AP: Colour-coded terror alerts to be scrapped

by Steven Mostyn - Apr 8 2011, 09:18

The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly preparing to scrap the overly complex system of colour-coded warnings it currently uses to publicly illustrate the likelihood of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

That’s according to the Associated Press, which claims to have obtained a confidential Homeland Security document describing a new two-tier gauge that displays the potential threat level as either ‘Elevated’ or ‘Imminent’.

Furthermore, AP reports that public access to the simplified advisory system will often be unavailable so as to not risk compromising “an intelligence operation or an ongoing investigation” connected to any pertinent threats against the country.

Interestingly, the 19-page document also suggests social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will be utilized “when appropriate” in order to quickly and effectively convey specific terror alerts to the general public.

The current risk system carries five coloured tiers, spread across: Green (Low); Blue (Guarded); Yellow (Elevated); Orange (High), and Red (Severe). The planned replacement system will involve just two tiers, which are:

Elevated, which would “warn of a credible threat against the U.S. [but] probably would not specify timing or targets,” instead sharing “terrorist trends” deemed important enough to distribute amongst the population to help prevent an attack. 

And Imminent, which would only be brought into effect during those times regarding a “credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat or an ongoing attack against the U.S.”

If the report is accurate, the revised Homeland Security Advisory System will be formally introduced on April 27.

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