Police forces, like the Henrico County Police Division, rely heavily on civilians’ reports of “Suspicious Situations” (4420) to track down criminals and prevent illicit activity. A “suspicious situation” is an occurrence that is not typical for a given district or neighborhood. The bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility is often present in situations when people are reporting crime and suspicious behavior. The following three charts analyze the locations of "Suspicious Situations" and discuss their magnitude in comparison to other major crimes in Henrico County, VA:

Reports of "Suspicious Situations" by Magisterial District

Reports of "suspicious situations" across all five magisterial districts in Henrico County are distributed relatively equally. Fairfield (90) had the most incidents of "suspicious situations" and Tuckahoe (43) seemed to have been safer based on reports of suspicious behavior by a fair margin. In total, 329 incidents of "suspicious situations" were reported in Henrico County, VA.

Number of Major Crimes in Henrico County

The chart above displays the five most common crimes occurring in Henrico County between October 1st and November 18th. Larceny leads all crimes with 922 reports followed behind by these four incidents: Assault (330), Suspicious Situation (329), Vandalism (303), and Narcotic Drug Violation (297).

Locations of Suspicious Situations

The locations where "Suspicious Situations" occur vary greatly in terms of both magisterial district and specific venues as displayed by the percentage chart. All three charts offer a closer look at how incidents of suspicious activity compare to occurrences of other crimes in Henrico County, VA. "Suspicious Situation" reports should be analyzed frequently since they are an important indicator of civilian participation in efforts to deter crime. An increase in "Suspicious Situation" reports can act as a preventative strategy to decrease occurrences of other major crimes.