Eyes and Ears

1. Eyes and Ears Citizens and the Police Working Together For a Safer Community

2. Purpose • Enlist support from Residents and Visitors to aid the Police Department in the reduction of crime. • Residents and Visitors vigilance can significantly impact the safety and security of the community. • To enhance the responsibilities of our Citizens and Visitors who help create a sense of neighborhood security • Positively impact neighborhood environments in a way that maintains the safety and well being of our citizens and visitors.

3. Protocol: Tips and Techniques • The Eyes and Ears program enlists Residents and Visitors to aid the Police Department in a non-confrontational program • Citizens and Visitors are the eyes and ears of the Police Department, not police officers • Participants of the Eyes and Ears Program enhance our crime prevention strategies by identifying suspicious persons, activities, and potentially unsafe situations.

4. Suspicious Behavior? • Determining and defining “suspicious behavior” is probably confusing for most people. Without proper training, each individual will rely on their own understanding based on their life experience. * Suspicious Behavior is any behavior enacted within a specific environment that is not "normal" for that environment. Basically, if the behavior is not commonly a part of a particular environment, then it may be viewed as suspicious. It's important to realize that we only identify behavior as suspicious.

5. What is the Situation? • What am I watching? • Burglary, Theft, Suspicious Circumstance. • How do I describe to the Police where and what is taking place? • What If I don’t know the address of my location. • Why does dispatch ask me certain questions? • In a high stress incident, how can I calm myself to make the 911 call?

6. Risk • Is your life worth the risk to obtain information for the Police? • Should I involve myself in stopping a crime? • Only you can answer these questions.

7. Describe a Suspect • Hair color • Hair length • Absence or presence of facial hair, and if present, facial hair color • Eye color • Approximate age • Approximate height • Approximate weight • Distinguishing characteristics, such as visible scars, tattoos, piercings or deformities. • Clothing, including pants/shorts/skirt/dress, shirt sleeve length, presence of coat/jacket, wearing/not wearing hat or glasses, color of all articles of clothing.

8. REGARDING SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE • License plate number and state • Vehicle make/model • Approximate year of vehicle • Vehicle color • Number of doors on vehicle • Any visible bumper stickers or window stickers, including their size, color, placement and content • Any visible damage to vehicle, such as paint damage, body damage, broken/missing glass, damaged or non-working head or tail lights

9. Suspicious Activities • Occupied vehicle sitting idle or parked • Individuals taking photos of a potential target facility (landmarks, public buildings, power plants, water treatment facilities, etc.) from inside a vehicle • Individuals taking "panoramic" or multiple-shot/multi-angle photos of a potential target facility • Individuals taking detailed or extensive notes outside a potential target facility • Individuals videotaping a potential target facility from inside a vehicle • Individuals shooting long, continuous video of a potential target facility, or videotaping a potential target facility from multiple angles

10. Sharing Information • On a scene of an incident the police want unbiased information. • Do not share your information with other witnesses • Do not compare notes • Do not be persuaded by others to change what you have seen.

11. Things I must do! • Beware of your surroundings at all times. • Makes you a good witness. • Could prevent you from becoming a victim.

12. Questions?