Dan Abrams
Citizens are the first line of defense
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
With law enforcement throughout the Southeast conducting an intense manhunt, it was Ashley Smith, a young single mother in Duluth, Georgia, who managed to bring a nonviolent end to the search for a violent criminal.
33-year-old Brian Nichols, already suspected of shooting four people, allegedly pushed Smith into her apartment at 2 a.m. Saturday morning and, carrying a gun, wrapped her in electrical cord and tape. But the alleged killer who had nothing to lose left seven and half hours later waving a white handkerchief at law enforcement.
This is another example of an everyday citizen providing the most valuable information. From tips about a missing child in response to Amber Alerts, to information that leads to the arrest of terror suspects, we — you and I — are the first line of defense.
A group of watchful citizens are much more likely to spot suspicious activity than a platoon of special agents and police. It was a citizen who first notified police that she had seen the car being driven by the sniper suspect who terrorized Washington in the fall of 2003.
Ordinary citizens are responsible for thwarting Richard Reid, the suspect who boarded a Paris to Miami flight in December 2001 with a bomb attached to his shoe. In Iraq, citizens have alerted Iraqi police about suspicious and unfamiliar vehicles parked nearby that have turned out to be packed with explosives.
Let's never underestimate what we can do to help. Because if everyone is on the lookout, there's nowhere for the criminals to hide.
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JWR contributor Dan Abrams anchors “The Abrams Report,” Monday through Friday from 6-7 p.m. ET on MSNBC TV. He also covers legal stories for “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,” “Today” and “Dateline NBC.” To visit his website, click here. Comment by clicking here.
