Published September 14 2017
Beginning Friday, Sept. 15, people will be able to report two new categories of incidents — bias-related events and identity theft — through the Bellevue Police’s online crime reporting system. People have used the system to report harassing phone calls, hit-and-run collisions, littering, lost property, vehicle prowls, thefts, vandalism, and give crime tips.
Last year, the Bellevue Police took 270 reports of identity theft and 14 reports of malicious harassment. By allowing these crimes as well as bias-related events that might not rise to the level of malicious harassment to be reported online, police officers will have more time to patrol.
The online reports will give the police valuable information on the frequency and scope of these incidents. As always, residents may request an officer to take a report in person if they feel additional investigation is needed or evidence that will need to be collected and processed.
“I encourage anyone who believes they were a victim of a bias-related event to make a report, either online or in person,” said Police Chief Steve Mylett. “We take bias-related incidents seriously and are committed to fully investigating all reports we receive.”
The online reporting system should not be used to report crimes in progress. Call 9-1-1 to report crimes in progress.