STATEMENT OF BARBARA COMSTOCK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS,
“First and foremost, Operation TIPS is a program under development, and its
blueprint is not yet finalized. The Operation TIPS reporting system was
announced in concept six months ago, and we look forward to its rollout in the
late summer or early fall.
“Operation TIPS is simply a reporting system – not a membership organization
or recruiting activity – based upon successful existing non-governmental
programs like Highway Watch, River Watch and Coast Watch, which enable
American workers to report unusual and non-emergency issues that they observe
in the normal course of their work. Several of these industries have requested
a uniform method of reporting such matters to public authorities.
“The industries that will be involved in Operation TIPS represent workers who
have regular routines that take them down roads, rivers, coastlines, and
public transit routes, and through neighborhoods and communities. Their jobs
make them uniquely well positioned to understand the ordinary course of
business in the area they serve, and to identify things that are out of the
ordinary. Many of these industries already have taken steps to offer their
employees a voluntary way to report this type of information, but they are
looking to the Department of Justice to offer a comprehensive, reliable and
cost-effective voluntary reporting system. Operation TIPS is that voluntary
reporting system through which information can be maintained and analyzed in a
single database, and will be referred to local, state and federal law
enforcement agencies for appropriate follow-up.
“None of the Operation TIPS materials published on the web or elsewhere have
made reference to entry or access to the homes of individuals; nor has it ever
been the intention of the Department of Justice, or any other agency, to set
up such a program. Our interest in establishing the Operation TIPS program is
to allow American workers to share information they receive in the regular
course of their jobs in public places and areas. Once they report the
information, they can rest assured that law enforcement officials will be
taking any appropriate next steps.”
