How to Describe a Suspect

• Time
• Location - Remember the exact location where the crime took place.
• Weapon - Did the suspect have a weapon? If so, what type? A pistol, rifle, shotgun, stick, knife, etc., and what did it look like?
• Direction - Which direction did the suspect go?
• How did he leave? - By foot, car, bike, etc?
• Transportation - Describe the car, bike, motorcycle, etc. For example, if the suspect left in a vehicle, get the tag, make, model, and color. Are there any other physical characteristics about the vehicle such as: dents, cracked windshield, broken light, bent tag, no tag, dealership paper tag, etc?

When looking at a suspect, try to remember as much of the following as possible.

General Description:

When trying to determine a suspect's height, find something that the suspect is standing by, such as a door, tree, another person, and compare his height with that item or person.

Physical Features and Peculiarities:

• Hair - color, wig, dyed, bald, long, short, braided
• Facial Hair - color, sideburns, mustache, beard, goatee
• Skin - color, wrinkled, smooth
• Eyes - color, bloodshot, round, slanted
• Eyebrows - color, thick, thin, penciled in
• Nose - big, small, long, short, flared nostrils
• Ears - big, small, flat, protruding
• Cheekbones - high, low, narrow, wide
• Lips - big, thin
• Mouth - curve down or up on the corners
• Chin - dimpled, round, pointed, square

• Body Marks - tattoos, scars
• Voice - pitch, tone
• Speech - uneducated, articulate, accent, slang
• Walk - fast, slow, limp

Clothing:

• Hat - color, style, emblem, if hat has a bill, notice if worn forward or backwards
• Coat - color, work, suit, winter, jacket
• Shirt - color, sweater, blouse, dress, emblems
• Pants - color, work, dress, jeans
• Shoes - color, dress, sneakers, condition, brand
• Accessories - rings, necklaces, earrings, watch, gloves, tie, scarf, hair bows
• Clothing Worn - big, tight, patched, clean, dirty

What Is Suspicious?

• Persons entering or leaving a place of business after hours.
• Persons selling merchandise at extremely low prices.
• Persons claiming to be from the cable, gas, water, electric, telephone, etc., company who are not in uniform and have no identification.
• Persons looking in windows of parked cars or walking from car to car checking for unlocked doors.
• Persons lingering around parking lots, schools, parks, neighborhoods, or secluded areas.
• Persons entering your neighbor's house or property while your neighbor is out or away on vacation.
• Persons screaming, shouting, sounds of gunfire, sounds of breaking glass, or other loud noises.

Suspicious Acts That Are Not So Obvious

• Persons going door to door in your neighborhood. Watch them for a while. Are they looking in windows, going in the back yard, or checking to see if doors are unlocked?
• Persons carrying property at a late hour or in an unusual place. Property that doesn't look like it was just bought, or is not in a package or property that the person appears to be attempting to conceal. These people could be fleeing from a crime scene.
• Persons making sales or survey calls over the phone. Be careful about giving out personal information. For example, if someone knows your place of employment, that person could place a phone call to your job to see if you are working and not at home.
• Persons with unusual physical or mental behavior could mean they are injured, in need of psychiatric help, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Persons who have a lot of traffic in and out of their house at all hours could signify drug sales or other criminal activity.
• Persons loitering around juveniles or near schools and parks could be selling drugs or could be sex offenders.
• Vehicles that are abandoned in your neighborhood could be stolen.
• Vehicles parked at a business after business hours or at an unoccupied residence could mean a break-in. Even if the vehicle has a business logo on the side, it could still be suspicious. Professional criminals will disguise their vehicles to try to avoid raising suspicion.
• Vehicles going slowly without lights on, a vehicle driving through an area repeatedly, or a vehicle that is occupied and parked for a long period of time in your neighborhood could signify criminal activity.

If you notice any of the above circumstances or other activity that you think is suspicious, do not hesitate to call 911 . Don't worry that you might be wrong. Instead think about what could be happening if your suspicion is right .