City Police Brief Residents On Handling Suspicious Packages
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --- Allegheny County Police are asking citizens to call 911.
Police want city residents to remain on the look-out in their communities, calling 911 whenever they see something suspicious.
"With the recent explosions in Boston, we are reminded once again that we must remain vigilant and aware of what is going on around us in our communities," said Allegheny County Chief of Emergency Services Alvin Henderson Jr.
Henderson says the number of suspicious activity calls has jumped dramatically since the Boston bombings.
There were 186 reports of suspicious activity the week before the Boston Marathon. There were 311 reports of suspicious activity in Allegheny County the week after the bombings.
"We talk about Homeland Security, obviously its public safety that's the lead agency, Henderson explains. "It's the citizens that go home at night. We're part of this Homeland Security package, providing safety for ourselves and our families."
In the meantime, John White, who works in Pittsburgh's Strip District, says he's called 911 at least seven times over the years to report suspicious packages.
"As citizens of the city of Pittsburgh, you have an obligation to your fellow neighbor. You have to watch out for anything and everything," White says.
The program is called, "See something, say something, send something."
Allegheny County says it implemented the new program to give citizens a way to report suspicious behavior and send it directly to the police station.
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