Crime Prevention Information

What Should I Consider Suspicious?

People or Groups Who:

• Provide identification that is inconsistent or suspect or demands identity "privacy"
• Insist on paying with cash or uses credit card(s) in different name(s)
• Significantly alters appearance from visit to visit (shaving bear changing hair color, style of dress, etc)
• Have missing hand/fingers, chemical burns, strange odors or bright colored stains on clothing
• Make racist or extreme religious statements coupled with comments that are violent or appear to condone violence
• Make suspicious comments regarding anti-US, radical theology, vague or cryptic warnings that suggest or appear to endorse the use of violence in support of a cause
• Demonstrate interest in uses that do not seem consistent with the intended use of the item being purchased
• Possess little knowledge of intended purchase items of items
• Make bulk purchases of items to include:
  • Weatherproofed ammunition or match containers
  • Meals Ready to Eat
  • Night Vision Devices; night flashlights; gas masks
  • High capacity magazines
  • Bi-pods or tri-pods for rifles

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