Suspect is a person who, on the basis of facts or circumstances, is believed to have committed a punishable act. Once prosecution starts, the suspect is more commonly known as a defendant or an accused person (see also Perpetrator). When witnessing a crime or seeing a suspicious person, try to remember as many identifying details as possible and note them as quickly as you can. This will help police to identify and apprehend the suspect quickly. For example: body build-fat, skinny, muscular; nose shape and size; cheeks full or sunken; chin-round, pointed, square; facial hair-beard, mustache, sideburns; general appearance-neat or sloppy?; clothes-neat or sloppy?
See also Perpetrator, Victim, and Witness.
This article originally appeared in Crime Prevention Magazine, Spring 2006.
Updated August 2014. This article may be reproduced in its entirety without alteration for non-commercial purposes.
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