Responding to Threats: A Field Personnel Manual (2004)

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10 7 How and What to Report Your security manager will specify what and how to report. Some types of reports may be submitted in writing, others may be phoned in, and still others should be phoned directly to 911. When making a verbal report, follow the format specified by your security manager. Be careful to provide all the requested information or a “did not observe” comment for information that you do not have. Regardless of whether or not a verbal/telephone report has been given, the details of every observation should be written down as soon as possible, while they are fresh in your mind. A mnemonic such as “ALT-DD” may be useful in remembering what to look for. ALT-DD ⇒ Activity ⇒ Location ⇒ Time ⇒ Date ⇒ Description Descriptions are for people and any vehicles associated with them. Reports will always have at least one description of a person including: • Sex • Race • Age • Height • Build • Weight • Complexion • Distinguishing features Vehicle descriptions include the following: • License number and state • Color • Year • Make/model • Type • Number of doors • Distinguishing features Be aware that license plates are among the easiest things to change, obscure, or steal. Thus, it is important for vehicle descriptions to include features that are more difficult to change.

11 A disposable camera is always useful to quickly record a person or vehicle, but it should not be used in lieu of a verbal description. Timeliness, completeness, and accu- racy are critical factors in reporting. Report only what you are certain you saw. Add any guesses or impressions at the bottom of the report as a comment. Clarity can be enhanced with the following: • Nouns, not pronouns (i.e., avoid “he,” “she,” “they,” “it”) • Provide details • Write short sentences • Include only observations, not assumptions For example, it is better to write “Person 1 constantly looked toward the front gate. At 3PM, Person 1 left and the empty place was taken by Person 2, who also constantly looked toward the front gate,” rather than “Person 1 constantly watched the front gate. At 3PM, Person 2 replaced him, and did the same thing.” The assumptions, guesses, and intuitive notes, such as the gate was being “watched” and that one person “replaced” another, should be noted in the comment section rather than as an observation description. Other types of observations you should report consistent with your security man- ager’s policy include the following: • Loss/theft of ID’s, uniforms, vehicles, official decals, license plates • Loss of keys, keycards, or key codes • Any increase in false alarms on the security system • Indicators of domestic violence • Indicators of a pending workplace violence incident • All observations of road rage REMEMBER Observe and report. Do not allow the following excuses to stop your report: • “It is probably nothing.” • “This is none of my business.” • “This is stupid!” • “The security manager already believes I am an imbecile.” Will you make some ridiculous, useless reports? Absolutely!! Everyone practicing these skills makes ridiculous reports. After you have done it for a while, you will still make mistakes, but they will be fewer and much more sophisticated. All reports will be put into a database. The database will, over time, eliminate reports that are not useful. It will identify areas where your security manager may want you to direct more attention. Your reports will create a vigilant atmosphere that will cause poten- tial terrorists/criminals to pick another target. Your reports on incidents potentially involv- ing more common crimes may well save the lives of coworkers as well as your own. Never ridicule a report made by someone else!