Suspicious Activity & Observation Skills Neighborhood Watch Community Training

1. Suspicious Activity & Observation Skills Neighborhood Watch Community Training

2. Partners National Sheriffs’ Association Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

3. Suspicious Activities are… • Suspicious activity can refer to incidents, events, individuals or circumstances that seem unusual or out of place. Remember: A quick and accurate description of events, vehicles, and persons can make all the difference in apprehending a potential criminal. Any type of activity or circumstance that seems unusual should be reported.

4. Reporting Suspicious Activity • For emergencies or crimes in progress call 911 • For non-emergencies 456-3400 • Like panhandling, parking complaints, noise, suspicious vehicles/persons.

5. Observation Skills http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4&feature=player_embedded

6. Observation Skills What to observe: • Physical setting • Specific location, time of day, day of week • People • What do they look like? How are they acting? How many of them? • Specific Items • What are they important? • Routines • Did you notice any reoccurring patterns or routines? How often did they occur? Who was involved?

7. Observation Skills

8. Observation Skills Store Robbery • Number of Robbers • Descriptions • Number of Witnesses • Weapons • Style (shotgun, handgun, rifle), type (revolver, semi-automatic), caliber (9mm, .45) • Environment • Inside, outside, day, evening, etc… • Other Details

9. ObservationSkills

10. Suspicious Activity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWxzNctBVtY&feature=player_embedded

11. How to observe people and vehicles • Stay calm and remain alert to your surroundings • Begin with the basics • Move to specifics • Broaden your perspective • Add details

12. Begin with the Basics - People • Gender • Race • Age • Number of individuals involved

13. Move to specifics - People • Height • Weight • Clothing • Hat • Shirt • Pants • Shoes • Hair and eye color • Facial hair

14. Broaden your perspective - People • What other events are occurring? • Who else is affected? • What is the overall situation?

15. Add details - People • Vehicles • Witnesses • Location • Direction of travel • Outcome of the incident • Damage caused • Individuals injured or killed

16. Practice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNF9QNEQLA&feature=player_embedded

17. Begin with the Basics - Vehicle • Make • Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, VW, Volvo, Lexus, Honda, Nissan, Mercedes • Model • Maxima, Caprice, Navigator, Cutlass, Escape, Accord

18. Move to specifics - Vehicle • Body style • 2 door • 4 door • Hatchback • Convertible • Four wheel drive • Color • Overall appearance • Clean, dirty, primer marks

19. Add details - Vehicle • Damage • Bumper stickers • Signs or lettering • Phone numbers • Company logos

20. Improving your observation skills • Be patient and take your time • Pay attention to your surroundings

21. Reporting Activity

22. Reporting Activity What did it look like? Was that a dog? I can't think?

23. Reporting Activity

24. Improving your observation skills • Note the environment • Observe the entire scene • Be aware of people’s reactions

25. Post-Observation Actions • If possible, write down your observations as soon as possible • Record the date and time • If activities appear to be unusual, suspicious or illegal, call for assistance and take the appropriate action according to your agency’s policies and procedures

26. Reporting Suspicious Activities If an incident, individual, vehicle or circumstance seems out of place, unusual, or makes you feel uncomfortable, do not hesitate to call the police and report it. Let law enforcement make the decision on what response to take. Your responsibility as a concerned citizen is to help the police help you.