Things that draw attention....or should

[mercop]

Here are some things that were red flags to me as a police officer and some of the stuff I teach-

Beware of two or more men driving around in a car. I am not talking about guys in a car pool. It has been my professional experience that when you have two or more guys driving around, especially during the hours of darkness, they are looking for women, drugs, booze, or to break the law.

Depending on the environment my attention is also drawn to a female driving with a guy in the passenger seat. This often means that the guy has a suspended/revoked license which is often a good indicator of other criminal activity. Same thing goes for a guy driving what is obviously due to stuff hanging from the rear view, or maybe seat covers, stuffed animals in the rear view mirror, is a girls car. Always ask yourself does the driver match the car. Your damn right it it profiling, you know how we know so much about profiling? Because it works. Learn to play "one of these things don't look like the other".

Beware of two guys outside of a business that are not standing together but obviously in communication with each other. Usually with with glances and head nods. They are separated so they can angle on you.

In your state do you have to display a front tag? If you do and you see a car with no front tag, it may be stolen. How about the rear plate on a car being covered with dead bugs, does that make sense? How about a tag secured with zip ties, or maybe one screw? How about new screws on an old beater car. How about a car from your state with a bumper sticker identifying that that car came from a different state?

I could go on and on. Just about everyone of these examples led me to a felony arrest. Learn to scan people, places, and things. Turn your filter on and see what gets stuck. When you get something respond accordingly.- George

 

[ATF Consumer]

I fully support profiling. As long as the law is followed and no one is stopped or questioned without cause, meaning they have done something wrong. I love to watch Cops on Tru TV and G4. It is amazing how many people that get pulled over, give up their rights so willingly which results in them getting into more trouble than what they were originally pulled over for.

 

[Eddie]

Hunches

Often times the things you are describing are the sort of things that subconsciously lead to having "hunches". You don't know why (because your brain hasn't fully processed the information yet) but something just doesn't feel right. Later on, when you reflect, you realize that something didn't quite fit the picture and that was what was setting off that "hunch" in your subconscious.

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

Around here if you see a grown man riding a bicycle it's usually because he's a drunk without a DL .

 

[samot]

Here are some things that were red flags to me as a police officer and some of the stuff I teach-

Beware of two or more men driving around in a car. I am not talking about guys in a car pool. It has been my professional experience that when you have two or more guys driving around, especially during the hours of darkness, they are looking for women, drugs, booze, or to break the law.

Depending on the environment my attention is also drawn to a female driving with a guy in the passenger seat. This often means that the guy has a suspended/revoked license which is often a good indicator of other criminal activity. Same thing goes for a guy driving what is obviously due to stuff hanging from the rear view, or maybe seat covers, stuffed animals in the rear view mirror, is a girls car.


For lack of being new here, im not sure what to say about the original posters post. Other than i find your tactics to be very disturbing

 

[JetGirl]

Depending on the environment my attention is also drawn to a female driving with a guy in the passenger seat. This often means that the guy has a suspended/revoked license which is often a good indicator of other criminal activity.

OR...it *could* mean that the man works crazy long hours at a job that is 100 mile round trip every day and whenever the man and woman go anywhere, the man is just sick of driving...and the woman is the better driver anyhow.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

...and the woman is the better driver anyhow.

Surely you jest...

-J-

 

[JetGirl]

Surely you jest...

-J-

Surely, I don't.

 

[ATF Consumer]

Around here if you see a grown man riding a bicycle it's usually because he's a drunk without a DL .

Yep, I usually make a comment about that to my wife when we see guys on mopeds

 

[mercop]

Anything could mean anything, that is why you use the first clue to lead to other clues to rule threats in or out. Here is an example-

On the way to the concert I stopped for gas. As I walked in to pay I looked through the glass and saw a guy leaning on the counter counter talking to the clerk and a woman behind him at the ATM. The first think I noticed was a bad tattoo on the side of his neck, the next thing was that he was probably right handed since he was leaning on his left, and that he was friendly with the clerk. When I walked through the door I heard a conversation between the guy at the counter and the woman. Apparently her boyfriend was locked up and trying to get a public defender. Then the guy at the counter said something about remembering when he and her boyfriend were locked up together. This was overheard while I was using the ATM.

I have a lot of tattoo and I am pretty good at picking out good guy and bad guy tattoos. Two things you look for are quality and location. Poorly done tattoos on the side of the neck and hands/fingers are generally a dead giveaway and more noticeable than the arms. - George

 

[alwalker84]

OR...it *could* mean that the man works crazy long hours at a job that is 100 mile round trip every day and whenever the man and woman go anywhere, the man is just sick of driving...and the woman is the better driver anyhow.

Which would be my case. I live on the east side of indy and drive to crawfordsville everyday to work. Whenever theres a chance for the wife to drive and not me.....im going for it!

