Having just talked about two Michigan based brothers who were accused of “suspicious activity” in Tunisia, we thought it best if we take a moment to discuss exactly what suspicious activity is, and how that accusation could affect you.
For most people, the term ‘suspicious activity’ is something they hear in movies right before a suicide bomber reveals his deadly vest, or a major drug deal goes down under the secret gaze of law enforcement. Characters make furtive glances, sweat and mumble to themselves, trying to achieve their secret goal before someone notices that something’s wrong. In other words – Hollywood’s version.
Now don’t misunderstand us. That’s part of it. But it’s not the whole picture. Law enforcement is trained to look for ‘suspicious activity’ that can appear in a wide range of behaviors and situations. On the whole, this is a good thing. It helps officers avert disaster before it strikes and removes public threats before people are harmed, or killed. But it also results in numerous unnecessary arrests, and violations of civil rights.
For this reason, we have decided to explain to our readers what exactly law enforcement considers suspicious activity to be. In part, this is because knowing can help to avoid an actual disaster. But it’s also because sometimes people do things without thinking. Without realizing what their actions may look like to those around them. And those things can result in being reported for ‘suspicious activity’ and maybe even arrested.
In the interest of keeping you informed so that you can report an actual crime that requires police attention, and also hopefully avoid being accused of something you never intended to do, here is a breakdown of suspicious activity as defined by Homeland Security:
Possible Suspicious Activities:
- Unusual items or situations: This could be any number of things. A package or piece of luggage left unattended in a busy area, a window or door left open that is normally closed, a car parked in a location where normally there are no vehicles. Essentially, any abnormal or out-of-the-ordinary behaviors or situations.
- Eliciting information: This usually refers to a person who questions others in a way that suggests interest beyond normal curiosity. Usually the subject in question pertains to a specific building’s security procedures, personnel, shift changes, or similar information that is usually not of interest to strangers.
- Observation/surveillance: Officers consider it suspicious when someone someone pays an unusual amount of attention to facilities or buildings beyond normal casual, or even standard professional interest. This could include loitering without explanation for long periods (particularly in concealed locations); repeated or prolonged observation of a specific building (for example, the use of binoculars or a camera); taking physical notes about a business or location, (like measurements or a floor plan sketch).
Homeland Security’s website provides detailed descriptions for how to go about reporting suspicious activity, both to your local law enforcement in Michigan and to federal authorities. The website also provides a lengthy description of what they consider to be suspicious activity and encourages civilians to report any activity they see or hear that they consider to be suspicious.
Although the Homeland Security website does point out that some of these activities may be innocent, it clearly states that this is for law enforcement to determine. In other words, if police decide that anything you have said or done is ‘suspicious’, they can and probably will detain you. We would like our readers to be aware of this fact, so that they will exercise caution and awareness while in public.
For example, when waiting at the airport for your scheduled flight to depart, or after you have arrived at your destination, be certain to keep your luggage with you at all times. The most obvious reason for this is to avoid having your belongings stolen. But of equal importance is the fact that an unattended bag at an airport, even for a few minutes, can bring all terminal activity to a complete standstill while law enforcement determine that the bag is safe. This goes for children as well. If you are traveling with children, be sure to remind them regularly and keep a close watch on their bags.
If however, you are accused of committing an action that was considered to be ‘suspicious’ by law enforcement, but you are innocent of any crime, contact us immediately. We understand how easy it is to make a simple mistake that others may interpret as suspicious, and suddenly you are faced with a whirlwind of accusations. But the experienced defense attorneys at the Kronzek Firm have decades of experience handling false allegations and long records of success overcoming them. So call today at 866-766-5245. We are here to help you.