Suspicious Activities: What to Watch Out For

Part of being a good neighbor means reporting suspicious activities to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). The point being to not only stop crimes BEFORE they happen, but to also send a clear message that criminal activity is not tolerated in your neighborhood.

According to the SFPD, “Suspicious activity is any observed behavior that could indicate a crime-related incident has been committed, or about to be committed [and also] unusual items or situations.”

So when it comes to suspicious activities, what exactly should San Francisco residents be looking out for? Examples of shady activities include:

A stranger loitering in your neighborhood;

A vehicle cruising the streets repeatedly or a vehicle parked in an odd location;

Someone peering into cars or windows or trying door handles to steal valuables;

A high volume of traffic going to-and-from a particular home on a regular basis;

A window or door that is left open that is usually closed;

Someone monitoring front doors for unattended packages;

Someone following delivery trucks;

Someone loitering around schools, parks or secluded areas;

A package or luggage that is left unattended;

Or other out-of-the-ordinary situations.

Be on the lookout for these and other suspicious activities and click here to report a crime to the SFPD.

Aside from watching out for suspicious activities, another way to take action in a cooperative fashion is by organizing or joining a Neighborhood Watch Group. SF SAFE manages San Francisco’s Neighborhood Watch Program; the groups meet regularly, create neighborhood emergency preparedness plans, take classes together, discuss and report local crime activity and more. Click here to see if there’s a group in your neighborhood or to get started with SF SAFE on creating one.

With an eye toward creating safer neighborhoods, SF SAFE also recommends attending your local SFPD station’s Virtual Community Meetings. Amid the pandemic, SFPD stations moved their in-person monthly meetings online via Zoom. Each SFPD station has its own monthly community meeting run by that station’s captain. Participating in these online meetings is an excellent way to keep informed about crime trends in your neighborhood so you can take preventative measures, and to voice any thoughts,

info or concerns you might have directly to the officers responsible for your neighborhood. Follow @sfsafe on Twitter to stay updated on all station meeting dates.