How To Report Online Threats To Police

Prepare Information On The Abuser For The Report

Flowers files police report for online threat

If you want the police to protect you as soon as possible, you will need to provide certain information about the abuser. Here are some details that can be of great help in tracking the offender and protecting you from further harassment:

Name

Using a carriage service to harass, make threats, or harm a user in any other way

Collect And Keep Evidence

Even though you may not be asked to provide evidence when you first report the cybercrime, it is very important to keep any evidence you may have related to your complaint. Keep items in a safe location in the event you are requested to provide them for investigative or prosecutive evidence. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, the following:

Canceled checks
Certified or other mail receipts
Chatroom or newsgroup text
Envelopes
Facsimiles
Log files, if available, with date, time and time zone
Social media messages
Printed or preferably electronic copies of emails
Printed or preferably electronic copies of web pages
Wire receipts

What Is Suspicious Activity

Suspicious Activity May Include:

An expressed threat to commit a crime
Threats of violence, or a communicated or displayed intent to cause harm to another person or persons
Threats against schools, facilities, or events
Surveillance of facilities or people
The discovery of a gathering of weapons, chemicals, explosives, or electronic devices
Attempts to enter restricted areas, test security systems, or tamper with a secure site
Signs of human trafficking indicating a person is not free to leave
Signs of drug activity such as recurring, brief visits to and from a property

The Advantages Of Filing A Police Report For A Threat

Consequences for Police Brutality

If you have been the target of express or implied threats, you may be feeling intimidated, frightened, angry and confused. Many individuals are reluctant to file official reports of threats to the authorities for various reasons. They may feel intimidated by law enforcement or they may believe that threats by themselves aren’t serious enough to report to the police.

However, reporting threats to local law enforcement officials is a good idea for a number of reasons. Whether the threat is verbal, written or implied through physical intimidation or the brandishing of weapons, it is potentially a criminal act. Reporting threats to the appropriate authorities produces a number of benefits for the person threatened, law enforcement and the public at large.

Telling Police In Person

Report the threat in person if you have documents or other evidence you want to show to the police, or if your local police department doesn’t take reports over the phone.

1Find the nearest local police station. Go to the local law enforcement website for a list of police stations. You can also use the GPS app on your phone to find a police station and get directions from your current location.XResearch source

Generally, you should report the threats where they occur. However, this applies to the city as a wholenot individual precincts. So, for example, if you live in Los Angeles, you can generally use the most convenient police station, even if you received the threats on the other side of town.

2Visit the police station during normal business hours. While police stations are typically staffed 24/7, you’ll have better luck filing a police report if you go during the day. Try to go first thing in the morning when there’s usually a shorter wait. Bring a valid photo ID so the police can verify your identity.XResearch source

In many cities, you also have the option of having an officer dispatched to your location to take the report. If you use this option, you might be waiting for a while before the officer arrives, particularly on busy days.XResearch source

The officer might ask you questions to learn more information about the situation. Answer all questions as completely and truthfully as you can, even if they don’t seem relevant to you.

Don’t Miss: What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Police Officer

What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen

If youve become a victim of identity theft, immediately change the login information and passwords on your affected accounts, notify your credit card companies, and file an identity theft report with the relevant governmental authority. The identity theft report launches an investigation, so you can recover your stolen identity and clear your name.

See allSecurity articles

This article contains:

If youre in the US, file an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission and get a personalized plan to guide you through the recovery process. In the UK, report the theft to Action Fraud theyll send your report to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau , who investigate reports across the country.

Your completed FTC identity theft report will help you when you contact the police and credit bureaus it proves that youve taken steps to mitigate the damage and are prepared to catch the fraudsters.

What To Expect After Filing A Report:

Once you submit your report online, you will receive an email notification with a Temporary Report Number. The report will then be reviewed by Central Records and it will either be accepted or rejected. If your report is accepted, you will be given a permanent APD Case Number and notified of any follow-up action. If your report is rejected you will be given the reasons by email indicating the reasons for the rejection.

When To Turn To A Lawyer

The laws governing online harassment can vary widely from state to state, which is why no online resource can ever replace the advice of a local lawyer. For freelance writers or writers in an uncertain financial position, it can be difficult to obtain access to expert legal advice. Please see the Legal Resources section of this Field Manual for specific information about the legal and pro bono options available to targets of online harassment.

