Post by Vince on Jun 20, 2005 15:51:53 GMT -5
The following is a article that I recommend everyone read! I was on an anti-terrorism team in Japan for a few years while in the Marines, and used to receive cla*ses and instruction on this sort of thing. This sort of mindset can really save alot of lives.
Vince
The Hidden Enemy: Sympathizers & Recon Personnel
By: Frank Borelli
We've all read stories about the middle-eastern appearing men with cameras taking pictures of bridges; the Coast Guard has asked boaters to keep a look out for people doing such things from boats; if we saw someone with an olive complexion and a camera walking around near fuel storage tanks most of us would take note. What about the things we just don't expect and therefore dismiss if we even notice it at all? Let me give you two examples:
Example One: (names left out to protect sources and locations): a friend of mine and I were having lunch one day and we were discussing whether or not we had any local prime terrorist targets. The conversation evolved into a discussion of what behavior is "suspicious". That conversation evolved in to him telling me about a guy that his wife had recently started working with. His wife works at a large retail store that carries a wide variety of products to include clothing, cleaning supplies, food items, electronics, household items, etc. Think WalMart, Target, K-Mart, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale, etc. What made my friend's wife suspicious was that her new workmate - we'll call him Bob just so he has a name - what made my friend's wife suspicious of Bob were the circumstances of his hiring and the questions he'd been asking since he started.
It seems that he was hired based on his application (no surprise there). On his application he had listed a significant amount of managerial experience with other retail stores, and as a result he was hired into an entrance-level management position with the store in question. What made that suspicious? He hadn't provided a resume or any supporting documentation with his application. He was hired into a management position that gave him greater access to information and store security procedures without any verification of the experience he claimed in order to get that position. The only document he submitted with his application was a copy of his driver's license. It would not have been uncommon for that to be an out-of-state license because there is a large military installation and many service-members' spouses don't get driver's licenses for our state.
So, he gets hired and starts working before his background is confirmed. Then the questions start. Bear in mind that all of these questions might be legitimate questions from a newly hired entrance-level management employee. How long is the food left on the shelves before we rotate it? How long is food left in the trailer (outside) before it's unloaded? Are the chemicals (cleaning supplies, torch fuels, propane, etc) kept secure in any way? What are the security procedures for opening doors during the store's closed hours? How many people are in the store at night? What time do the cleaning people come in and go out? When are the doors unlocked for smoke break? (He didn't smoke) How much food is kept in the employee break area?
OK: innocent questions, right? My suspicious mind thought, "How weird is this?" First, the guy gets hired without a background check or confirmation and second, he immediately starts asking questions that are all centered around store security or product security. Think I'm being paranoid? Think about this for a few minutes before calling me whacko: How many terrorists would it take to take over your local WalMart after it was closed? What would they need to know? What might they want to do or accomplish? Hmmm…
They might want to know what time the doors are locked and unlocked during the hours the store is closed. They might want to know when the alarm is activated and deactivated. They might want to know how many employees are in the store at any given time. They might want to know at what times other people would expect to gain access or egress. They might want to know how much food they'd have on hand to sustain them through whatever time period their operation was being planned for. They might want to know what supplies they'd have to build improvised explosive devices. If they were planning on poisoning or infecting food items, they might want to know how it was stored or where it was kept that it might be accessible.
Sure, I'm paranoid. This guy got hired with little or no background information and immediately wanted to know everything he'd need to know to set up a nice takeover of the store by as few as six to eight terrorists. If the "bad guys" could come up with twenty terrorist operatives willing to die taking over four planes do you think they could come up with eight or ten to take over a store? Poison a food supply? Do you think they'd enjoy doing that in a largely military community?
So, I did what I thought was prudent: I pa*sed all this information along to a deputy I trusted who worked in the area of that store. Know what happened? As soon as someone in the store questioned the guy's background info, he resigned. Quit almost immediately. Nah; he wasn't up to anything.
Example two: same statement about names: a police officer candidate is attending mandatory firearms training prior to being hired by a municipal agency. During the course of the cla*sroom portion, a conversation is had about Active Shooter training and how it could be applied to Terror-Response duties. If terrorists decided to attack malls, schools, etc in an effort to shut down our economy in the long term (a realistic possibility in my opinion), then Active Shooter training would be essential for the responding officers. Entering, possibly under fire, an area where subjects are actively shooting innocents to neutralize the threat. That sounds like Active Shooter, or Immediate Response, training to me.
