How To File A Police Report Online
Now that weve explained the kind of crimes you should and shouldnt be reporting online, its time now to explain how to actually file a police report online.
The first thing is to search for your local countys police department. See if there is an obvious place where you might find a police report, such as under file a police report. It might even be worth searching specifically for how to file a police report in your county.
Once you have found the online report page, click on which type of event or crime you are reporting. You also need to provide your name and email address so that you can be contacted to follow up on the police report. Once you have entered your name and email address, you can start writing your report in the area provided. Make sure to be as detailed, factual and clear as possible so that the police can understand what exactly you are reporting, when it happened and potentially why it happened.
After that you can submit your report and wait to be contacted by the police. You will be given a temporary crime number with your initial report though this will be replaced by an official police crime number if the report leads to an actual investigation.
Now lets turn to what you can expect in terms of the outcome of your report.
Additional Reporting Information To Consider
When reporting drug activity, it will also help to keep the following in mind:
- To further ensure anonymity, callers can dial *67 before calling any agency or organization. This blocks the number of the caller.
- Reporting activity to the local police is also an option, but anonymity may be harder to keep.
- It is important to remember, when making a report, you may be asked to provide personal information, but this is completely voluntary. You have the right to remain anonymous if that is what you want.
Complaints About Police Officers
If you have experienced police misconduct:
- Contact the law enforcement agency involved.
- Submit your complaint in writing to the chief of police or the head of the law enforcement agency involved.
- Send a copy of your complaint to the Internal Affairs Division of the law enforcement agency. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.
If the problem remains unresolved, learn how to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Finally, as with any potential legal dispute, you may want to contact a licensed attorney.
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Filing A Police Report For Harassment
First things firstif you feel like youre in imminent danger, call 911 or your local police station immediately. When a police officer arrives at your home, she or he will ask you questions to verify your claim and collect any proof of the harassing that occurred.
If the harassment youre experiencing doesnt pose an immediate threat but is still taking a severe toll on your mental and physical well-being, you should take action now. Dont hesitate to report the harassing behavior to the police by filing a report at your local police station.
Here is what you need to know in order to file the report, as well as what happens after you have submitted the claim.
Before You File the Report
Before you go to the police, make sure that you have gathered all the evidence of the harassing behavior you were subjected to. This can include:
- Audio or video footage of the harassment
- Printouts of harassing letters, text messages, e-mails, social media messages, and the like
- A list of witnesses
You should ask any witnesses of the harassing conduct if they are willing to be interviewed by the police and confirm that you were harassed. Once you have their approval, create a list of witnesses that contains their full names, home addresses, and phone numbers on which they can be reached. The more material you gather, the likelier it is that the police will take your claim seriously.
Start An Online Police Report In: English
FILING A FALSE POLICE REPORT IS A CRIME
If your incident did not meet the criteria for online reporting, please dial 1-877-ASK-LAPD
for Non-Emergency Police Response.
Welcome to the Los Angeles Police Department Community Online Reporting Service. Using this service allows you to submit select police reports at your convenience.
IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY OR CRIME IN PROGRESS, PLEASE CALL 911.
To File an Illegal Dumping Report Online:
- Illegal Dumping: Willfully or intentionally depositing, dropping, dumping, placing, or throwing onto public or private property. Illegal dumping is reported and handled by the City of Los Angeles Department of Sanitation. Please to file a report.
Your incident must meet the following criteria:
- The incident is not an emergency.
- The incident occurred within the City of Los Angeles.
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- No one was injured as a result of this incident.
- There are no known suspects.
- The incident did not occur on the state highway.
- No firearms were involved in the incident.
- You must have internet access and an email address.
Once you have submitted your report:
Please note:
- Filing a false police report is a crime. Anyone filing a false police report may be prosecuted under California Penal Code section 148.5 PC. Filing a false police report is punishable by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both.
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Theft Of A License Plate
Someone has stolen one or both of the license plates from your vehicle. It does not matter if the licenses plates were expired. You may also report a missing temporary tag. You will need the license plate and VIN number for the vehicle that had the plates stolen.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once reported, the license plate or temporary tag will be entered into national law enforcement databases as “stolen”.To avoid an unnecessary interaction with officers, you MUST contact your local office of the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain new license plates or a temporary tag. DO NOT DRIVEa vehicle with a license plate attached that has been reported and entered as stolen.
How We Can Help
Our Police Assistance Line and online reporting service allows you to report non-urgent crimes or events 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Police Assistance Line and online reporting service cannot assist with urgent matters.
In an emergency, always call for immediate police attendance.
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How The Police Will Deal With Your Report
The police usually take between twenty-four hours and two working business days to look at and review online crime reports this is why you should never report a truly serious crime via this method. After that time, if the police believe that the matter is serious then they will mark the report as an official police report. If the matter is deemed not to be criminal and not warrant investigation, then the report will be marked as unofficial.
The police will then directly contact you so that they can tell you the outcome of your report. If your report is rejected, then that will be the end of the matter. If it is not, then the police will issue you with an official police report number and may wish to question your or ask you to provide further evidence via email or phone. If more investigation is needed, then an official enquiry will proceed from there.
