears weighted down for
no apparent reason.
- A vehicle emits a strange odor, such
as a chemical (e.g., vinegar-like) or organic smell (e.g., fertilizer.)
- A liquid substance, not normally
associated with a vehicle, is observed leaking from the passenger
compartment or trunk.
- A vehicle contains metal cylinders,
tanks or containers, or any unusual wiring.
- The license plates on a vehicle do
noT match.
- The registration or inspection
stickers appear altered or falsified. (Note: The Al Qaeda training manual states that, "The
license plate number and county name should be falsified. Further, the
digits should be numerous in order to prevent anyone from spotting and
memorizing it.")
Your impressions and assessment based upon your
professional/business experience are extremely valuable and should help
guide you in determining if a customer request, a fact pattern or set of
circumstances is unusual.
Please remember that the conduct, in and of itself, does
not have to be criminal per se for you to report it to the MPD Terrorism
Hotline, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week, at (202) 727-9099 or toll-free at 1-800-YOU-WATCH (968-9282).
In the event of a police emergency, please dial 911.
Back to top of page
HOW YOUR BUSINESS AN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM
Transit System Token Booths/Entry Points
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Operation TIPP is based on the idea that certain
legitimate businesses and industries may be exploited by terrorists who
portray themselves as honest customers seeking to purchase, lease or
somehow appropriate certain material, licenses and/or services to
covertly further a terrorist plot.
The following examples of activity relating to your specific business,
though not fully inclusive, may be of possible concern to law enforcement:
- Individual(s) bringing (or
attempting to bring) unusual packages into the transit system (e.g.,
suitcases, boxes with wires protruding, cans, etc.) An individual hiding
a package under his/her jacket (e.g., chidden object strapped to a
person's body, beneath a jacket).
- Suspicious comportment by an
individual entering the subway: the subject is alone. Excessively
nervous, perspiring, wearing bulky clothing that is inappropriate for
the seasons temperature/weather conditions, etc.
- Actions by a person that suggest
he/she is trying to hide his identity (e.g., wearing a bulky hat, scarf
or some other article of clothing to obscure his face) or the appearance
of an individual wearing clerical garb/religious attire in what
appears to be a means of disguising his true identity.
- Unusual questions posed about the
type of security in place at the train station/stop (e.g., presence of
surveillance cameras, uniformed officers, etc.)
- Overheard conversations in which
individual (s) make unusual or alarming statements.
- Individual(s) found in areas of the
subway system that are off limits to customers (e.g., rooms with access
to the electrical system, emergency stairwells, ventilation areas, etc.)
- Individuals videotaping, sketching or photographing
the subway station/platform or any other aspect of the transit system (e
g., riding in the front passenger car and videotaping the tunnel; videotaping the interior of the
motorman's/conductor's cab). An individual taking notes of the facility
surroundings.
- Individual(s) observed timing the arrival and departure
of trains (e.g., use of a stopwatch).
- Individual(s) observed loitering on the train platform,
opting to let trains leave without boarding.
- Suspicious individual(s), not
familiar to you, entering the transit system and who are wearing transit workers clothing/official uniform items (e.g., reflective vest,
hard-hat) or carrying equipment (tools) used in the repair and
maintenance of the system.
- Concern over the authenticity of
credentials/identification passes of outside contractors supposedly performing work
within the transit system.
- The appearance of burn marks on the
hands, face or fingers of someone seeking access to (or leaving) the transit
system.
Your impressions and assessment based upon your
professional/business experience is extremely valuable and should help
guide you in determining if a customer request, a fact pattern or set of
circumstances is unusual.
Please remember that the conduct, in and of itself, does
not have to be criminal per se for you to report it to the MPD Terrorism
Hotline, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week, at (202) 727-9099 or toll-free at 1-800-YOU-WATCH (968-9282).
In the event of a police emergency, please dial 911.
Back to top of page
HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM
Marinas — Boat Sales, Watercraft Maintenance,
Rentals and Storage
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Operation TIPP is based on the idea that certain
legitimate businesses and industries may be exploited by terrorists who
portray themselves as honest customers seeking to purchase, lease or
somehow appropriate certain material, licenses and/or services to
covertly further a terrorist plot.
The following examples of activity relating to your specific business, though not fully inclusive may be of
possible concern to law enforcement:
- Moored boats for which the owner/leasee
cannot be contacted over an extended period of time.
- Boats that appear unusually weighted
down.
- Full payment by cash for the
purchase of an expensive boat or several small boats, personal watercraft,
outboard engines, gasoline tanks.
