A result of the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 was the development of the Waterway Watch Program, which asks Americans to keep their eyes and ears open to potential threats to our country's safety.
It is a continuation of WWII Coastal Watch, which asked us to be on the lookout for enemy activity on the coast. So why a Waterway Watch?
Geographically, the United States is an island nation, dependent on the seas for food, transportation and the import and export of goods. Since the 1600s, more than 3,000 miles of ocean have protected us from our enemies. America has 9,5000 miles of coastline, more than 350 ports of entry, about 3.4 million square miles of exclusive economic zone to patrol and protect, as well as several major river systems and the Great Lakes.
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All of this needs to be patrolled and protected. This policing is done by the Coast Guard, the only one of the five armed forces, with law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard is composed of roughly 44,000 active duty, 14,000 active and inactive reservists, 6,500 civilian employees and 30,000 volunteers in the Auxiliary.
In comparison, the New York City Police Department has about 39,000 officers. Thus, American needs your help in protecting her from not only terrorists, but also criminals. So what can you do?
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Keep your eyes and ears open. You know what looks right and what looks wrong. You are the ones with the local knowledge, you know the people, and you know what activities go on and what should not. Use you instincts. If it does not look right, sound right, or to use an old expression, it does not smell right, call local law enforcement.
If your concerns are about something on the water: a boat without lights or someone taking pictures of important infrastructure, such as a power plant, a bridge or a dock, make the call. If you are on a boat, use your cell phone not the VHF radio. The radio could be monitored by the "bad guys," and put you in danger.
Please do not think you can be a John Wayne. No hero stuff. Call the men and women trained to deal with threats. When in doubt make that call.
