How to report incidents to 911

As the Vice President of Seaford for the Wantagh Seaford Homeowners Association and Director of our neighborhood watch committee, I receive complaints from many of our residents on criminal activity affecting our communities. The Wantagh Seaford communities are fortunate enough to have a low crime rate, but unfortunately no community is crime free. The heroin epidemic that has swept the country has affected our communities as well as property crimes and quality of life issues.

I have attended multiple meetings with the Police Department and one of the most frustrating concerns expressed by the Police Department is that incidents are not being reported. I have seen it myself first hand where people are posting incidents and images of crimes on social media, but are not reporting these incidents to the Police Department. These incidents need to be reported. Many people make the mistake of calling the precinct and not 911.

The proper way to report an incident is through 911. The 911 system was designed for these types of calls, not the precinct. The 911 system documents the incident in call records which is important for showing patterns. Calling 911 also provides the quickest response. You should always call 911 for suspicious vehicles, persons and activity. Suspicious vehicles, persons or activity could mean possible criminal activity that needs an immediate response and we need those types of calls documented. If you do witness criminal activity such as drug sales it should go without saying that 911 should be notified.

Here are some tips on what to look for and how to report suspicious activity courtesy of the Nassau County Police Department.

Hopefully the tips provided below will answer these questions, teach you what to look for and how to record information for responding officers. When you have seen something its always better to report than remain silent. Remember the proper way to report these incidents is by calling 911.

What is Suspicious Activity?

• A stranger loitering in your neighborhood or a vehicle cruising the streets repeatedly.
• Someone peering into cars or windows.
• A high volume of traffic going to and coming from a house on a daily basis.
• Someone loitering around schools, parks and secluded areas.
• Strange odors coming from a house, building or vehicle.
• Open or broken doors and windows at a closed building or unoccupied residence.
• Someone tampering with electrical, gas or sewer systems without an identifiable company vehicle or uniform.
• Persons arriving or leaving from homes or businesses at unusual hours.
• Multiple persons who appear to be working in unison and exhibiting suspicious behavior.
• Signs of forced entry or tampering with security or safety systems.

Knowing how to report.

• For above activity, call 911
• Tell dispatcher what happened and give an exact location.
• Provide a detailed description of individuals and vehicles.
Example: Individuals/ male or female, Ethnicity, age, height and weight and clothing
Example: Vehicles/ plate number, make and model of car and vehicle color.
• Remain on the phone and stay calm.
• Be prepared to answer follow up questions by the dispatcher.

What are suspicious vehicles?

• Certain Moving Vehicles-Especially if slow moving and without lights.
• Certain Parker or Occupied Vehicles-May contain one or more persons, at unusual hours.
• Persons attempting to forcibly enter a vehicle.
• Persons detaching mechanical parts or accessories from a vehicle.
• Business transactions conducted from a vehicle-Suspicious especially if around schools or parks.

For residents of Wantagh/Seaford who want to join our neighborhood watch Facebook group the link is provided below.

https://www.facebook.com/group...

You can also like the Wantagh Seaford Homeowners Association on Facebook at

https://m.facebook.com/Wantagh...

Or visit the WSHA website at www.WSHA.LI

Christopher Carini is currently the Vice President of Seaford for the Wantagh Seaford Homeowner's Association as well as the Director of the Wantagh Seaford Homeowner's Association Neighborhood Watch Committee. He is also the administrator of the Wantagh Seaford Homeowner's Association's Neighborhood Watch Facebook group and Co-Administrator of the Wantagh Seaford Homeowner's Associations main Facebook page.