July 19, 2002

A newly proposed Department of Justice (DOJ) program is enlisting the help of everyday working Americans, including truck drivers, to serve as eyes and ears in the fight against terrorism.

Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System) is part of the Citizen Corps President Bush proposed during his State of the Union address last January, in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

According to the Citizen Corps website, Operation TIPS will "be a national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related activity," and "involve the millions of American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to see potentially unusual or suspicious activity in public places."

The DOJ is recruiting TIPS volunteers from among those whose work provides access to homes, businesses or transport systems. Besides truckers, the DOJ may call on utility employees and train conductors.