Burbank Police Department moves crime reporting online
Burbank residents have a new way to report crime in their neighborhood, and it only takes a few clicks.
The Burbank Police Department launched a new online reporting system this month that allows residents to file a report online for certain misdemeanor crimes including theft, vandalism and lost property. Reports can be made on the department’s website at BurbankPD.org under the online services tab.
For emergencies, residents are still encouraged to call 911.
Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman with BPD, said the system is meant to streamline the reporting process for residents. However, residents can still call police or come into the department to file a report.
“Even though this service is available, people can still call police,” Green said. “It isn’t meant to be a replacement.”
In addition to being a more convenient option for residents, Green said the new system helps free up officers to spend more time in the field rather than taking and processing reports.
The system is reminiscent to one formerly employed by the Glendale Police Department for several years.
Implemented in 2013, GPD also touted the system as a convenient option of residents and a way to free up officers from dealing with reports. It was discontinued in 2016 with the city at the time saying the system did not “provide the level of service and convenience it was once intended for our community and citizens.”
While he didn’t know anything about “the success or demise of [Glendale’s] program,” Green said residents and officers have responded positively to new reporting system.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of online reports that have come through since we’ve launched it,” he said. “The response has been great.”
However, Green stressed that the new system is not 100% electronic. A report is screened by a department employee when it’s submitted and then passed onto a detective for a follow-up.
“We recontact that person within a few days of them submitting a report,” he said. “We try to maintain that level of service and community between the police and victims.”
If the report is for a crime that takes place outside of Burbank or is not on the list of crimes that can be reported, it is returned to the person who filed it.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
