All members of the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart military community are encouraged to be alert, recognize and report suspicious activity.
While military members and Defense Department civilians receive training in this area, family members, retirees, civilian contractors and the local national workforce may also encounter a suspicious person, behavior or activity.
The actions they take can prove to be vital in preventing a terrorist event or criminal act. Often, it is many small bits of information that help investigators piece together a terrorist plot.
Identifying and recognizing suspicious activities are key to thwarting any plan.
First, become familiar with your surroundings, and secondly, be alert to changes. The more familiar people are with what is normal, the quicker they will be in identifying what is out of place.
At home, get to know your neighbors, their family members and the types of vehicles they drive.
Become familiar with delivery drop off and pickup routines, such as parcel and floral deliveries, maintenance repair and refuse pickup. This will help detect anything out of the ordinary, as deliveries are a common method for terrorists to carry out attacks.
Additionally, key in on unfamiliar people who are loitering in vehicles or on foot, watching, taking photographs, making sketches or writing notes. Asking questions or showing interest in military movements, routes, methods of travel, troop strengths and locations of symbolic structures, such as a command headquarters building, are other activities that should cause suspicion.
Be sure to take note of an individual who claims an affiliation with a terrorist group, or who talks about hurting people through violent attacks.
In the workplace, it is important to get to know co-workers and their routines. This is especially helpful in the detection of those from within the organization who are intent on causing harm to personnel, individual organizations or the U.S. government.
Should you suspect an individual of being an insider threat, or believe you have encountered a suspicious person, behavior or activity, report the information to the USAG Stuttgart Military Police at 430-5261/civ. 0711-680-5261, Military Intelligence at 430-4702/0711-680-4702 or your chain of command. If in the continental U.S., call 1-800-CALL-SPY.
