Parking Lot Employees Trained to Watch for Terrorists

July 23rd, 2010 by Valiant

Ten years ago, this type of training would have not existed. Back in 2000, the fear of a terrorist attack in the heart of an American city – although it had already happened in 1993 at the World Trade Center, was not on people’s minds. But since 9/11, fear has gained ground. Today, and in light of the recent Times Square bomb plot in May which was thwarted by two alert street vendors, law enforcement agencies are more aware more than ever of the help ordinary people can bring.

This is the reason why the government has launched a program to train thousands of parking industry employees throughout the country, to watch for and report anything suspicious. Investigations into former attacks, like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that had left 168 dead, proved that these attacks are typically preceded by warning signs: illegally parked or abandoned cars, people lurking around garages, taking pictures or drawing sketches, and even asking unusual questions.

During a convention in Las Vegas in May, attended by hundreds of people whose jobs are related to parking operations for cities, universities, stadiums, and other major facilities, the new training program was presented for the first time. It is part of a larger effort by the government since the attacks of September 11, 2001 to enlist civilians working in potentially targeted areas, to serve as the ears and eyes of law enforcement including airline passengers, subway riders, bus drivers, truckers, doormen and building superintendents.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose mission is to protect the Nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce, will administer this program, which is being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Other similar initiatives have been enacted on a more local level. Numerous parking lots across the nation are already acutely aware of the threat and train their employees accordingly. In New York City, the manager of a Central Parking System garage located near Times Square explained that officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) come every year to brief the employees on terrorists’ threats.

In Boulder, Colorado, city employees who write parking tickets and operate lots also receive counterterrorism training. So is the case of newly hired employees in many casinos in Las Vegas, including housekeepers and parking valets.

Next Upcoming Webinar – National Parking Association
Anti-Terror Training for Parking Professionals – FIRST OBSERVER
September 15, 2010 at 2:00 PM EDT, 1:00 PM CDT, 12:00 PM MDT, 11:00 AM PDT
First Observer™ is a national Terrorism Awareness program that uses the skills, experiences and “savvy” of Americans who spend a good part of their working day in America’s surface transportation arena.

For more information and to register, please click here