Folsom Police Department want ‘a better picture’ of minor crimes with online reporting
The Folsom Police Department now offers online crime reporting.
The feature launched Nov. 1 and was created as an option for community members who wish to report non-violent incidents with unknown suspects. These range from thefts from an unlocked vehicle and vandalism to harassing phone calls and lost property, according to Rick Hillman, Folsom’s police chief.
“Online reporting is an added opportunity that will not replace police officers responding if someone is uncomfortable filing a report online or has no computer access,” Hillman said.
After a police report is filed online, it goes to a mailbox that is accessible by all department supervisors. From there, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to forward the report to the appropriate officers, Hillman said.
He said the reports also become a part of the department’s records management system after submission, “so the data is searchable by staff to examine patterns or retrieve information relative to other crimes.”
“This new feature will allow people who discover a crime to report it at their convenience rather than wait for an officer to respond,” Hillman said. “We know that not all crimes get reported. I am hopeful that this new capability will give us a better picture of the minor crimes impacting our community and allow us to adjust our staff better to prevent those types of crimes from happening.”
Hillman said the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Department, Citrus Heights Police Department and Elk Grove Police Department already use this feature and was happy to add it to his department at the request of Folsom community members.
Since the program’s launch, he said about a dozen reports have been filed online.
If you prefer not to report a crime online, you can call Folsom police’s non-emergency dispatch Line at 916-461-6400.
For anonymous tips, call 916-930-1098 or email FPDCrimeTips@folsom.ca.us.
Filing a false police report is a crime.