Westport Police Launch Online Reporting System

The Westport Police Department has launched an online "citizen reporting service" which makes filing police reports easier and faster. The system allows residents to file certain reports — including identity theft, vandalism, vehicle burglaries, lost property, damage to motor vehicles and harassing phone calls — at their convenience from any computer.

Westport police officers handle an average of 1,750 incidents each month, which must be prioritized so that emergencies are responded to in a quick and efficient manner, according to Deputy Chief Dale Call. While the average officer response time to the scene of an emergency is four minutes, during periods of peak demand, the response to non-emergency calls may be delayed significantly, Call said in a news release. By filing a police report online, residents will not have to wait for an officer to respond and will automatically receive a copy of their police report via e-mail. 

A report can be filed online if the following criteria are met:

•  The incident is not an emergency
• The crime occurred within Westport town limits and did not occur in Sherwood Island State Park, on the Merritt Parkway (Rt-15), the Connecticut Turnpike (I-95), or any entrance/exit ramp of those highways.
• There are no known suspects, firearms, or other weapons involved.

Emergencies should always be reported by calling 9-1-1. Non-emergency criminal activity that does not fit the criteria for online reporting will continue to require an officer response by calling (203) 341-6000. If a report is submitted that does not meet the criteria for online reporting, residents will be notified by either e-mail or a phone call and an officer assigned to take the report. 

The system requires the filer to complete a series of basic questions about the incident, write a brief narrative and send the information to the police department. The electronic report will be reviewed by police personnel and, if approved, the reporting party will receive a copy of the report via e-mail with an assigned Westport Police Department case number, free of charge. The report will automatically merge into the police department records management system, where it will receive the same investigative and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by a police officer, according to Call.

The Westport Police Department says it will always send an officer to take a report for any citizen who does not wish to use the online reporting system. 

The reporting system can be accessed directly from the Westport Police Department website at www.westportctpd.org.