YARMOUTH – The Yarmouth Police Department held a training session on Friday aimed at training local business owners and employees how to detect potential terrorist threats.
The event was described as a first-of-its-kind training in Yarmouth and comes in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Officials said it is critical for citizens to understand that terrorist events could happen anywhere at any time.
“Terrorism can happen anywhere, even here on Cape Cod,” said Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos. “Be aware, be alert, and if you see something, say something.”
The department brought Patrick Chagnon, a 30 year veteran of the Connecticut State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, in to give a presentation on the topic.
Chagnon said often times tips from the public, such as business owners or store clerks, often prove to be the most vital information law enforcement receives in a terrorism investigation.
“How do I identify that early indicator, that early clue, that tells me something might be in the midst of being developed?” Chagnon said.
Chagnon and Xiarhos discussed some of the warning signs attackers exhibited before some of the major terrorist incidents in recent U.S. history. They also discussed some of the success stories where alert members of the public notified law enforcement of suspicious activity.
“All these real cases, such as Las Vegas, show that there were signs that people may have seen but didn’t say anything,” Xiarhos said. “We all want to be safe, we all have our roles. Even that person that’s a clerk at a hardware store has a role in keeping us safe.”
Xiarhos said they plan on doing similar presentations in the future.
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