Color Code System – Fade to Black

COLOR-CODED TERROR ALERT SYSTEM GOING AWAY: The color-coded terror alert system that was put in place in the wake of the 9/11 attacks is being phased out, and will stop being used by the end of April, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is set to announce today.

A replacement called the National Terrorism Advisory System will be rolled out in the next three months under which specific audiences, such as law enforcement officials, will be notified about specific threats. If there's a threat that Homeland Security officials think the public should know about, they'll issue an announcement and rely on the news media and social media to get the word out. The five-tiered, color-coded warning system that's being eliminated had been criticized as being too vague to be useful in communicating the terror threat to the public.