ACTIVITY | COULD BE... |
- Unusual noises and other activity
| Gunshots, screaming, sounds of combat or excessive barking of dogs or someone being forced into a car or house are reasons to call law enforcement immediately. |
| Certain cars that seem to be circling the block repetitively or following an aimless course, particularly without lights in the evening, could be driven by a person casing houses for burglary or by someone waiting for a drug pickup. Possible sex offenders could also exhibit this behavior. Place close attention if the car is seen close to schools, parks or playgrounds. |
- Parked vehicles that are occupied
| Lookouts for burglaries or robberies in progress may be sitting in the parked car, sometimes pretending to be a young couple in love. An occupied car waiting in front of a house where no one is home or a business that is clearly closed could be the get-away car for a burglary in progress. |
| This may be a stolen car. |
- Stranger walking along the side yard of a house or going into the back yard
| Unless it's an acquaintance, relative or legitimate employee doing a check of utilities or repairs to the house it is very likely that this person is a burglar or trespasser. |
- Excessive traffic-people and cars at a certain residence
| This activity is not necessarily suspicious unless it happens on a daily or regular basis, especially late at night or during unusual hours. A legitimate home-based business may have some traffic, but if it seems excessive, the residents could be engaging in drug trafficking, prostitution or fencing of stolen goods. |
- Person carrying or moving personal property
| Stories about burglars driving a moving van up to a house and taking everything in broad daylight are sometimes true. Someone carrying personal property on the street or loading it into a car or truck, especially at an unusual time of day or night, could be a burglar. |
- Excessive personal property stored in cars or garages
| Unless the person is running a garage sale a large accumulation of property represents stolen goods. Especially notice if there are several of the same type of item such as four stereos in the garage. |
- Someone going door-to-door in a residential area
| Young children selling cookies or legitimate solicitors may have a reason to knock on neighbor's doors. But if someone seems to be randomly going up to doorways, it could be a burglar or a person who is part of a burglary team. Pay particular attention if one person goes around the side of the house while the other stays at the front door. |
- Forcible entry to a house or car
| This person could have forgotten his keys, or he could be trying to steal something. |