I gotta say, I am a fan a situational awareness, but blatant profiling just isnt right IMO. Theres no way you could look at me and know that I hold 2 degrees and work in a corprate environment, so following me around walmart like im about to blow the joint up or running my plates because my wife is driving or pulling me over because I have more than 1 adult in my car on the way to a pacer game just isnt cool. Im just saying...

 

[Scutter01]

The OP's subject was "Things that draw attention". He didn't say he would necessarily follow you around and/or run your plates based on that information (although he did admit it was profiling).

It's a far cry from "drawing attention" to "suspicion that a crime has been or is about to be committed".

 

[XMil]

Beware of two guys outside of a business that are not standing together but obviously in communication with each other. Usually with with glances and head nods. They are separated so they can angle on you.

Late one night in indy many years ago, I was leaving a club alone. The street was not well lit and except for 3 guys, devoid of people. When I sat down in the car I noticed all three guys, one if front of me, one to the side and one in the side view mirror were converging on my car.

They were all looking everywhere, including at each other, but never directly at me. There was no question thought that they were headed directly in my direction. I locked the door, pulled the shirt back for easy access to the gun, dropped the car in gear and high-tailed it out of there.

I'll never know for sure, but I'd bet I avoided victim status that night.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Beware of two or more men driving around in a car. I am not talking about guys in a car pool. It has been my professional experience that when you have two or more guys driving around, especially during the hours of darkness, they are looking for women, drugs, booze, or to break the law.

Depending on the environment my attention is also drawn to a female driving with a guy in the passenger seat. This often means that the guy has a suspended/revoked license which is often a good indicator of other criminal activity.

So I guess when me and my best friend are coming home after a late HS football game, or late IU and Colts games are to now be considered as someone who are looking for women, drugs, booze, or to break the law.
Since I've been happily married for 22 years, don't drink, take drugs and have no intentions of trying to break the law there has got to be more determining factors than that. Slow cruising, multiple stops in a short time, obvious repeated drive by's to to make that an indicator.

OR...it *could* mean that the man works crazy long hours at a job that is 100 mile round trip every day and whenever the man and woman go anywhere, the man is just sick of driving...and the woman is the better driver anyhow.

On any given day I drive in excess of 200 miles in a day, sometimes over 400, so on those days the wife is driving and she knows shes going to have to. So now I have to be aware that I'm being profiled because of this. I know tons of guys who are tired of driving and thier wife's drive. I think this is just over thinking on this instance.

 

[AJBB87]

If your not a cop, or have never been a cop, think about this...

Do you think you could honestly be a cop without performing some sort of profiling on a day-to-day basis? The job requires you to be observant. In his experience, Mercop's observations have resulted in the arrests of people breaking the law. Have they also led to the inconvenient detainment of law abiding citizens? Probably, I don't KNOW for sure...

If you think that profiling on any level is not PC or wrong or whatever, then don't do it. You can sleep well knowing that you've treated your fellow members of society with respect and dignity.

I, for one, would think twice about judging a guy whose job pretty much requires it for his and others safety.



AJB

 

[ATF Consumer]

If your not a cop, or have never been a cop, think about this...

Do you think you could honestly be a cop without performing some sort of profiling on a day-to-day basis? The job requires you to be observant. In his experience, Mercop's observations have resulted in the arrests of people breaking the law. Have they also led to the inconvenient detainment of law abiding citizens? Probably, I don't KNOW for sure...

If you think that profiling on any level is not PC or wrong or whatever, then don't do it. You can sleep well knowing that you've treated your fellow members of society with respect and dignity.

I, for one, would think twice about judging a guy whose job pretty much requires it for his and others safety.



AJB

Exactly...just as I stated...

I fully support profiling. As long as the law is followed and no one is stopped or questioned without cause, meaning they have done something wrong. I love to watch Cops on Tru TV and G4. It is amazing how many people that get pulled over, give up their rights so willingly which results in them getting into more trouble than what they were originally pulled over for.

 

[Cat-Herder]

i guess the term "probable cause" kinda got left in the last century, huh? i find the entire thing reprehensible.

just my .02

 

[ATF Consumer]

Wow, sounds like some of you must then think the military was in the right for overlooking the "warning signs" of the Ft. Hood case.

 

[kingnereli]

+1 for profiling. We can debate the acceptability 'till we're breathless, but the effectiveness can't be argued.

 

[GetA2J]

Here are some things that were red flags to me as a police officer <<snip>>

Thank you sir for your service to our community.
I understand your meaning to be any of these circumstances turned your inactive awareness meter to activate and pay close attantion and look for more clues or personal protection.
As far as the other p osters I have learned this.....
"Profile all you want.... just DON'T tell anybody!"