What Is Vs What Isnt Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
Navigating what is considered sexual vs. non-sexual harassment in the workplace can be tricky. Refer to the table below for clear disambiguation between the two.
Sexual Workplace Harassment |
|
Making offensive gestures |
|
Inappropriate touching or intentional brushing up against the other person |
Making derogatory comments related to someones appearance, race, gender, sexual identity, religion, ethnicity, and the like |
Sharing od displaying sexually inappropriate material at the workplace |
Sharing or displaying generally inappropriate or politically incorrect material at the workplace |
Making derogatory, vulgar comments about someones sexual orientation or gender identification |
Joking or talking about offensive stereotypes |
Making lewd jokes |
Using racists slurs or nicknames |
When youre applying for a new job, the screening process should go both ways. If you are job hunting, make sure you understand what your prospective employers are legally allowed to ask vs. what they cannot ask. You should walk away from the company if, during the hiring process, they ask you about your:
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
Even if the hiring and onboarding process goes smoothly, you might still become a victim of workplace bullying over time. If thats the case, study the companys policy on workplace harassment and talk to the HR department. If youve exhausted all options but the harassment persists, speak to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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How To File A Police Report For Harassment
If you decide to go to the police, you should learn more about the process of filing a report to be prepared for each step. Keep in mind that the reporting procedures might differ from state to state, but some crucial things will certainly be required to file a police report:
When you know what exactly youre going to include in the report , you can call the police or go to your local police station.
Depending on your particular situation, you might need to talk to a specialist police officer. For instance, if your situation includes domestic violence, you can turn to a Domestic Violence Officer.
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What Happens After I File A Report
How To Get A Police Report
By law, certain police records and violation reports prepared and maintained by the Police Department are accessible to the general public.
If you need to get a copy of a police report, do this. First, begin by researching the requirements of the police department responsible for the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred. Then, follow the departments exact protocol for requesting and receiving those records. Start by checking the police departments website. Expand your search to the city website if you dont find anything on the police departments website.
Obtain and Fill Out Request Forms
Some departments may require that you complete a request form, sometimes called a request for public records. This may also be known as a request for open records. When you check the department website, look to see if you can download the request form from their site. If so, fill out the request form and submit it according to the directions.
Most request forms will require you to provide the first and last name of at least one of the involved parties. In addition, youll need the location, date, and time of the incident, and in some cases, the incident or case number.
Submitting the Request Form
Important Notes Regarding Submitting Requests for Police Reports
- It may take a few days or more to obtain the official documents
- Charges for obtaining copies of the documents may vary by city or jurisdiction
- Very few departments allow access to records online
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Report A Crime Online
Welcome to the online crime reporting portal. If you have been a victim of certain crimes and the details of your event meet certain criteria, this portal will allow you to self-report the incident. Not all crimes are able to be reported online. To use this system, the following must apply:
- The crime must have occurred inside the city limits of Colorado Springs
- You must be 16 years of age or older.
- No one was injured, and NO weapons were involved.
Crimes with victims deemed as crimes against the elderly or a crime against an At-Risk person may not be reported online. Please call 444-7000 to report these crimes
If you have met the above criteria, below is a list of crimes that you may report online. Please read the series of questions below to help you determine if your incident qualifies for online reporting.
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.
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If you received an email from a sender posing as Public Health Ontario offering you next steps for signing up for a vaccine certificate or asking for your private health information: Do not open it or click on any links.
*A phishing scam is an attempt to deceive you into giving sensitive information to someone posing as an individual or company that you know .
Reporting Crime In Person
Head to your local station to talk to the person at the front counter and they will tell you what to do next. You may be able to speak to an officer straight away.
Appointments arent always necessary, but to ensure someone will be there to assist you it is best to phone ahead – especially if your nearest station is a small or rural station. Call 105 to connect with your local station.
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Doing The Right Thingsafely
One things for sure: David and Lisa are not alone. Concerns about personal safety and legal prosecution scare many people away, ultimately leading to them opting to keep drug crimes quiet.
But it doesnt have to be that way it is possible to report drug dealing anonymously.
Crime Stoppers is an effective national program that collects anonymous crime tips. Anyone who wants to report drug activity can contact Crime Stoppers via phone or online. A national tip line is available 24/7, and the program also operates out of local offices. Witnesses to drug crimes can make an anonymous phone call or fill out an online form. Whats more, you can rest easy knowing that all Crime Stoppers workers are trained to protect the callers identity and, instead of caller ID, all incoming phone calls are assigned a numerical code.
Crime Stoppers isnt the only way you can report drug dealing or use. Alternate options include contacting the Drug Enforcement Administration or the Department of Justice . Both have websites and phone numbers to anonymously report drug activity or submit tips through a hotline.
- As of March 2019, Crime Stoppers efforts have resulted in over 746,000 arrests, clearing out over one million legal cases.1
How To Report Threats To The Police
This article was co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS. 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 9,971 times.
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