The new software, which features both English and Spanish, offers residents the ability to file police reports quickly and independently, enabling officers to respond more quickly to emergencies and other situations that require police response.
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"This is another important innovation and government reform that will enhance public safety," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. "Residents will now have the ability to file a report anywhere, at any time, and in doing so allow our officers to quickly respond to other emergencies."
The types of crimes that can be filed online include harassing communications, lost property, criminal mischief, non-criminal property damage, minor motor vehicle crashes, identity theft and some larcenies.
In order to file a report online, one must have internet access and an email address, and the incident must have occurred within the Suffolk County Police District.
"As a department, we take every opportunity to leverage technology and utilize our resources most efficiently to serve the members of our community," Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said. "This online police report program is another example of our department being more accessible to those who need to contact us. With residents being able to file reports in English or Spanish at their own convenience, we now have the ability to allow patrol officers to respond more quickly to emergencies and other situations that require more immediate police attention."
Incidents cannot be related to an emergency, such as those involving a school, threats of physical violence or injuries, include any known suspects, be related to any domestic violence or domestic incident, and did not occur due to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.
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If an incident is approved, residents will receive an email back with the report within an hour or two.
If any follow-up action is needed, the report will be forwarded to the appropriate investigative command and the complainant will be contacted.
Since the initial launch of the program in October of 2018, the department has received nearly 100 online reports of incidents from residents.
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