By Chuck Foster, Chair
Only a witness or victim of a crime may initiate a meeting with the police to make a report. Thus we need a number of residents who are willing and able to take the responsibility to report crime directly to the police.
WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE?
If you choose to summon the police, you have the option of being (1) an anonymous informant or (2) a disclosed witness or victim providing evidence. The non-emergency number for the Fairfax County Police Department is 703-691-2131. If you make an anonymous report, the police will arrive and look for the described activity. If the perpetrators are gone, the police officer will close the event as “GOA,” which means the perpetrators were “gone upon arrival.” No further action will be taken.
If you agree to meet with the responding officer, he/she will generate a case number and write a report. This memorializes the event and the case can be amended over time due to further calls for service and/or investigative findings. In addition to the existence of a police report, any time the police visit a given address multiple times, a history of prior calls for service is available in the police officer’s in-car computer.
HOW DO I REPORT A CRIME IF I AM A WITNESS OR VICTIM?
Reporting a crime is not productive if you are a poor witness or if you delay your call to the police. What is needed is an immediate call to the police and the following information:
WHO – WHAT – WHERE – WHERE TO – WHEN
WHO – A detailed description of the perpetrator(s) is necessary. Photos or video are ideal, but if they are unavailable, carefully observe each person, starting at the top of the head and working down: (1) hat, (2) hair color/length, (3) facial features, (4) shirt or jacket color, style, and pattern, (5) pants color, pattern, and style, (6) shoes, (7) height and (8) weight. If you overhear a name, note it. Because our memories can be fleeting, write down what you saw as soon as possible.
WHAT – What did you observe that motivated you to call the police? What specific activity did you see occur? Provide a detailed description. Write down what you saw while it is fresh in your mind.
WHERE – Precisely where did the event occur?
WHERE TO – What was the direction of travel of the perpetrators when they left the area? Did they walk, run, ride a bike, get on a bus, or get into a car? If a car, be prepared to describe the vehicle and note the license plate number.
WHEN – Precisely when did the event occur?
HOW DO I REPORT A PROPERTY CRIME THAT I DID NOT WITNESS?
If you discover evidence that your car or your home has been broken into or vandalized, the best way you can help the police is to (1) call right away and (2) not touch anything. Vital evidence, such as fingerprints or boot prints, can be useless if the scene is tampered with. Don’t tidy up! For example, if you find your car door open, don’t close it.
The police will ask you a number of questions, and the accuracy of your responses is very important. It is helpful to write down your impressions of what, where, and when prior to the police arriving. This will mitigate memory loss.
Besides looking for identifying biometrics, police will analyze the modus operandi of the perpetrator. Do the method, timing, tools, and types of stolen articles match other crimes in the area? Very often, criminals use the same methods over and over again if they are achieving success. If your effective cooperation assists the police in solving a series of crimes in the area, you may benefit multiple victims of the same criminal.
In summary, by getting the police involved, you create the opportunity to achieve justice for yourself and past victims (e.g., recover valuables) and take a criminal off the street who would have victimized others in the future.
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