SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR | Division of Public Safety & Security (2024)

Students, faculty, staff and visitors can helpprotectour community by learning to recognize and report suspicious activity. Prompt and detailed reporting can help prevent crimes or terrorist attacks.

Suspicious behavior or activity can be any action that is out of place and does not fit into the usual day-to-day activity of our campus community. For example, you see someone looking into multiple vehicles or homes or testing to see if they are unlocked. Or perhaps you are worried about how your roommate has been acting differently or concerned about the behavior of a co-worker.

If you witness behavior that concerns you, trust your instincts and call 911 or DPSS at (734) 763-1131 or report your concern online.

According to the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management,87%of suspicious behaviors witnessed by college students go unreported.

Don’t hesitate. Even if you are unsure as to what is going on, the best thing to do is to let officers investigate. You may help prevent violenceor theft. When the police catch someone in the act of breaking into a home or stealing something, it is not unusual for that person to be responsible for multiple other crimes. You shouldn’t worry about using up an officer’s time. The additional information will give police and security important data to identify trends and make decisions about when and where to deploy patrols.

It’s important to remember, however, that it is a person’s behavior, not their race, religion or national origin, that may be suspicious.