- Purchase of a boat for a purported
reason not typically compatible with the manufacturer's boat design (e.g., using a speedboat for supposed fishing expeditions.)
- Purchasing inquiries related to
small commercial or fishing vessels by individuals who seem to lack industry
knowledge, credentials or trade experience.
- Dockside activity at unusual times
(e.g., possible loading of suspicious materials under the cover of darkness or
scuba trips conducted at night.)
- Requests for private charter tours
by individual who display an unusual interest in non-tourist attractions
(e g., water treatment facilities, undergirding and buttresses of
bridges, etc.)
- Individuals who opt to lease dock
space under a shortterm (per diem) rate and payment by cash, foregoing
the considerably less expensive long-term lease selected by most
customers, despite leaving a vessel moored for a protracted period of
time.
- Interest in the precise timing of
dinner cruise ships or routes (e.g., observing someone using a stopwatch
while studying a passing cruise ship).
- Possible surveillance (e.g., use of
binoculars) of maritime activity such as barges.
- Individual purchases of paint or
decals similar to those found on local security or police vessels by
those without authority to do so, or the theft of same.
- Discovery of painting patterns fashioned to resemble
those of local security or police vessels.
- Theft or purchasing attempts of
harbor security uniforms, access badges, or related equipment.
- ]Maintenance request that involve unusual structural modifications (e.g.,
removal of seating, important fishing-related equipment, etc.),
especially those that seem to reduce the ability of the vessel to
perform in its normally expected role.
- Demands to create additional voids
or storage areas below decks, to dramatically increase fuel capacity or
vessel speed or to place vertical metal plates (or other possible
shrapnel producing materials) below decks or near the bow.
Your impressions and assessment based upon your
professional/business experience are extremely valuable and should help
guide you in determining if a customer request, a fact pattern or set of
circumstances is unusual.
Please remember that the conduct, in and of itself, does
not have to be criminal per se for you to report it to the MPD Terrorism
Hotline, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week, at (202) 727-9099 or
toll-free at 1-800-YOU-WATCH. In the event of a police emergency, please
dial 911.
Back to top of page
HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN HELP PREVENT TERRORISM
Along Parade Routes and Special Events Locations
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Operation TIPP is based on the idea that certain
legitimate businesses and industries may be exploited by terrorists who
portray themselves as honest customers seeking to purchase, lease or
somehow appropriate certain material, licenses and/or services to
covertly further a terrorist plot.
In addition to this concern, business and locations-in
general-along special event routes (e g., parades) or other areas
designated for large-scale, scheduled, public gatherings (e.g.,
demonstrations, celebrations, street fairs, etc.) may be used by
terrorist operatives to stage or facilitate a terrorist attack.
The following examples of activity relating to your
specific business, though not fully inclusive, may be of possible concern to law enforcement:
- The appearance of a suspicious
vehicle (including bicycles with a package in the basket) parked near
the area designated for the event to take place.
- Actions by an individual that
suggest the pre-event videotaping of the route or location (and
surrounding area) for no apparent reason (i.e., no aesthetic value).
- The sudden appearance of a new
street vendor in an area adjacent to the event route or gathering location.
- Unclaimed or suspicious
packages/objects found along the special event route/location.
- The very recent placement of a garbage can, postal
mailbox, newspaper kiosk or other stationary object along the special
event route/location.
- Recent attempts by unknown
individuals to gain access to your buildings roof overlooking the parade route/special
event location.
- Inquiries about short-term rental of
an apartment or space above your store/business that also happens to offer a view of a parade route or special event location.
(Terrorist operatives will often cohabitate to facilitate operational planning. Additionally, they may attempt to
position themselves in an area that will ease their
surveillance of potential targets.)
- Suspicious inquiries by unknown
individuals regarding;
- Inquiries about the security
measures anticipated for the event (e.g., extensive questioning as to
the searching of backpacks, stopping of vehicles, etc.) Also, questions
about the seating of public officials, dignitaries, or other VIPs at an
event.
Your impressions and assessment based upon your
professional/business experience is extremely valuable and should help
guide you in determining if a customer request, a fact pattern or set of
circumstances is unusual. Because your business is in close proximity to a parade route/special event
location, your observations are extremely important.
Please remember that the conduct, in and of itself, does
not have to be criminal per se, for you to report it to the MPD
Terrorism Hotline, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week, at (202) 727-9099
or toll-free at (877) YOU-WATCH (968-9282).
In the event of a police emergency, please dial 911.
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