Incident Report Guide

Reporting Suspicious Activities

Use this guide to learn:

• To identify suspicious activities or persons
• What types of suspicious activities and suspicious individuals to report to the police and Jewish Federation Security
• How to report suspicious activity

Now more than ever, with our nation’s new emphasis on both crime and terrorism, citizens are needed to come forward and provide valuable information.

REMEMBER - Do not be shy, your job is simply to report, and law enforcement and security personnel will take your call seriously and investigate the situation. What you see and report is invaluable and may save lives.

What Are Suspicious Activities?

Sometimes it can be confusing about what to report and when to report it. What exactly is a "suspicious activity"? Suspicious activity is an incident, event, an individual that seems unusual or out of place.

Some common examples of suspicious activities include:

• A stranger loitering around your school, synagogue or building
• A vehicle slowly cruising the parking lot repeatedly
• Strangers removing license plates or loading valuables into vehicles
• Someone peering into cars or windows
• Strange odors
• Open doors or windows when your school or synagogue is closed
• Someone tampering with electrical, gas or sewer systems without an identifiable company vehicle or uniform
• Sounds of breaking glass, gunshots, screaming or fighting

Refer to this helpful guide about recognizing suspicious activity.

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.

What To Report

There are four general categories to consider when determining what to report. Staff and volunteers should generally report:

• Suspicious activities, people, and vehicles
• Unusual events or incidents
• Dangerous situations
• Suspicious communications (text messages, phone calls, voice mail messages, emails, letters, or packages, etc.)

How To Report

Staff and volunteers should know how to report suspicious activities. To report suspicious activities, crimes in progress, or possible terrorist activities:

• Dial 911 to call the local police in the event of an emergency.
• Tell the call taker what happened and the exact location of where it occurred.
• Provide a detailed description of individuals or vehicles.
• Remain on the phone and stay calm.
• Be prepared to answer follow-up questions

Complete the Federation Incident Report with as much detail as possible and forward to Federation Security who will follow up with appropriate law enforcement authorities.

Trust Your Instincts

With the information you received in this guide, you should be able to identify suspicious activities, know what to report, and how to report it. If an incident, individual, vehicle or circumstance seems out of place or 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE JEWISH COMMUNAL SECURITY PROGRAM, PLEASE CONTACT:

SECURITY DIRECTOR, SHAWN BROKOS AT sbrokos@jfedpgh.org /412-598-2591

SECURITY PROGRAM COORDINATOR, ERIN FAGAN AT efagan@jfedpgh.org / 484-655-7654

VISIT OUR COMMUNITY SECURITY WEBSITE