Page 6 - TPA Journal September October 2022

In 2010 the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority granted a license to DHS to
use the trademark slogan, “If You See Something, Say Something.” The slogan was
originally a trademarked campaign used only in New York City by the Transit Authority.
The initiative was a way for residents to report suspicious activity to the NYPD. As the
slogan gained national attention, most Americans became familiar with it. They associated
the message with tip lines to report suspicious activity related to reporting terrorism.
Public information campaigns, educational materials, news stories, documentaries, and
most importantly training programs were established for the community and for first
responders and there were soon reports of averted attacks that were acted upon based on
community tips.

In 2004, I was assigned as a FUSION Liaison Officer (FLO) by my agency as well as a gang
specialist. I was still very much a rookie that was motivated by books and “Who done it?”
movies. Looking back now, I must state clearly that absolutely nothing replaces street
experience in policing. I was humbled by my mentors as a rookie to always remember
that and I continue to share that as a trainer. I listened and shadowed my mentors during
that time and being the great cops that they were, they were quick to share what they
learned about behavioral indicators with me on the street. I have always had a proactive
mindset in policing and my effectiveness as a street investigator was directly impacted by
situational awareness that I developed through training and experience. The best way to
apply what I learned was to create partnerships with the community and act upon the
intelligence that I solicited from them. I had to share a bit of training with the community
to explain what I was looking for and create a method for them to provide the information
in a systematic way that was legal, fair, and actionable.

One of the many obstacles related to information sharing was the stigma that was
associated with cooperating with law enforcement or the perception of “snitching.”
Another obstacle was filtering and validating intelligence that I could take action on. Yet
another obstacle was bureaucratic barriers within agencies, egos, policies,
misunderstanding of the law, and a lack of administrative cooperation or support for
sharing internally or externally. Once I understood the importance of establishing trust,
educating everyone on how intelligence was to be used, and creating standardized
partnerships with stakeholders, I was able to take action on the intelligence in a proactive
manner. I quickly understood that there are a significant number of community members
and partners that wanted to help but they didn’t always know how to or what to share. I
have found that it is important for everyone involved to see and understand their role in
the “big picture.”

I have now spent over half of my police career working in the training, intelligence, and
investigative fields. I believe that in 2022, the message, “If You See Something, Say

2 www.texaspoliceassociation.com • (512) 458-3140 Texas Police Journal