Report What You Find to be Unusual!
First, call the National Response Center at 877-24WATCH. For immediate danger to life or property, call 911, or call the U. S. Coast Guard on Marine Channel 16.
Never approach someone you fear may be about to commit a crime. Make some notes, such as the person's appearance, clothing, vehicle license plate, and the type of boat, vehicle or aircraft involved. Take a picture if you can, but keep your distance if the situation seems hostile.
Provide Details:
Be specific with details whenever you report something amiss to authorities. Generalized descriptions and concerns don't provide sufficient information and may not carry the appropriate sense of urgency.
Details Carry Weight:
For Example: "I'm at the Safe Haven Marina and just saw [something dangerous] loaded from a White SUV into a turquoise Boston Whaler with the registration number of CF1234YZ. I can't read the SUV's plate number, but I think it's an out-of-state plate. The boat operator seems to be intimidated by his passengers, and the passengers seem to be trying to keep out of sight. I think something bad is about to happen." Pay attention to height, weight, gender, clothing, or other identifiable traits of the people engaged in suspicious activity -- you may be asked for this type of information.
How to Make a Proper Description of a Person, Boat or Vehicle
Never use race or religion as an indicator of suspicious activity. Always rely on the idea that what you are observing is like a puzzle. If your instincts suspect suspicious activity, and you have observed a person's/group's actions that you can report to back up your instincts and feelings, then you can report your observations using the CYMBALS method described below.
All reports should contain the 5 Ws and an H, which means you should be able to articulate a majority of the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How aspects of what's going on. This will be the line of questioning you can expect from law enforcement when submitting a report. If you do not have a majority of these questions covered, then articulate exactly what makes you feel suspicious of a person, group, or situation when reporting.
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