Well, one of the officer candidates speaks up and says, "Those guys who flew the planes into the World Trade Center towers weren't terrorists. They were freedom fighters defending their homeland and families." Oops - Someone's sensibilities had been stepped on. Then the instructor realized what that officer candidate had said. He was defending the actions of the terrorists who attacked our country and killed over 2,600 innocent people; not soldiers; men, women and children who were in no way involved in our armed forces. The instructor couldn't just leave that alone.
Asking why the officer candidate believed that, the instructor received a brief discourse on how the United States of America is a collection of international criminals who habitually lie not only to the world, but also to all Americans through the use of media manipulation. He heard all about how the United States military has killed untold thousands of innocent citizens from other countries who America was unhappy with for economic or political reasons and then how all those bodies were buried in ma*s graces or destroyed by fire. Hmmm…
The instructor felt it necessary to bring this officer candidate's political beliefs to the agency that was preparing to hire him. The Chief of Police at that agency was a man I know (for about twenty years now) and he listened to what the instructor had to say and took it seriously. The fact that there were other witnesses to the conversation and that officer candidate's statements made the Chief seriously consider whether or not he needed to hire the man. As it worked out, that officer candidate withdrew from the hiring process, lying to several officers about why (he made differing statements to three different officers) he was withdrawing. Shortly thereafter that same officer candidate was hired by a different municipality.
The municipality that hired him was made aware of his political outlook and statements. He was still hired.
Here is a man who is obviously sympathetic to the terrorist cause. He said so in front of a collection of witnesses. His agency was made aware of his statements (the instructor wrote the acting Chief of Police a letter to make sure he knew) but they hired him anyway. As a matter of observation, that officer proudly talks about his Muslim beliefs and how his religion makes him better than the "Christian trash" that surrounds him. (I am not attacking the Muslim faith - simply repeating what was said) This man is a police officer sworn to uphold the Constitution, and the laws of state, county and local governments. How can anyone take that oath seriously?
Now, here I go being paranoid again. We know terrorists are trying to recruit Americans. We know terrorists gather pre-operation intelligence and plan accordingly. Terrorists know that things have changed in America since the attacks of nine-eleven. If I were a terrorist, wouldn't it be ideal for me to recruit someone who could become a police officer? He could then feed me back any and all information that came across that was "law enforcement restricted". He could show me what tactics and techniques officers were being taught to counter terrorist activities. He could show / tell me what tools, weapons, training officers had to use in the fight against me. Hell, if I were a terrorist, this would be my favorite intelligence operative. I say this again: this man is a police officer. In Roll Call he gets told about all lookouts, warnings, etc. What in the world is that agency thinking?
There are two examples of what I term "the hidden enemy". The point I'm making though, is that they are not hidden. If the store manager who had hired Bob had been using his head, Bob wouldn't have been put on the schedule or payroll until after he'd proven his background. If the Acting Chief of Police who hired that officer candidate had been using his head, he wouldn't have hired the man at all.
We, as Americans, cannot forget that the terrorists who hate us and wish to destroy our country - physically, emotionally or economically - are constantly studying us, looking for weaknesses. They are constantly learning what supplies we already have that they can use against us. They are constantly probing our security levels. They are gathering intelligence and looking for the tidbits of info that they can build into attack plans.
That one store, in the first example, has literally thousands of patrons going in and out each day. A terrorist on the night crew could easily build an improvised explosive device with a timer to go off during peak shopping hours. That officer, in the second example, works within a convenient driving distance of our Nation's Capital and has access to every bit of controlled information normally disseminated to police agencies. Mistakes like this cannot be made. We are literally inviting the terrorists in to attack us. We're openly telling them how prepared (or not) we are and in what ways we will respond.
