Boston Marathon Bombing Leaves People with Sense of Heightened Alert
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
By: Alicia Mandigo

April 24th, 2013 | WMFE- A UCF Psychologist says Central Floridians should expect to feel extra alert and suspicious for several weeks to come.

[Image: Waterford Lakes Town Center]

In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, law enforcement agencies across the country are receiving increased reports of suspicious items. While police are encouraging people to report anything that seems out of place, it's likely people are also feeling hyper vigilant. 

Orange County Sheriff’s investigators dealt with reports of 4 suspicious items at Waterford Lakes while police in Daytona Beach Shores investigated a suspicious item that shut down a quarter mile of A-1-A for about an hour. 
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, who was on the scene at Waterford Lakes, said he’s not worried about whether people are feeling overly jumpy.
 “We ask the public if they see something they don’t think looks quite right, that’s suspicious, to notify law enforcement," he said.
The incidents at Waterford Lakes and Daytona Beach Shores both involved a backpack, which Sandra Neer- a psychologist at the University of Central Florida- said is not surprising.
"People are trained now that backpacks are dangerous, so when they see a backpack, particularly unattended, they’re more likely to think they’re doing their civic duty by reporting it," she said. Neer also said people can expect to feel a heightened sense of vigilance for the next several weeks and that is considered normal.