Vigilance vs. overreaction: Suspicious package calls swamp police

[Ian David]

Jul 16, 2007 10:34 AM (2 hrs 6 mins ago)
By BRIAN WESTLEY, AP

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Sirens wailing, bomb technician Paul Friedlander weaves his sport-utility vehicle through congested streets. He makes his way to a small market, where the culprit sits on the front sidewalk surrounded by yellow police tape.

<snip>

"Life is not the same for us," said Friedlander, explaining that suspicious package calls made each year to District of Columbia police have at least doubled since the attacks.

And they aren't going away anytime soon. Building evacuations, street closings and bomb-squad appearances are now almost routine in places like Washington and New York, where police departments are stretching their resources to deal with reports that must be treated more seriously. But at times, authorities acknowledge, those vigilant reactions can seem downright silly in hindsight.

A post office next to the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum was evacuated for several hours in June because of a foul-smelling package. The box posed no threat; instead, it contained a dirty diaper.

{Senator Vitter's??}

<snip>

The messages appear to be working. D.C. police, for example, received 1,014 suspicious package calls last year - an average of nearly three a day. These statistics do not include all suspicious package reports in the city, since there are a number of law-enforcement agencies that also field calls in their territories. Although district police don't have records from previous years, the volume of calls has at least doubled since Sept. 11, Friedlander said.

More:
http://www.examiner.com/a-830343~Vigilance_vs__overreaction__Suspicious_package_calls_swamp_police.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. The White House's plan... excuse me, the *terrorists'* plan is working

Or is there really any difference?