Reporting a Crime - In person
Many citizens have the misconception that reporting a crime - in person - at the Police Department Downtown will get them faster service. This is not necessarily the case.
Police Officers are assigned to a "beat" or section of the City in which to patrol. When a person walks into the Police Station to report a crime, the officer from the beat in which they live has to be called in to take their report.
Calls for an officer to report to the Police Station to take a report from a citizen are considered "cold" calls, as opposed to "in-progress" calls and take much longer for the officer to respond to. In some case, a citizen will end up waiting hours for the officer to get free from an "in-progress" call in order to respond to their "cold" call.
For the citizen's comfort and convenience, Police Department staff recommends that calls to dispatch to report any crime ("in-progress" or "cold") be done from their home or, if necessary, their work location. That way, a citizen can wait for the officer to respond while continuing on with their day.
Please be aware that "in-progress" calls will always take priority over a "cold" call.