In an example of information passing from person to person slowly growing in size and scope, the Southern Utah News was asked to investigate a bomb scare in Big Water’s city center - rumors had been spreading through the area for a week or so previously, so people were asking questions.
Local law enforcement agencies were able to decisively clear the facts, after questioning how such a report had come about at all. Big Water authorities, as well as representatives from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, had been asked to determine whether or not a fireworks canister found by a local had the potential to go off. A woman from the area had located the canister and turned it in at the Visitor’s Center in Big Water, making the reports of “explosives located in a Big Water public location” only true in the strictest sense, and according to the Sheriff’s Office, “Officers arrived and quickly realized there was no danger.”
There has been a push of late for citizen participation to identify potential concerns such as bomb scares, summed up with the federal campaign slogan, “If you see something, say something,” with recommendations to report such concerns to local authorities. Identifiable emergencies should still be reported to 911, but suspicions are usually safely responded to via local non-emergency channels. If you aren’t sure whether something should be reported to the authorities, the Utah Department of Public Safety has a dedicated line for reporting non-emergency suspicious activity at 833-DPS-SAFE (833-377-7233).
