Clayton Residents Asked To Think It Over Before Reporting 'Suspicious' Behavior To The Police

From the City of Clayton:

October 29, 2020

Starting in the summer of 2014, Clayton Police began seeing a dramatic rise in the number of suspicious calls. In fact, the number of calls has doubled since 2015. At the same time, the percentage of these calls found to reflect suspicious activity has dropped dramatically. In 2019, only 17% correlated with a crime in progress or committed.

The data show there is a consistent racial disparity in the calls, with African Americans 50% more likely to be the subject described.

Why does this matter? Our police put our safety first. When they receive a citizen call reporting criminal suspicious activity, they respond. These responses pull our officers and resources away from other public safety priorities. Also of critical importance is the fact that mistaken police contact can be a traumatic experience, especially for members of historically marginalized groups.

We all want Clayton to be a safe and welcoming place for everyone. But sometimes personal biases can get in the way. In considering whether to call Clayton police to report an activity as criminally suspicious, here are some guidelines to follow.

Before you make call to report suspicious activity, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the actual activity that concerns you? Focus on behavior not the person’s appearance.
2. If your son/daughter, brother/sister were doing this same activity would you consider it suspicious?
3. Does the activity appear related to a potential or actual crime?

To read the full report on suspicious activity calls, click here.

This press release was produced by the City of Clayton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.