Describing People
When giving a description of a person to law enforcement, take it in four steps
1. Describe things they can't easily change
- Race/skin tone
- Gender
- Age
- Height
- Weight or build
- Hair
- Scars, marks, tattoos
- For example, white male, 30's, 6-ft., 175-lbs., brown hair, heart tattoo on left bicep
2. Describe their clothing from top to bottom and inside to outside
- For example, blue hat, white t-shirt, black jacket, blue pants, white socks, gray tennis shoes
3. Describe characteristics that make the person stand out
- For example, walks with a limp, missing teeth, sweating profusely
4. Give the person's last known location and direction of travel (Where are they? Which way did they go?)
- For example, was heading north on Estate from Quince
Describing Vehicles
If you are reporting a suspicious vehicle - or a suspicious person in a vehicle - please provide as much information about the vehicle as you can. Consider the acronym "CYMMBALS."
- Color: If you don't know, give shade (Light colored - Dark colored)
- Year: If you don't know, a rough guess works (newer - 80's model - late 80's)
- Make: If you aren't sure, you can say "It looked like a ... (Pontiac, Hyundai, etc.)."
- Model: For example, Grand Am, Sonata. If you don't know, you can skip it.
- Body: 2 door (Coupe), 4 door (Sedan), Hatch back, Wagon, Van, Truck.
- Accessories: Roof Rack, Tinted Windows, Fancy Rims
- License Number: If you can write it down or memorize it, great! If not, relay as much as you can.
- State: If the license plate is from out-of-state, please say so.
Then, describe anything that makes the car stand out, such as any damage (and the damage location), stickers, antennae balls.
Provide the last known location and direction of travel.