City of Chicago and Cook County Remind Residents 'If You See Something, Say Something' in Advance of Holiday Weekend

The City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) are reminding residents to stay attentive during Memorial Day weekend. Both departments are stressing the importance of the “If You See Something, Say Something”™ anti-terrorism public awareness campaign, urging residents to report any non-emergency suspicious activity by calling 855-RPRT-2-S4, the official local number of the campaign.

OEMC and the DHSEM launched the “If You See Something, Say Something”™ campaign last July in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Locally they have partnered with transit agencies, colleges and the faith-based community to help promote the program to residents on public transportation, in schools, at events and at other public and private spaces around the community. Additionally, the City and County launched a radio and digital campaign to reinforce the reporting number to Chicago and Cook County residents so they know to use it instead of 9-1-1 to report non-emergency suspicious activity.

“It’s important for people to understand that we are looking for suspicious behavior and that kind of behavior has nothing to do with an individual’s attire or religion,” said Ernest Brown, executive director of the DHSEM. “Residents know their surroundings better than anyone else, so if they see something out of the ordinary, they should pick up the phone and report it.”

“Our residents are our partners in keeping our community safe,” said Gary Schenkel, executive director of OEMC. “If you’re at an event over the holiday weekend, pay attention to your surroundings and report anything out of the ordinary.”

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The Office of Emergency Management and Communications was established in 1995 to coordinate the City’s delivery of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services resources. OEMC operates Chicago’s public safety communications system, manages emergency situations and coordinates major events, 3-1-1 and 9-1-1 Communications Operations. For more information visit cityofchicago.org/oemc or www.facebook/coemc.

The Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management integrates first responders, their departments and resources from 134 Cook County municipalities, and serves as the central agency in Cook County for coordinating efforts to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from all incidents, whether man-made or natural. For more information, visit our website at www.cookcountyhomelandsecurity.org.