Police Report: Reporting crimes or suspicious activity

I graduated from CSUF in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Criminology, along with a Victim Services Certificate.  While attending CSUF, I completed the first two levels of a P.O.S.T. Certified Academy with the Fresno County Sheriff's Department (Criminology 108 Program). After successful completing the 108 Program, I attended the 128th Academy at the College of Sequoias in Hanford to finish my last level for P.O.S.T.

I am writing this article to inform the citizens of Lemoore about "suspicious activity." Unfortunately Lemoore PD Officers cannot be everywhere in the City of Lemoore, which is why we need your help. When Officers are handling calls for services that means at least one officer maybe even two or more, are unable to patrol the city streets looking for suspicious activities. There is no specific definition for "suspicious activity" but I am going to give you the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) definition of "suspicious activity."

Suspicious Activity - official documentation of observed behavior reasonably indicative of pre-operational planning related to terrorism or other criminal activity.

In other words, suspicious activity can come in many different forms. Some examples could range from a group of young teens hanging out in a city park, an individual that you have never seen before walking in your residential neighborhood or even an unfamiliar vehicle that was left parked in front of your residence.

Suspicious activity does not always mean that specific person(s) you are observing are doing something wrong. A lot of citizens feel that if they were to call the police about "suspicious activity" that turned out to be nothing, they would feel they have wasted the police department's time. In Lemoore, we as department handle every single call for service courteously and professionally. We as a department feel that any type of "suspicious activity" should be reported to the Lemoore Police Department immediately so we can investigate the issue. That one call you make to the Lemoore PD Dispatch, may just have stopped a crime that was about to occur and/or prevented an innocent person from being a victim.

When you call the police department to report anything, you can always advise dispatch that you want to remain "anonymous." Some people are too afraid to call the police because they are worried they will automatically be included in a report or that they and their family will be subjected to repercussions. The only piece of information that should always be left when calling dispatch is a telephone number that you could be contacted at if needed. There have been numerous times when someone calls the police to report a crime in progress and/or "suspicious activity" but do not leave enough detailed information with dispatch. This will delay officers in trying to locate where the crime/suspicious activity are occurring at or the people involved. If Officers need more detailed information about the crime/suspicious activity you are reporting, it will help us locate the situation in a timelier manner by calling you directly.

Some of the detailed information that would help officers would be a race/clothing description of the person(s), did the person(s) have any tattoos/scars, and were there any weapons involved. If so what kind of weapons were involved. When people have committed crimes they are highly likely to leave in a vehicle for a quicker escape. If you saw them leave in a vehicle, what kind of vehicle was it, what was the license plate number, were there any other passengers inside of the vehicle, were there any dents or stickers on the vehicle, were there any after-market items on the vehicle (tinted windows, rims, lighting equipment), and what was the last known direction of travel the person/vehicle left in The more detailed description you can give dispatch, the greater chance we have in being able to locate the person(s) of interest.

Another suggestion I would add when reporting a crime/suspicious activity is to follow whatever it is that you are reporting at safe distance if possible.  It would be much appreciated if you could wait until you physically saw the police out with the right suspicious activity. This all falls back to the information you as a citizen are reporting. Keep in mind the type of crime or activity you are reporting as well. If you feel like you are or may possibly be in danger due to the crime/suspicious activity you are reporting, leave the area and go to a safe place. A phone call with the most descriptive details of the incident would be good enough and the best option. Your safety and safety of others is our number one priority. The Lemoore Police Department wants to keep our city and people safe, so do not ever put yourself in harm’s way when trying to report a crime/suspicious activity.

If anyone has any information or comments about this article, do not hesitate to contact me or another Lemoore PD Officer. I can be reached by the following:

Phone (Voicemail) – 559-924-6781

Lemoore PD – 559-924-9574

After Hours – 559-924-5333

E-Mail – Jeffrey.Hernandez@lemoorepd.com