Crimes Not In Progress

When to report social media threats to police

Depending on where the crime occurred, you may report the crime to agencies such as the MTA police, NY State Police, or Port Authority Police, if the location of the crime falls within their respective jurisdictions. Otherwise, for certain report types, you can file an online police report or you can visit your local precinct.

Some Restaurants Counting On Next Week’s Sales Tax To Recoup Lost Revenue

Police said they identified the person who made the call, who is a 17-year-old student at the school, and that she confessed to making it up. The teen suspect is facing charges including breach of peace. She was not named due to her age.

Emergency crews also responded to other schools in New Haven as officials learned of threats to New Haven schools made online. Some were posted on social media and one involved an email, officials said. Investigators believe the initial call set off the chain of events.

Those online threats made mention of Hillhouse High School, Career High School, Co-op High School, Riverside Academy, Conte Middle School, Edgewood School, and Amistad. Officers responded to all of these schools to investigate.

Students at Hillhouse High School and Amistad were also dismissed early Monday.

The increased police presence at New Haven schools on Tuesday are a precaution.

Police say they’ve identified a suspect who lives out of state as having posted some of the threats. They are working with local law enforcement to charge that person. The rest of the threats remain under investigation.

There appears to be some copycatting going on, but we dont know if theyre connected,” Mayor Justin Elicker said at a press conference Monday.

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection in Connecticut released a statement saying they are aware of these ongoing school threats throughout the state and are helping to investigate.

This article tagged under:

When Is A Threat A Crime

First, its important to distinguish between verbal and emotional abuse and an outright threat. Someone might yell at you and disparage you, but unless he specifically suggests that hes going to cause harm to you personally, to a loved one like a child or to your property or even your pets, the act probably doesnt rise to the level of a criminal threat offense. A threat must involve the fear of physical injury or damage. It cant just be a warning that the person will try to get you fired or otherwise negatively interfere with your life and cause you problems. The perpetrator must also be physically able to do whatever it is that hes threatening to do.

Always Contact Your Local Police

Even if the crime you wish to report is international in nature, you should still approach your local police.

Investigations and arrests are always carried out by national and local police forces. Our role is to help your national police to communicate with police in other countries to solve international crimes.

So we deal mostly with information provided by police, not the public.

Get in touch with the police in your country if:

you are a victim of a crime that you think comes from another country
you have information about a crime that has been committed or is being planned
you wish to report a missing person who you think may be in another country.

Once you have reported a crime, the police in your country can access INTERPOLs services and databases if needed.

Please do not attempt to report crimes on our social media pages.

How To Make A Police Report For Threats

by Rita Radostitz / in Money

If you have been threatened, verbally or physically, you should report the incident to the police. If you are in danger of imminent harm, call 999 immediately. If you have been threatened but are at no immediate risk, you can call the non-emergency number for your local police force to report the threat, or go to the police station to report the incident in person.

If you have been threatened, verbally or physically, you should report the incident to the police.
If you have been threatened but are at no immediate risk, you can call the non-emergency number for your local police force to report the threat, or go to the police station to report the incident in person.

Write down the name and any contact or identifying information about the person who has threatened you and the exact nature of the threat. If it is a stranger, write down as many details as you can remember to help the police identify whoever is threatening you. When you make the report, either in person or on the phone, provide as much detailed information as you can, including the nature of the threats, the date and time they happened and any identifying information about the person making the threats.

Ask for your crime number and a copy of the police report of the threats. You may want to discuss with the police whether it would be appropriate to seek a restraining order so that the person who threatened you is legally barred from contacting you again.

TIP

Also Check: What Training Do You Need To Become A Police Officer

How To Report Threats To The Police

This article was co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller. Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department . Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic units sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 8,997 times.

File A Restraining Order

If you’re in an emergency situation, call 911.

If you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse and want to take legal action, you may be able to file for a protective order. Protective orders are also known as restraining orders or injunctions.

The process for obtaining a protective order differs from state-to-state. Your local police and court can help you get the process started. Contact your state, county, or municipal court for more information.

