Joint DHS / FBI Memorandum:  Suspicious Activity Reporting Criteria

On August 3, 2004, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released the memorandum; "Suspicious Activity Reporting Criteria for Infrastructure Owners and Operators".   The department of DHS and the FBI request that owners and operators of the nation's critical infrastructure / key resource facilities provide reporting on any suspicious activities potentially indicative of pre-opertional terrorist planning.

Successful terrorist operations begin with extensive planning.  An essential element of the planning process is the gathering of detailed reconnaissance and intelligence about a target: its defenses, vulnerabilities, and patterns of daily activity.  This phase of a terrorist operation is called pre-operational surveillance, the purpose of which is to gather all the information possible concerning a particular target so that data can be assimilated into a precise plan of action which will greatly enhance the likelihood for success.

What type of information are terrorists after that will aid them in their planning?

• Location of HVAC systems and intakes
• Reaction times and procedures to false alarms
• Doors left open on a regular basis
• Gaps in fences or areas that can be accessed without being observed
• Model and types of locks
• Existence of closed-circuit cameras, and guard dogs
• The location of specific items on the facility (i.e. fuel tanks, water tanks, power feeds, etc)
• Access control procedure and the type of ID cards and/or parking permits used
• The capabilities of existing security systems
• Work force shift changes
• Security force post and patrols
• Schedules of vendor, trash pickup, and deliveries
• Access to computer systems that contain sensitive information such as emergency plans, maps, radio frequencies, locations of assembly areas etc.

Click here to read the types of surveillance / probing activity that might occur in an attempt to acquire the information listed above and for a listing of critical infrastructure / key resource facilities.