Mayor Annise Parker stood alongside U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at the Lone Star College - Victory Center in north Houston Tuesday morning.

What were three powerful women doing on one small stage? Announcing a new initiative in the Houston metro area: "If You See Something, Say Something."

The program is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks on our home turf by providing Houstonians with outlets to alert authorities of suspicious behavior. Citizens can report unusual sightings to www.iWatchHouston.org, or can call 1-855-i-WATCH4. Threats of imminent danger should still be directed to 9-1-1.

"We are linking the eyes and ears of Houstonians in with national security efforts," said Mayor Parker, since people who live in neighborhoods know what belongs there and people who work downtown know if something appears amiss.

"Homeland security begins with hometown security," explained Napolitano. "Our goal is to maximize our ability to prevent attacks ... and minimize the damage that could occur. We are asking people to be vigilant, but not live in fear. To be situationally aware, but not live in fear."

Secretary Napolitano cited large organizations, such as the NCAA and major sports leagues, and popular tourist areas, like the Mall of America, that have already adopted and implemented programs like this one.

National Public Radio recently aired a series of stories entitled "Under Suspicion" on the security program at Mall of America, though, and most detentions in the mall were based more upon race than upon concrete evidence of suspicious or malicious behavior.

This is something that the Department of Homeland Security and the Houston Police Department are hoping to avoid with the "If You See Something, Say Something" program, Parker said. She insisted that local officials know what to do with the information that they receive, so that they can process it accurately and respond without stereotyping.

The Department of Homeland Security is rolling the program out this year, one city at a time, and Houston is among the first large cities to initiate the program. This comes after news that the Houston area will accept $66 million in grants from FEMA, which will help with emergency preparedness and response, port security, and terrorism prevention. The Department has allocated $2.2 billion worth of grants to the state of Texas this year.

What do you think? Will this initiative create a pervasive paranoia? Or will you feel safer knowing that your neighbors are watching your back?