A Kutztown University professor says the added vigilance following the Boston bombings remains the best tool to fighting terrorism.
They want your eyes and ears.
In the weeks after the Boston Marathon bombings, Lehigh Valley city bomb squad units said there was no mistaking the uptick in calls for suspicious packages and bags.
Though the increased awareness that follows a terror-related incident has begun to subside, authorities hope Lehigh Valley residents and visitors continue to be vigilant.
Allentown Fire Department Chief Robert Scheirer said the city’s bomb squad was busy in the weeks following April 15.
“It seems to have dropped off now a little in last few weeks or so,” Scheirer said. “I think things have somewhat got really back to normal.”
The phenomenon of increased vigilance following violence is hardly new, according to Kutztown University criminal justice professor Gary Cordner.
“The first time I remember really recognizing that is right after Sept. 11, with the anthrax case,” Cordner said. “If something that happens that’s newsworthy enough penetrates public consciousness, people certainly do become more aware of that kind of thing.”
Cordner said the Boston bombing case touched on a fear that was different than Sept. 11, when the targets were clearly political.
“As has always been speculated among people who think about homeland security, what we saw was that diabolical terrorists might begin to attack so-called soft targets,” Cordner said. “This kind of thing can sow terror and fear in more people's hearts and minds.”
Renewed worry over soft targets
For a city well-known for festivals and parades, Bethlehem Fire Department Assistant Chief Robert Novatnack said he’s very aware of “soft targets.” Bethlehem works hard to make sure those men and women who respond to emergencies and investigate crimes are very visible during public events, Novatnack said.
“It adds a little bit of peace of mind,” he said. “The physical presence of police, fire and EMS is definitely a deterrent to anyone who is going to commit a crime.”
Following the Boston bombings, Novatnack said the city’s bomb unit was busy. On May 2 alone, the squad responded to three different incidents in the Bethlehem area.
While the vast majority of calls turn out to be nothing, Novatnack said the squad’s job is to respond to each one and determine how credible a threat is. If there’s a note or previous threat, Novatnack said that’s a big tipoff, but usually a call revolves around a strange-looking package or unusual location for a bag.
“We don’t want to overreact and we don’t want to under react,” Novatnack said. “We just want to consistently do the right thing.”
Drills to coordinate efforts with surrounding departments and jurisdictions are also part of constant preparation, Novatnack said. The latest example was a massive emergency disaster drill at Dorney Park on May 13 sponsored by the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Counter Terrorism Task Force. Regional police had active shooter drills last week and plan more this week at Easton Area schools.
“That sort of thing is very important because an incident doesn’t necessarily end at city lines,” Novatnack said.
‘That’s what we’re here for’
The drop-off in bomb scare calls makes sense given the country’s short attention span and the effects of passing time, Cordner said. Lessons from the April 15 incident aren’t incredibly clear, he said.
Bomb-sniffing dogs reportedly combed the marathon finish line hours before the race, but the brothers who allegedly left the bombs at the sites arrived only minutes prior to detonation.
Aside from more surveillance and security — which Cornder suspects would be met with sizeable public resistance — not much else can be done for such events.
“We live in a society where we don’t want to live that way,” he said. “Our tolerance for intrusion is very limited. At some level there’s a level of risk that goes along with having a free society.”
That’s all the more reason the eyes and ears of the public are so important, said Novatnack and Scheirer.
“People are reporting that stuff almost instantly, which is good,” Scheirer said. “A lot of people think it’s a nuisance to the 911 system. It’s really not. That’s what we’re here for. Use us.”