A police report is a record of what somebody reported to law enforcement. It doesn’t establish that a crime occurred, and it doesn’t mean somebody has to be arrested. Sometimes an officer takes a report and begins an investigation. Other times, there’s nothing more for law enforcement to do with the information provided. I understand…
Most people don’t spend much time thinking about how to file a police report until something happens and they need one. Then the questions start. Who do I call? What information do I need? Do I need proof? What if I don’t know exactly what crime was committed? The good news is that you don’t…
If you only see the blue lights, you’re only seeing a small part of the day in a small police department. From the outside, quiet can look like we’re sitting around waiting for something to happen. From my side of the desk, it usually means I finally have time to work on everything the last…
You filed a police report, received a case number, and went about the rest of your day. A few days later, you haven’t heard anything. You don’t know whether someone is working on it, whether there’s been any progress, or whether you should call and ask. There’s nothing wrong with following up. You reported something…
When someone reports a crime, explaining what happened may only take a few minutes. You told the officer what happened. They took some notes, maybe took pictures, talked to a couple of people, and left. A day or two later, you call because your insurance company wants the report. And we tell you it isn’t…