Many Veterans organizations are officially chartered by the United States Congress and have Chapters and Posts in many cities. Noticeable in the newly released FBI videos, no police officers are seen among the moving or stationary pedestrians in Boston attending the race. Most of the people in the crowd are looking toward the street at the runners. It appears obvious that if some people were in attendance for the sole purpose of watching the crowds and not the runners, the perpetrators of the explosions would have been immediately observed depositing their bombs and leaving. An alert 'Eyes On The Street' watcher could have then immediately notified law enforcement to retrieve the deposited backpack for bomb disposal, and possibly apprehended the perpetrator.
QUESTION 1/5: Should Veterans Organizations dispatch volunteer members to mass gatherings solely to serve as 'Eyes on the Street' to watch for bombers or other terrorist threats?
QUESTION 2/5: If you belong to a local veterans organization, does your organization actively seek to identify the names of every veteran in your community either for membership or volunteer service?
QUESTION 3/5: Is your veterans organization registered with your local police department to help in matters when your organization might be of assistance?
QUESTION 4/5: Were you aware that a Veterans-By-ZipCode tool is available to locate Veterans in your community for group membership or volunteer service?
QUESTION 5/5: A DEA Agent recently suggested that mass-event planners and cities mandate that only transparent plastic backpacks and bags be allowed in a crowd attending an event. Do you agree with this suggestion?
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