Q&A: What should I look for?
A person’s conduct or other circumstances that appear unusual, different, or out of place
A person’s conduct or other circumstances that appear unusual, different, or out of place
We have provided some common characteristics to look for. But the bottom line is to Trust Your Gut!
Common Characteristics (Opportunity Crimes)
- Unusual sounds, such as breaking glass or an audible alarm.
- A vehicle idling slowly without any lights on at night.
- A vehicle combing the streets with no apparent destination, day or night.
- Anyone sitting in a parked vehicle for an extended amount of time.
- A person running from or looking into a residence or vehicle for no apparent reason.
- A person with seemingly no purpose, wandering around the neighborhood or going door to door.
- Any unknown person accessing a neighbor’s garage or removing property from a neighbor’s home or vehicle.
- A stranger carrying a garbage bag, pillow case, backpack or other bundle away from a neighbor’s home.
- One or more strangers leaving the community with an extra bicycle in tow.
- A person selling items, exchanging merchandise, or otherwise conducting business out of their vehicle.
- A stranger, on foot, on a bicycle or in a vehicle, stopping to talk to a child on the street.
- A child resisting the advances of an adult.
Common Characteristics (Organized, Pre-Planned Crimes)
More organized, planful burglars sometimes invest a surprising amount of effort on blending in with the neighborhood. They may exhibit several of the following characteristics:
- Posing as some sort of service work crew (construction, pool, lawn, etc.) of 3-6 people and carrying tools/equipment associated with the selected trade
- Committing their crime during normal workday hours, allowing them to blend in with other crews working on the street
- Potentially in the area for an elongated period – e.g., walking around acting like they are performing a job while scoping the home and potentially evaluating whether other neighbors are home
- Crossing into neighbors’ yards
- Multi-racial membership (less homogenous than a typical gang)
- Members ranging in age from 25- to 55-year-olds (not children)
- Members who are primarily if not exclusively male
- Very well covered (e.g., gloves, hat, surgical/dust mask, face gaiter, long sleeves, long pants/leggings, boots/closed-toed shoes)
Please contact your neighbor or HCSO directly if you see something suspicious in the neighborhood, including a crew that has not historically or regularly been working at your neighbor’s home.
If you are confident that you can safely do so, snap several pictures of the vehicle (including its license plate) and any suspicious persons as well.
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