This guide is a reference tool -- not an explainer. Bookmark it. Use it before every sale.

Heat Value Table: Every Action, Exact Risk

Schedule I assigns police heat on a scale from 0 to 100. Cross certain thresholds and the wanted level escalates. Below are the confirmed values from community testing across v0.4+ patches, verified against Fandom Wiki and Reddit community data.

Heat Level Reference

Community source: The Fandom Wiki Police page confirms these four levels. TheGamer guide corroborates the Investigating-to-Wanted escalation thresholds.

Safe Trade Windows By District

Not all hours are equal. Police patrol density changes throughout the in-game day. Selling during low-density windows dramatically cuts your heat risk.

Risk Management Decision Matrix

Use this decision tree when planning a sale:

[Do you have a safe house nearby?]
  |-- YES: Sell at any time, enter safe house if spotted
  |-- NO: [Is it nighttime (22:00-04:00)?]
       |-- YES: Safe to sell in most districts
       |-- NO: [Are you in Motel area?]
            |-- YES: Safe
            |-- NO: Skip the sale or move to Motel area

Practical Example

You have 20 bags of Green Crack 4-mix ($120 each) and need to sell them fast. You're at Hustler rank with the Bungalow as your only property.

Check: The Bungalow is in Northtown near the Motel area. Current time is 14:00 (daytime). Patrol density near the Bungalow is 1 foot cop on the main street.

Decision: Move your inventory to the Motel area (30-second walk). Sell from the benches behind the motel rooms. Zero patrols, zero heat risk. Complete the sale in about 5 in-game minutes.

Result: $2,400 profit with zero police encounters.

Police Patrol Hotspot Map

Based on community-reported patrol routes (cross-referenced from r/Schedule_I, TheGamer, and Fandom Wiki):

v0.4.5 Update Changes

The Anniversary Update introduced two heat system changes:

1. Faster escalation on street dealing: The heat threshold for street dealing moved from 20 to 15 points -- meaning cops escalate to Wanted faster if they spot a transaction. Counter: check your minimap for blue dots before every sale.

2. Building entry during Wanted Dead or Alive: Cops can now enter some buildings (about 30% of interiors as of community testing). Previously all buildings were safe. Counter: use the parking garage roof which remains safe.

For full escape route breakdowns, see the Police AI Behavior guide.

Related Guides

• Police AI Behavior: Complete Breakdown -- detection distances, chase durations, best hiding spots
• NPC Price Index 2026 -- who pays most per product type
• 10 Common Schedule I Mistakes -- avoid the heat traps beginners fall into

This breakdown shows you exactly how cops think, so you can exploit their AI patterns instead of running blindly.

Detection Distance By Situation

Police detection is not a fixed radius. It depends on what you're doing and how fast you're moving.

Chase Duration By Heat Level

Once a cop has sighted you, the chase timer starts. The duration depends on your heat level and whether you maintain LOS.

Source: Cross-verified from TheGamer police evasion guide and community testing threads on r/Schedule_I.

Practical Example

You trigger a Level 2 Wanted status by selling on Main Street during daytime. A cop is 20m away and starts sprinting toward you.

Step 1: Sprint perpendicular (east, into the alley behind the pizza place). This breaks LOS in about 2 seconds.

Step 2: The cop reaches your last known position and switches to search mode (60s timer starts).

Step 3: Duck into the garbage bin behind the pizza place. The bin hides you instantly.

Step 4: Wait 30 seconds (half the chase timer). The Wanted indicator clears.

Step 5: Exit the bin, walk calmly to the Motel area. The cop is still searching the alley.

Best Hiding Spots By District

Not all hiding spots are equal. Here are the community-ranked best spots per district, verified across v0.4+ patches.

Escape Route Time Comparison

Time from each major selling district to the nearest safe spot:

Police AI Patterns You Can Exploit

1. Cops don't search vertically: They won't climb stairs to reach the parking garage roof. This is the most reliable exploit in the game.

2. Cops lose interest after 3 searches: If you break LOS and hide successfully 3 times in the same chase, cops will de-escalate one level even without the timer. This is a hidden mechanic confirmed in community testing.

3. Cops forget your last known location if you enter a vehicle: Entering any vehicle (even a parked one) resets the cop's search pattern. They'll move to a new random patrol area instead of converging on your last position.

4. Cops can't see through fences: Chain-link fences, wooden fences, and construction barriers all block LOS. You can be 3m from a cop behind a fence and they won't detect you.

5. NPC calls take time to register: When an NPC spots you and starts calling the police, you have about 5 seconds to knock them out or break LOS before the call completes. Knocking out the NPC stops the call and prevents heat from registering.

For the full heat value reference, see the Heat Risk Calculator.

Related Guides

• Heat Risk Calculator -- exact heat values per action
• 10 Common Schedule I Mistakes -- avoid the police traps beginners fall into
• Bungalow 8-Step Automation Blueprint -- set up production away from patrol routes