See something, say something. Never hesitate to call 911 when you observe suspicious activity

I can’t stress enough how important it is to report suspicious behavior, activity or sounds. Sometimes people are reluctant to call 911 about behavior they believe is suspicious because they think calling police will place an unnecessary burden on them for an activity that may only appear suspicious and not warrant a call to 911.

In fact, immediately reporting suspicious activity of any kind can help police prevent and interrupt crimes. I’ve seen this happen personally.

What is suspicious behavior? If it appears suspicious to you, it’s worth reporting to 911. Some examples would include unusual noise including screaming sounds, fighting or breaking of glass; people in and around buildings who appear to be conducting business when the actual business is closed; unauthorized people in a restricted area; vehicles driving slowly and aimlessly throughout neighborhoods, around schools or parking lots; people peering into parked cars; people who change their behavior when they notice that they’re being watched; individuals dressed inappropriately for the occasion such as winter clothes in the summer and/or overly heavy clothing in the winter; and abandoned vehicles on the street. All such unusual activity always should be reported.

When reporting any suspicious behavior, call 911. Do not use the nonemergency lines for these types of reports. If you believe someone is in physical danger, call. If you believe a specific crime just happened, call. And if you believe something is about to happen because of a suspicious activity, then call.

What makes it suspicious? Be prepared to explain to the 911 operator why the behavior you are seeing or hearing appears suspicious and what gives you the feeling that a crime is in progress or about to occur. Don’t doubt your instincts. Call 911 and let the operator evaluate and respond to the information you provide.

When you call 911, the operator will answer by asking: “What is your emergency or what are you reporting?” Your response should be “I’m reporting a crime or emergency or suspicious activity.”

From this point on, let the operator control the call and ask questions. 911 operators have a system and a format they follow in order to get the most accurate information to provide to squad cars working the streets.

The 911 operator may ask if you wish to see the responding police officer in person. Some residents like that, others do not. I would encourage you to say “yes” as an officer often may be able to get more valuable information from you than what can be relayed on the phone.

The 911 operator needs to focus on the information you give them. They’ll ask questions such as What is happening? Where is this happening? Where are you in relation to what’s happening? What makes the person’s actions suspicious? What did the person’s vehicle look like? Did the person say anything? If so, what? Were there any weapons displayed or any threat of a weapon displayed? If you can give the person’s last known location and direction of travel, that is very helpful.

If you happen to be reporting a suspicious person in a vehicle, it is important to provide the 911 operator with pertinent information such as the color of the vehicle as well as the year, make and model or any distinguishing features. Those details are very important as they help police when they pull over suspicious vehicles.

If you have the license plate number, write that down and/or memorize it and give it to the 911 operator or the responding officer. Be sure to describe anything that makes the car or person stand out. Certainly, if the vehicle has out-of-state license plates, that is very useful information.

On a personal note, I can assure you that reporting suspicious activity makes a difference. I can’t tell you the number of times I or my officers would respond to a burglary, theft or some other type of crime in which a neighbor had watched the crime happen but didn’t recognize it as suspicious activity and didn’t report it.

On one occasion, I personally responded to an incident in which burglars backed a truck into the driveway of a residence whose owners were out of town. The offenders unloaded a tremendous amount of items from the garage and the house and drove away.

When we interviewed the neighbor, she said she watched the activity happen. She explained that she didn’t call 911 because she was unsure if the behavior was suspicious. She thought her neighbors might have hired somebody to do some work on the property.

On a final note, remember that by calling 911 when you believe you are witnessing suspicious activity, you are not bothering or burdening the police. It is their job to respond to residents’ concerns and complaints. Most of the time, the officers are more frustrated when they could have solved a crime or made an arrest if somebody had called police.

By calling 911, you are helping not bothering your local police and it can make all the difference.

• Tom Weitzel was chief of the Riverside Police Department. Follow him @chiefweitzel.