Report Property Crimes

The spate of recent property crimes the Buzz reported this week didn’t show up on the LAPD crime mapping website because residents didn’t report them to LAPD. We learned about the crimes because they had been reported to neighborhood block captains.

“If residents can take the time to email their block captains, they should also be contacting us,” said Senior Lead Office Dave Cordova, who explained the process for filing a police report. 

In an emergency, when a crime is in process or a suspect is nearby, residents should always call 911.

In a non-emergency, after a crime occurred and there are no suspects nearby or no immediate danger, residents should call 877-ASK-LAPD or 877-275-5273, the Los Angeles Police Department’s non-emergency number, to report the crime.

The report will be taken by a dispatcher who will either send a police unit out to interview witnesses or collect evidence, or they will advise you to come in to the station and file a report.  If you are asked to come to the station, you can do so at your convenience. LAPD stations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, so crime victims can file a report anytime.

“At the recent security meeting in Hancock Park, one resident told me they were reluctant to file a report because they hadn’t locked their car, so they felt partially responsible,” said Cordova. “But it’s all part of our job. We want everyone to report every crime, but we also want people to lock their cars too!”

Try to avoid being a victim of a property crime by locking your vehicles and removing any valuables from your car. Lock your doors and windows of your home too.  But if you are a victim of a crime, report it to LAPD. Accurate crime statistics are essential to targeting police resources and improving the overall safety of our neighborhoods.