Tip reporting (National)

Select from the links below to submit a tip to a federal law enforcement agency or organization.

Nationwide Suspicious Reporting (SAR) Initiative

The Nationwide SAR Initiative (NSI) is a partnership among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement that establishes a national capacity for gathering, documenting, processing, analyzing, and sharing Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) information—also referred to as the SAR process—in a manner that rigorously protects the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. The ISE-SAR Functional Standard v. 1.5.5 defines suspicious activity as “observed behavior reasonably indicative of pre-operational planning associated with terrorism or other criminal activity.” 

The NSI is a collaborative effort among state, local, tribal, territorial and federal agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in coordination with the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE), Global, and the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC). Support of the Nationwide SAR Initiative (NSI) efforts has been publicly stated by major law enforcement associations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), the Major County Sheriffs’ Association (MCSA), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA).

Suspicious Activity Reporting Indicators and Behaviors

Suspicious Activity Reporting Indicators and Behaviors is a tool for analysts and investigators that details potential criminal or noncriminal activities requiring additional information during the vetting process or investigation, as well as defined criminal activity and potential terrorism nexus activity. When the activity involves behavior that may be lawful or is a constitutionally protected activity, the investigating law enforcement agency will carefully assess the information and gather as much information as possible before taking any action, including documenting and validating the information as terrorism-related and sharing it with other law enforcement agencies.

Suspicious Activity Reporting Indicators and Examples

Homeland Security’s Suspicious Activity Reporting Indicators and Examples resource provides the 16 ISE-SAR indicators, their respective definitions, and examples of suspicious activity scenarios that correlate with each of the indicators.