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The role of the citizen as the eyes and ears of the Police Department cannot be over-emphasized, says Chief of Police Ronald Blanchette.

Residents can help the police by reporting suspicious activity in and about their neighborhoods and places of employment. Anything that seems even slightly out of the ordinary for an area or a time of day in which it is occurring is an acceptable definition for a suspicious incident or occurrence.

Blanchette further states that residents should condition themselves to react to anything that is out of the ordinary.

If you have to ask yourself it it's suspicious, it usually is.

There are several obvious things that should be reported. They include strangers entering your or your neighbor's property, hearing a scream, the sound of breaking glass, or other suspicious noises, persons peering into parked cars in a street or a parking lot, someone entering or leaving a business after closing hours, someone offering valuable merchandise for sale at ridiculously low price, or strange cars parked or continuously cruising a neighborhood.

Not every stranger coming into a neighborhood is a criminal. Residents have a tendency to take for granted door-to-door salesmen, service or repairmen as legitimate.

However, it is important to remember that many criminals use the identity of these professions as a subterfuge. They even go as far to put signs on vans or trucks as a further cover.

It is good practice to watch these salesmen or tradesmen to see if they act suspiciously, such as ringing the front door and then going to the back door if no one answers the door.

Another thing to watch for is an unusual amount of traffic, either human or vehicular, coming to a certain residence, particularly at late hours. There is a good possibility of illegal action taking place. Take notice of young adults walking or hanging around your neighborhood. If they're not with anyone you know, they could be acting as a lookout for a crime already taking place.

Watch for open windows or doors when the owner is out or away, this applies to homes and businesses alike.

Persons continuously approaching a person in a parked car or a person standing on a street corner may be selling drugs or stolen goods.

A person running while carrying an object may have just committed a crime or been the victim of one.

Blanchette emphasized that the Belmont Police Department would rather answer a100 calls that turn out to be all right than not to get the one when something is really happening. Police are there to protect the public and want to be called when something suspicious is taking place.

Dial 911 in an emergency, or for non-emergencies 484-1212.

For additional information about crime prevention, contact the Belmont Police Department's crime prevention/community services bureau, Lt. William J. Chemelli, at 489-8253.