Preparing for terrorism
• Wherever you are, be aware of your surroundings. The very nature of terrorism suggests there may be little or no warning.

• Take precautions when traveling. Be aware of conspicuous or unusual behavior. Do not accept packages from strangers. Do not leave luggage unattended. Unusual behavior, suspicious packages and strange devices should be promptly reported to the police or security personnel. Do not be afraid to move or leave if you feel uncomfortable or if something does not seem right.

• Learn where emergency exits are located in buildings you frequent. Notice where exits are when you enter unfamiliar buildings. Note where staircases are located. Notice heavy or breakable objects that could move, fall or break in an explosion.
• Assemble a disaster supply kit at home and learn first aid. Separate the supplies you would take if you had to evacuate quickly and put them in a backpack or container, ready to go.
• Be familiar with different types of fire extinguishers and how to locate them.
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Protection against cyber attacks
Cyber attacks target computer or telecommunication networks of critical infrastructures such as power systems, traffic control systems or financial systems.

• Be prepared to do without services you normally depend on that could be disrupted - electricity, telephone, natural gas, gasoline pumps, cash registers, ATM machines and internet transactions.

• Be prepared to respond to official instructions if a cyber attack triggers other hazards, for example, general evacuation, evacuation to shelter, or shelter-in-place, because of hazardous materials releases, nuclear power plant incident, dam or flood control system failures.
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Suspicious parcels and letters
Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly cautious at your place of employment. Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that -

• Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you.
• Have no return address, or have one that can't be verified as legitimate.
• Are marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal," "Confidential" or "Do not x-ray."
• Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors or stains.
• Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn't match the return address.
• Are of unusual weight, given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped.
• Are marked with any threatening language.
• Have inappropriate or unusual labeling.
• Have excessive postage or excessive packaging material such as masking tape and string.
• Have misspellings of common words.
• Are addressed to someone no longer with your organization or are otherwise outdated.
• Have incorrect titles or title without a name.
• Are not addressed to a specific person.
• Have handwritten or poorly typed addresses.
With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents:
• Refrain from eating or drinking in a designated mail handling area.
• Place suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents. Never sniff or smell suspect mail. If you do not have a container, then cover the envelope or package with anything available (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove the cover.
• Leave the room and close the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering.
• Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
• If you are at work, report the incident to your building security official or an available supervisor, who should notify police and other authorities without delay. List all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give a copy of this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.
• If you are at home, report the incident to local police.
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Chemical and Biological Weapons
In case of a chemical or biological weapon attack near you, authorities will instruct you on the best course of action. This may be to evacuate the area immediately, to seek shelter at a designated location or to take immediate shelter where you are and seal the premises. The best way to protect yourself is to take emergency preparedness measures ahead of time and to get medical attention as soon as possible, if needed.
To prepare for a chemical or biological attack you should -

• Assemble a disaster supply kit and be sure to include: Battery-powered commercial radio with extra batteries; non-perishable food and drinking water; a roll of duct tape and scissors; plastic for doors, windows and vents for the room in which you will shelter in place (this should be an internal room where you can block out air that may contain hazardous chemical or biological agents). To save critical time during an emergency, sheeting should be pre-measured and cut for each opening.
• Assemble a first aid kit being sure to include: sanitation supplies including soap, water and bleach.
With some advance preparation and by taking necessary precautions, we can, perhaps, take some of the fear out of terrorism as we learn to expect the unexpected.
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Unmarked Police Vehicle. How Do You Respond?
It's late in the evening on a dark road in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, you catch a glimpse of flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Nervously, you glance down at your speedometer and instinctively begin to slow down as you prepare to pull over to the side of the road.

Not so fast.

Many experts are now warning motorists, especially females, to be extremely careful when unmarked cars with police lights try to pull them over. The warning is the result of several cases throughout the country in which women have been pulled over by what appeared to be a policeman in an unmarked vehicle only to be assaulted or raped by the unscrupulous individual who was impersonating a police officer.

Residents in the North Platte area should be particularly suspicious if an attempt is made to pull them over by an unmarked car because those cars are not used for traffic stops in this area, according to Sgt. Gary Hovey of the North Platte Police Department.

"Locally we do have unmarked police units, but they are not typically used for patrol purposes or to make traffic stops," he said. "Our investigators in criminal investigations use plain cars that are equipped with dash-mounted lights, but normally when a plainclothes investigator is going to pull somebody over, there is a patrol unit assisting or at least in route."

Hovey said if someone in an unmarked car with a single flashing light on the dash is trying to pull you over, it is most likely not a policeman.

"Not in our city, because we just don't use them to pull vehicles over," he said.

According to Hovey, unmarked police cars always have more than just a single flashing light on the dash and are usually easy to identify when the lights are activated. He also said the newer units of police cruisers have extremely low light bars that may not be seen until the lights have been activated, but when the lights do come on, it is obvious the vehicle is a police car.

Experts offer the following advice for individuals who find themselves in this situation.

• Do not speed up or try to get away from the person following you. If it is an officer, you may be charged with eluding police.
• Put a hand out the window and motion to the car to follow you. Drive at a safe speed to a well-illuminated place before pulling over.
• If you have a cell phone, call 911 and ask if police dispatchers can confirm that an officer is trying to pull you over.
• If you chose to pull over, only roll your window down slightly.
• If the officer approaches your car and is in uniform, make sure the uniform is standard for the police in your area. If the officer is in plain clothes, explain your concerns and ask him to call for a uniform officer. A plain clothes officer should have his or her ID card complete with a picture. Look at it closely from the safety of your driver's seat.
• During a traffic stop, police ask for your driver's license, auto registration and sometimes proof of insurance. They will not ask to see your wallet and they will never ask for your credit card or ATM card and pin number.
If it does turn out the individual is a policeman, they will have received training in women's issues and should be understanding of your concerns.