Criminals have been using personal protective masks to disguise themselves when committing crimes. | Pixabay
Criminals have been using personal protective masks to disguise themselves when committing crimes. | Pixabay
With face masks being a regular accessory everyone is wearing, it's difficult to distinguish those minding their business from those looking to create trouble.
King County Sheriff's Office reports that more criminals are wearing masks to conceal their faces during crimes, according to KIRO.
“We are seeing a slight increase in cases where criminals are committing crimes and they’re wearing the masks, because people don’t think anything different of it,” King County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Ryan Abbott told KIRO.
Two recent burglary suspects wore N95 masks to hide their faces. Sheriff's officials were able to identify one suspect because of know mannerisms to Sheriff's Office officials.
Abbott said workers should be on the lookout for someone who is fidgety, distracted and looks like they may be casing the bank, store or home, according to KIRO.
“A lot of times people will be really nervous if they’re going to commit a crime, if you see someone looking around in a lot of different areas … Maybe it’s them coming in and not doing anything, looking around for a bit and then leaving, coming back again a second or third time,” Abbott said in a statement.
Most people wearing masks are not criminals, just everyday citizens trying to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Abbott advises people to trust their gut and call law enforcement if something seems fishy, according to KIRO.
“We have no problem coming by and talking to them and trying to find out what they’re up to,” Abbott said in a statement. “And if it’s nothing, then it’s nothing. But if it ends up being something more… we’d rather find out if it’s actually happening than have something bad happen and we don’t get called until after it’s over.”
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