Crime Prevention Information

What Should I Consider Suspicious?

Suspicious People

• New customer who is reluctant to provide complete personal information.
• Customer who has not taken a safety course or does not have a certification card.
• Small groups of individuals asking for scuba certification lessons "quickly".
• An inexperienced diver trying to dive alone.

Suspicious Activities

• Using cash for expensive transactions or a credit card in someone else's name.
• Renting watercraft for an extended period.
• Purchasing more than one motorized underwater propelling device.
• Exhibiting unusual behavior regarding dive tanks.
• Wanting to dive in locations not normally associated with diving.
• Claiming to be an experienced boater/diver but
  • Exhibiting unfamiliarity with common terminology.
  • Requiring instruction on operating watercraft and/or diving equipment.
  • Unable to support the claim with a diving logbook.
• During training
  • Appearing uninterested in safety rules or sacrificing safety to complete training faster.
  • Displaying aggressive desire to get to a specific location or to the next stage of the class.
  • Trying to redirect basic lessons towards a specific or an advanced topic.
  • Asking about technical or specialty training (e.g., enclosed spaces, night diving, underwater navigation, underwater welding, mixed gas diving) without being able to explain their objective.
• Possessing
  • Containers unrelated to normal water sports activities.
  • Maps designating structures unrelated to water sports activities.
  • Forged or altered identification.
• Acting secretive or exhibiting guarded behavior (discouraging communication and/or observation of activities).
• Inquiring about
  • Local dams or companies along waterways.
  • "Rebreathing" equipment or certification to utilize rebreathing equipment (very costly) for extremely deep dives or extended dive times.

Note: It is important to remember that just because someone's speech, actions, beliefs, appearance, or way of life is different, it does not mean that he or she is suspicious.

What Should I Do?

Be Part of the Solution

• Require valid ID from all new customers.
• Keep records of purchases.
• Talk to customers, ask questions, and listen to and observe their responses.
• Watch for people and actions that are out of place.
• Make note of suspicious statements, people, and/or vehicles.
• If something seems wrong, notify law enforcement authorities.

Do not jeopardize your safety or the safety of others.

Preventing terrorism is a community effort. By learning what to look for, you can make a positive contribution in the fight against terrorism. The partnership between the community and law enforcement is essential to the success of anti-terrorism efforts.

Some of the activities, taken individually, could be innocent and must be examined by law enforcement professionals in a larger context to determine whether there is a basis to investigate. The activities outlined on this handout are by no means all-inclusive but have been compiled from a review of terrorist events over several years.

Osceola County Sheriff's Office

407-348-2222