I’m sitting on my couch watching the morning news and I see that my state has just instituted a program for truckers to learn how to report questionable behaviour on our state highways and byways. This just got me wondering how do I report questionable behaviour and to whom do I report it.
Small back-story - Last year an ABC news investigative reporter uncovered a story of a man who tried to report suspicious activity on an large New Jersey Bridge [people videoing support beams etc…etc…] and he stated he was given the run around by the local police, the local FBI office, and was turned away from the Dept. of Homeland Security. The same reporter tried to contact the same agencies about more suspicious behaviour and received the same run-arounds.
SO my question is: If you see some people doing something questionable, say stealing a fertilizer truck, or placing plastique on support beamsof a large bridge or somesuch structure…what do you do? And who do you report it to?
Using explosives or stealing a truck would be illegal in and of themselves I’d imagine the local police would handle that. As far as things that arn’t illegal, but are questionable (which is what I suspect you are getting at), I’m not really sure. Probably the police. If you’re worried about the ‘run around’ maybe play it up a little. Instead of reporting someone videotaping support beams on the freeway, telling them there’s a pedestrian on the freeway, or instead of someone spending a little too much time eyeing up the airport, maybe telling them someone is tresspassing on airport property or looking like they want to climb/slip through the fence.
I don’t advocate lying to the police, buy embellising to get their attention when they ignore a big risk…
You’re supposed to call the local police and they in turn get in touch with the appropriate people. If they give you the runaround and you’re convinced you’re onto something legit, I’d go over their heads to the state police or to the local FBI office.
I agree. If you’re in an area with 911 service, call that number ASAP. If the local cops don’t hop to it, check your local Blue Pages and call your local office of whichever Federal agency seems to have jurisdiction (when in doubt, call the FBI).
Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep notes of who you call, and when, so if things go Really Badly you’ll be able to later tell the Congressional investigating committee your side of things more persuasively, and the idjits who dropped the ball will be taken to task.