Police are planning "in-your-face" shows of force in public places, saying the random, high-profile security operations will keep terrorists guessing about where officers might be next.
As an example, uniformed and plainclothes officers might surround a bank building unannounced, contact the manager about ways to be vigilant against terrorists and hand out leaflets in three languages to customers and people passing by, said police spokesman Angel Calzadilla. He said there would be no random checks of identification.
"People are definitely going to notice it," Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said Monday. "We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened..."
HA! That's a riot. You show up in and out of uniform at random times, surrounding banks and swooping in with leaflets reminding us how to watch out for terrorists. Sure, this wouldn't indimidate anyone.
This is a tremendous joke. What a waste of money. A terrorist just might be a little more clever than a leaflet or some fat, lazy, TV-watching American, too. Besides, how big a terrorist target is Miami, anyway? And don't get me started on terrrorism as an imagined threat because, it is--sure, they might kill a few of us, but we can't expect to be the strongest, best country on the planet without having to take a couple of cheap shots every once in a while. Seriously--we run the world and that costs in pissed off customers every now and again. The good news is there are mere thousands of terrorists while American is just a tad more populated than Al Qeada.
The quote from Fernandez conitnued:
"...We need them to be our eyes and ears."
He's referring to "them" as the citizens of Miami. Sheesh.
I'm sitting here on my blog pointing out governmental crime all the time while those idiots in Miami are worried about banks being held up by terrorists.
Nut bags...
From AP.org and WaPo :
Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror
By CURT ANDERSON
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 29, 2005; 12:20 PM
MIAMI -- Police are planning "in-your-face" shows of force in public places, saying the random, high-profile security operations will keep terrorists guessing about where officers might be next.
As an example, uniformed and plainclothes officers might surround a bank building unannounced, contact the manager about ways to be vigilant against terrorists and hand out leaflets in three languages to customers and people passing by, said police spokesman Angel Calzadilla. He said there would be no random checks of identification.
"People are definitely going to notice it," Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said Monday. "We want that shock. We want that awe. But at the same time, we don't want people to feel their rights are being threatened. We need them to be our eyes and ears."
Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida, said the Miami initiative appears aimed at ensuring that people's rights are not violated.
"What we're dealing with is officers on street patrol (making informed decisions on which individuals to stop), which is more effective and more consistent with the Constitution," Simon said. "We'll have to see how it is implemented." One example of a legitimate stop might be an officer questioning a person entering a crowd while wearing a heavy coat on a summer day.
The operations will keep terrorists off guard, Fernandez said. He said al-Qaida and other terrorist groups plot attacks by putting places under surveillance and watching for flaws and patterns in security.
Police Chief John Timoney said there was no specific, credible threat of an imminent terror attack in Miami. But he said the city has repeatedly been mentioned in intelligence reports as a potential target.
Timoney said 14 of the 19 hijackers who took part in the Sept. 11 attacks lived in South Florida at various times and that other alleged terror cells have operated in the area.
Under the program, both uniformed and plainclothes police will ride buses and trains, while others will conduct longer-term surveillance operations.
Mary Ann Viverette, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said the Miami program is similar to those used for years during the holiday season to deter criminals at busy places such as shopping malls.
"We want people to feel they can go about their normal course of business, but we want them to be aware," said Viverette, the police chief in Gaithersburg, Md.
At Monday's Heat game against the New York Knicks, season ticket holder Tony Gonzalez, 34, said he wasn't worried about any potential violation of civil liberties.
"When you enter an arena or stadium at full capacity you just don't know who is going through the turnstiles," said Gonzalez, an attorney. "Everything that helps our security, I'm for it."
© 2005 The Associated Press