Generally, you have to fill out paperwork and submit it to the county courthouse. If you need protection right away, a judge may issue a temporary restraining order. To get a longer-term order, your judge may require a full court hearing and/or your abuser’s presence.

A protective order can be enforced by police. If necessary, the order can include special provisions like:

Custody of children

Forcing the abuser to leave a home

In some states, a protective order requires the abuser to surrender all firearms.

Crimes In Progress Or Just Witnessed

If a crime is in progress, or you have just witnessed or experienced a crime, try to get to safety first.

immediately and try to stay calm.
Be alert of your surroundings and try to make mental notes.
When talking to the 911 dispatcher, keep in mind the following:
The first question you will be asked is, “Where is your emergency?”
Give the dispatcher as specific an address as possible.
If you don’t know the exact address, try to provide a street name or to identify landmarks around you. It is extremely important to provide as much detail about your location as possible.

Is anyone hurt?

Let the dispatcher know if anyone requires medical assistance.

Make note of the physical characteristics of the victim or perpetrator, including such details as height, weight, race, hair color, eye color, tattoos, or scars.

Make note of the clothing worn by the victim or perpetrator, including the type of clothing and color.

Are the people involved on foot or in a car?

Are there weapons involved?

Do not destroy evidence that could assist police, including any objects or clothing that could have fingerprints, hair, skin, blood or semen on them.

All 911 calls can be connected to a translator if foreign language assistance is needed. Do not make prank calls to 911. Prank 911 calls, which take dispatchers away from callers whose lives might be in danger, are punishable by law.

Relevant Legal Terms And Ideas

FBI urges local police departments to share threat reports

Many states have laws that may apply to cases of online abuse and harassment. These laws generally reference cyber harassment or cyberstalking. In some cases, laws pertaining to offline harassment and stalking have been amended to include online activity. This resource by Fordham Law School offers a primer of the legal landscape when it comes to online harassment.

Cyberstalking and cyber harassment are closely related concepts. Cyberstalking generally refers to more severe forms of abuse or harassment online that constitute a credible threat of harm to an individual. Cyber harassment is generally defined more broadly. According to legal expert Danielle Keats Citron, Cyber harassment is understood as repeated online expression amounting to a course of conduct targeted at a particular person that causes the targeted individual substantial emotional distress.

Its important to know, however, that in practice, it may be very difficult for law enforcement officials to investigate a case of possible cyberstalking or cyber harassment, or to successfully prosecute someone for their online behavior. Law enforcement officials are not always familiar with laws pertaining to online abuse or with how online platforms can be used to target an individual. They may also have difficulty identifying the perpetrator, or taking action if the perpetrator does not live in your state. For similar reasons, successfully suing the perpetrator in civil court can be challenging.

Also Check: Can You Adopt Retired Police Dogs

Creating A Record Of The Threat

If the person making the threat follows through on that threat with criminal acts against the targeted individual, the police will already be familiar with the case and have a record of both the intent and the threat. This may help speed up the investigative and legal process by giving law enforcement somewhere to start an investigation in the event that the victim isn’t able to participate in the process due to injury or death. It may also assist in providing possible motives, timelines and witnesses for use in prosecuting the offender.

Additionally, creating an official record of the threat can assist law enforcement in the future. Even if the person making the threats never contacts the targeted individual again, he or she could well become a threat to another person. If the local law enforcement agency knows that the suspect has made similar threats in the past, it is more likely to treat future threats more seriously. As a result, violent crimes may be stopped before they occur and inflict trauma on future victims.

How To Deal With Harassment On Facebook

Did you know that, according to Statista, 77% of online harassment victims reported that they had been harassed via Facebook? If you find yourself in this situation, here are :

Unfriend the abuser
Block the person
Report the person or their abusive posts

In case the offender starts bothering you in messages on Facebook, there are a few steps specific to that situation that you should take, including the following:

Block messages from that person
Report the threatening message
Click on Ignore Messages
Delete the conversation

If you decide to delete the conversation, dont forget to take a screenshot first so that you have proof of harassment for future use if need be.

Another useful thing you can do on Facebook is report harassment even if youre not the victim, but your friend is.

Facebook gives you an option to report posts that show hate speech, violence or harmful behavior, or sexually explicit content.

Also Check: How To Look Up Police Report