BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — You can now file a police report for for non-violent crimes online with the Buffalo Police Department.
The Buffalo Police Department Community Online Reporting Service allows you to submit police reports that fit certain criteria online at your convenience.
You can find more information from the website below on the types of crime reports that can be filed, the criteria the incident must meet and what you can expect once you file a report.
The types of crime reports that can be filed online include:
- Harassing Phone Calls: Any person who repeatedly, with the intent to annoy, telephones or makes contact by means of an electronic communication. For example, immediate hang-ups, obscene language, emails, text messages with no known suspects.
- Lost Property: Personal property that was unintentionally left by its true owner. For example, property left behind at an unknown location or left behind with no attempt to retrieve it.
- Vandalism: Any person who maliciously damages, destroys or defaces the property of another person. For example, knocking over a mailbox, spray painting a wall, or throwing a rock through a window.
- Theft: Personal property taken from a publicly accessible location. For example, a package is taken from your porch; or, you left your wallet behind in a restaurant, but when you attempted to go back to retrieve it, the wallet was no longer there.
- Theft from Vehicle: Theft from an unlocked or locked vehicle.
- Identity Theft: Your personal identifying information was used to obtain goods or services without your permission.
- Hit and Run: Damage caused by another vehicle in which the driver should have left information or fled the scene without stopping to provide information.
Your incident must meet the following criteria:
- The incident is not an emergency.
- The incident occurred within the City of Buffalo.
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- No one was injured as a result of this incident.
- There are no known suspects.
- The incident did not occur on the state highway.
- No firearms were involved in the incident.
- You must have internet access and an email address.
Once you have submitted your report:
- You will immediately receive an email confirming the report you just made.
- All incidents reported using the Community Online Reporting Service will be reviewed, on average once every 24 hours (possibly longer on weekends and holidays), and upon approval will become an official police report.
- If further investigation of your reported incident is needed, you will be contacted by email or telephone.
- Once the report has been approved, a BPD report number will be issued and a copy of the final report will be emailed back to you.
- The approval process may take up to five business days. If you do not receive an email of the final report within five business days, please call your local police station. Please click here to look up your Community Police Station and then click on the District name to see the address and phone number.
- Supplemental Reports cannot be filed online. To add any additional information, please wait until you have received your final report with a BPD report number and call your local police station to speak with the detective assigned to your case.
Please note:
- Filing a false police report is a crime. Anyone filing a false police report may be prosecuted under New York Penal Law 240.60 Filing a false police report is punishable by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding 6 months, or by fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both.
For more information or to file a report you can click here.