Be mindful in your daily lives. Pay attention. If something looks suspicious, say something. Call someone's attention to the issue at hand. What's the worst that's going to happen? You're going to look paranoid? So be it. But if your information is acted on and it prevents a terrorist attack (or several) then the price paid for saving an unknown number of lives was a little humiliation. I'll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
www.borelliconsulting.com/index.htm
Vince
The Hidden Enemy: Sympathizers & Recon Personnel
By: Frank Borelli
We've all read stories about the middle-eastern appearing men with cameras taking pictures of bridges; the Coast Guard has asked boaters to keep a look out for people doing such things from boats; if we saw someone with an olive complexion and a camera walking around near fuel storage tanks most of us would take note. What about the things we just don't expect and therefore dismiss if we even notice it at all? Let me give you two examples:
Example One: (names left out to protect sources and locations): a friend of mine and I were having lunch one day and we were discussing whether or not we had any local prime terrorist targets. The conversation evolved into a discussion of what behavior is "suspicious". That conversation evolved in to him telling me about a guy that his wife had recently started working with. His wife works at a large retail store that carries a wide variety of products to include clothing, cleaning supplies, food items, electronics, household items, etc. Think WalMart, Target, K-Mart, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale, etc. What made my friend's wife suspicious was that her new workmate - we'll call him Bob just so he has a name - what made my friend's wife suspicious of Bob were the circumstances of his hiring and the questions he'd been asking since he started.
It seems that he was hired based on his application (no surprise there). On his application he had listed a significant amount of managerial experience with other retail stores, and as a result he was hired into an entrance-level management position with the store in question. What made that suspicious? He hadn't provided a resume or any supporting documentation with his application. He was hired into a management position that gave him greater access to information and store security procedures without any verification of the experience he claimed in order to get that position. The only document he submitted with his application was a copy of his driver's license. It would not have been uncommon for that to be an out-of-state license because there is a large military installation and many service-members' spouses don't get driver's licenses for our state.
So, he gets hired and starts working before his background is confirmed. Then the questions start. Bear in mind that all of these questions might be legitimate questions from a newly hired entrance-level management employee. How long is the food left on the shelves before we rotate it? How long is food left in the trailer (outside) before it's unloaded? Are the chemicals (cleaning supplies, torch fuels, propane, etc) kept secure in any way? What are the security procedures for opening doors during the store's closed hours? How many people are in the store at night? What time do the cleaning people come in and go out? When are the doors unlocked for smoke break? (He didn't smoke) How much food is kept in the employee break area?
OK: innocent questions, right? My suspicious mind thought, "How weird is this?" First, the guy gets hired without a background check or confirmation and second, he immediately starts asking questions that are all centered around store security or product security. Think I'm being paranoid? Think about this for a few minutes before calling me whacko: How many terrorists would it take to take over your local WalMart after it was closed? What would they need to know? What might they want to do or accomplish? Hmmm…
They might want to know what time the doors are locked and unlocked during the hours the store is closed. They might want to know when the alarm is activated and deactivated. They might want to know how many employees are in the store at any given time. They might want to know at what times other people would expect to gain access or egress. They might want to know how much food they'd have on hand to sustain them through whatever time period their operation was being planned for. They might want to know what supplies they'd have to build improvised explosive devices. If they were planning on poisoning or infecting food items, they might want to know how it was stored or where it was kept that it might be accessible.
Sure, I'm paranoid. This guy got hired with little or no background information and immediately wanted to know everything he'd need to know to set up a nice takeover of the store by as few as six to eight terrorists. If the "bad guys" could come up with twenty terrorist operatives willing to die taking over four planes do you think they could come up with eight or ten to take over a store? Poison a food supply? Do you think they'd enjoy doing that in a largely military community?
So, I did what I thought was prudent: I pa*sed all this information along to a deputy I trusted who worked in the area of that store. Know what happened? As soon as someone in the store questioned the guy's background info, he resigned. Quit almost immediately. Nah; he wasn't up to anything.
Example two: same statement about names: a police officer candidate is attending mandatory firearms training prior to being hired by a municipal agency. During the course of the cla*sroom portion, a conversation is had about Active Shooter training and how it could be applied to Terror-Response duties. If terrorists decided to attack malls, schools, etc in an effort to shut down our economy in the long term (a realistic possibility in my opinion), then Active Shooter training would be essential for the responding officers. Entering, possibly under fire, an area where subjects are actively shooting innocents to neutralize the threat. That sounds like Active Shooter, or Immediate Response, training to me.
