Several people have asked me in recent weeks about how police reports get generated and how soon public information is made available. So I’d like to provide you all with a “peek behind the curtain” to see how the information from a typical police call is handled.
The first point of contact is usually 911. When a 911 call comes in, the call is taken by a 911 operator. It’s this person’s responsibility to get as much information about the problem as they can from the caller and to forward the information to the dispatcher. The dispatcher prioritizes the call and sends it to the squads. The 911 system automatically records the phone number of the caller and the date and time of the call. If the call is coming from a land line, as opposed to a cell phone, it also records the address of the call and the name of the person who that number belongs to.
Each call is assigned an Event Number which is used for tracking purposes. If several calls come in regarding the same incident, those calls may be combined under the same Event Number. The system records the time that the call was dispatched to the squad car, the time that the squad arrived at the incident, and the time that the squad “cleared” the call. “Clearing” the call means that they’ve finished doing what they need to at the scene, whether that means arresting someone, writing a ticket, speaking to the caller, etc. The system also records the final disposition of the call, ie, arrest, ticket, AOK, Gone on Arrival, etc.
This information is all generated and stored electronically. The central database is continually updated, and the information is available internally within a few minutes.
Reports of 911 calls made prior to March 29, 2007 are also available to the public through RECAP reports. RECAP reports list all of the calls to a particular address. Actually, calling it a 911 report is something of a misnomer in that the RECAP actually records the dispatches to an address, rather than the actual calls themselves. For example, if five different people call to report shots fired at an address, the RECAP report will show that a squad was dispatched, and will show the time of the first call that came in. This report lists the date and time of the call, the nature of the call (what it’s for, i.e. Music, Fight, Shots, etc.), the disposition of the call, and the ID number of the responding squad. RECAP reports are available to the public by calling 612-673-3082: just provide the address and the dates, and a report will be generated and sent to you.
(With the introduction of the police department’s new Computer Aided Dispatch system (CAD) these reports will change for events after March 29, 2007. As of this writing, this new report is still under development.)
Whether or not the officers write a full police report depends on what they find when they arrive. If the officers take any substantive action, like arresting someone, writing a ticket, gathering evidence, etc. or find evidence that a crime has been committed, they will write a report. If they arrive and there is no evidence of a crime, no action to take, no witnesses, then they probably won’t write a report.
When a police report is written it is assigned a Case Control Number. Like the Event Number for a 911 call, the Case Control Number is used for tracking purposes. If officers are taking a report from a crime victim, this is the number they provide to the victim.
Officers usually enter their reports directly into the computer system. If they’re reporting on a major incident, or if they have arrested someone, they must file the report immediately. More routine reports can be put off for a short time depending on the officer’s other duties during his shift. However, all reports that an officer generates must be filed before the end of his shift.
All reports must be reviewed and approved by the officer’s supervisor before they are made available. Like officers, supervisors are also supposed to review and approve all reports generated by the officers on their shift before the shift ends. (On rare occasions, approving a report can be delayed simply due to the work load on a particular shift. Supervisors work hard to avoid and minimize these delays.) If the supervisor finds errors in the report, it will be re-routed back to the officer for corrections. This can delay the report for several days.
Once the report is approved, it’s available for internal use in the department. Some aspects of it are also made available to the public. Public information generally includes things such as the time and place of the incident, any adults who are arrested, the nature of the offense, and a general description of what happened. Sensitive information which may affect the investigation of a case is not made public. All information pertaining to juveniles is protected by data privacy laws and is not made available to the public.
If you have a case number, public information in police reports can be obtained by calling 673-2961 during normal business hours.