How to Describe a Suspect

In order for the police to apprehend a suspect, it is very important to get an accurate description as soon as possible. You can help us apprehend a suspect by noting important information such as:

• Time
• Location - Remember the exact location where the crime took place.
• Weapon - Did the suspect have a weapon? If so, what type? A pistol, rifle, shotgun, stick, knife, etc., and what did it look like?
• Direction - Which direction did the suspect go?
• How did he leave? - By foot, car, bike, etc?
• Transportation - Describe the car, bike, motorcycle, etc. For example, if the suspect left in a vehicle, get the tag, make, model, and color. Are there any other physical characteristics about the vehicle such as: dents, cracked windshield, broken light, bent tag, no tag, dealership paper tag, etc?

When looking at a suspect, try to remember as much of the following as possible.

General Description:

• Sex
• Race
• Age (estimated)
• Height
• Weight
• Build

When trying to determine a suspect's height, find something that the suspect is standing by, such as a door, tree, another person, and compare his height with that item or person.

Facial Features:

Physical Features and Peculiarities:

• Hair - color, wig, dyed, bald, long, short, braided
• Facial Hair - color, sideburns, mustache, beard, goatee
• Skin - color, wrinkled, smooth
• Eyes - color, bloodshot, round, slanted
• Eyebrows - color, thick, thin, penciled in
• Nose - big, small, long, short, flared nostrils
• Ears - big, small, flat, protruding
• Cheekbones - high, low, narrow, wide
• Lips - big, thin
• Mouth - curve down or up on the corners
• Chin - dimpled, round, pointed, square

• Body Marks - tattoos, scars
• Voice - pitch, tone
• Speech - uneducated, articulate, accent, slang
• Walk - fast, slow, limp

Clothing:

• Hat - color, style, emblem, if hat has a bill, notice if worn forward or backwards
• Coat - color, work, suit, winter, jacket
• Shirt - color, sweater, blouse, dress, emblems
• Pants - color, work, dress, jeans
• Shoes - color, dress, sneakers, condition, brand
• Accessories - rings, necklaces, earrings, watch, gloves, tie, scarf, hair bows
• Clothing Worn - big, tight, patched, clean, dirty

No one can remember every one of these details about a suspect. However, remembering as many as possible will help us find a suspect and help keep our city a better place to live.

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