Well, one of the officer candidates speaks up and says, "Those guys who flew the planes into the World Trade Center towers weren't terrorists. They were freedom fighters defending their homeland and families." Oops - Someone's sensibilities had been stepped on. Then the instructor realized what that officer candidate had said. He was defending the actions of the terrorists who attacked our country and killed over 2,600 innocent people; not soldiers; men, women and children who were in no way involved in our armed forces. The instructor couldn't just leave that alone.
Asking why the officer candidate believed that, the instructor received a brief discourse on how the United States of America is a collection of international criminals who habitually lie not only to the world, but also to all Americans through the use of media manipulation. He heard all about how the United States military has killed untold thousands of innocent citizens from other countries who America was unhappy with for economic or political reasons and then how all those bodies were buried in ma*s graces or destroyed by fire. Hmmm…
The instructor felt it necessary to bring this officer candidate's political beliefs to the agency that was preparing to hire him. The Chief of Police at that agency was a man I know (for about twenty years now) and he listened to what the instructor had to say and took it seriously. The fact that there were other witnesses to the conversation and that officer candidate's statements made the Chief seriously consider whether or not he needed to hire the man. As it worked out, that officer candidate withdrew from the hiring process, lying to several officers about why (he made differing statements to three different officers) he was withdrawing. Shortly thereafter that same officer candidate was hired by a different municipality.
The municipality that hired him was made aware of his political outlook and statements. He was still hired.
Here is a man who is obviously sympathetic to the terrorist cause. He said so in front of a collection of witnesses. His agency was made aware of his statements (the instructor wrote the acting Chief of Police a letter to make sure he knew) but they hired him anyway. As a matter of observation, that officer proudly talks about his Muslim beliefs and how his religion makes him better than the "Christian trash" that surrounds him. (I am not attacking the Muslim faith - simply repeating what was said) This man is a police officer sworn to uphold the Constitution, and the laws of state, county and local governments. How can anyone take that oath seriously?
Now, here I go being paranoid again. We know terrorists are trying to recruit Americans. We know terrorists gather pre-operation intelligence and plan accordingly. Terrorists know that things have changed in America since the attacks of nine-eleven. If I were a terrorist, wouldn't it be ideal for me to recruit someone who could become a police officer? He could then feed me back any and all information that came across that was "law enforcement restricted". He could show me what tactics and techniques officers were being taught to counter terrorist activities. He could show / tell me what tools, weapons, training officers had to use in the fight against me. Hell, if I were a terrorist, this would be my favorite intelligence operative. I say this again: this man is a police officer. In Roll Call he gets told about all lookouts, warnings, etc. What in the world is that agency thinking?
There are two examples of what I term "the hidden enemy". The point I'm making though, is that they are not hidden. If the store manager who had hired Bob had been using his head, Bob wouldn't have been put on the schedule or payroll until after he'd proven his background. If the Acting Chief of Police who hired that officer candidate had been using his head, he wouldn't have hired the man at all.
We, as Americans, cannot forget that the terrorists who hate us and wish to destroy our country - physically, emotionally or economically - are constantly studying us, looking for weaknesses. They are constantly learning what supplies we already have that they can use against us. They are constantly probing our security levels. They are gathering intelligence and looking for the tidbits of info that they can build into attack plans.
That one store, in the first example, has literally thousands of patrons going in and out each day. A terrorist on the night crew could easily build an improvised explosive device with a timer to go off during peak shopping hours. That officer, in the second example, works within a convenient driving distance of our Nation's Capital and has access to every bit of controlled information normally disseminated to police agencies. Mistakes like this cannot be made. We are literally inviting the terrorists in to attack us. We're openly telling them how prepared (or not) we are and in what ways we will respond.
Be mindful in your daily lives. Pay attention. If something looks suspicious, say something. Call someone's attention to the issue at hand. What's the worst that's going to happen? You're going to look paranoid? So be it. But if your information is acted on and it prevents a terrorist attack (or several) then the price paid for saving an unknown number of lives was a little humiliation. I'll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
www.borelliconsulting.com/index.htm