Observation and Suspect Description: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Observation and awareness

Observation is the heart of security work. Ontario’s guard training syllabus talks about situational awareness, using all five senses, and noticing minor but critical details. You cannot report what you did not notice.

Know what normal looks like

Do a careful check at the start of each shift to set a baseline. Then changes stand out: a door that was closed is open, a car that was not there is parked by the loading dock, a smell that was not there before.

Behaviour, not appearance

Focus on what people do. Trying car door handles, hiding items, or watching staff instead of shopping are worth a closer look. Wearing a hood, being young or walking fast are not suspicious on their own.

When something happens, also watch for other people. A decoy may distract you while a partner acts.

Lesson 2: What affects what you see

Be honest about these limits in your notes. “I saw him for about 3 seconds from about 20 metres, under a street light” tells the reader how much to rely on your description.

Lesson 3: Describing a person

Police advice is to describe a person from head to toe. Start with the general picture, then work down.

Height

Compare the person with your own height or with a doorway or other fixed object. Give a range, such as 175 to 180 cm.

Permanent and changeable features

Clothing, hats and bags help in the first few minutes, but they can be swapped quickly. Features that are hard to change, such as height, build, scars, tattoos and the way someone walks, help police most over time.

Neutral, factual words

Describe what you can see and hear. Avoid labels like “scary-looking” or “typical troublemaker”, and do not guess about a person’s background. Specific facts are more useful and fairer.

Lesson 4: Describing a vehicle

1. Plate and province. If there is no plate, note that, and any temporary permit in the window.
2. Colour.
3. Make and model, or at least the type: car, pickup, van, SUV.
4. Damage, rust, stickers or writing.
5. How many people were inside and where they sat.
6. Direction of travel.

Over the radio, spell plates with the phonetic alphabet and give numbers one digit at a time: BVK 245 is “Bravo Victor Kilo, two four five”.

Lesson 5: Reporting what you saw

If a crime is happening now, call 911 when it is safe. Stay on the line and keep watching if you can do so safely.

• Give the exact location and the time as precisely as you can.
• Say what happened, then give the description and direction of travel.
• Mention any weapon.
• Ask witnesses to stay apart and not compare stories until they give statements.
• Write your own notes as soon as possible, before talking it over with others.

Practice

Observation is a skill you can build. At the start of a shift, look at one person for five seconds, then look away and describe them from head to toe. Do the same with parked cars. Check how much you got right, and try again tomorrow.

Lesson 6: Putting it together

Here is how one short event might be passed on, first by radio and then in your notebook.

By radio, right away

“Control, Patrol 3. Theft from a vehicle, parking lot B, north row. Suspect is male, about 20 to 25, about 175 cm, thin build, short curly brown hair, black hooded jacket with a white logo on the back, grey track pants, white shoes, carrying a black backpack. Got into a silver Honda Civic, plate Alfa Kilo Romeo, seven two niner one, Alberta, dent on the rear bumper. Now heading east on Centre Street. Over.”

In your notebook, soon after

Your notebook entry repeats these facts and adds what you could not say on the radio: the exact time you saw each action, where you were standing, how far away you were, the lighting, how long you watched, who you called and when, and the names and contact details of any witnesses.

Quick checklist