Non-emergency 911 calls will need to be reported online, Dallas police say
DALLAS - The Dallas Police Department is making changes to improve response times.
911 emergencies still receive immediate attention. But if it's not urgent, you'll need to report it online.
In the first three months of this year, the Dallas Police Department has seen an increase in high-priority calls, dealing with threats to life and property or calls that need a prompt emergency response.
"These calls require multiple officers staying at a scene for an extended period of time," Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said.
The chief says that is contributing to an increase in response times. In an effort to combat the troubling trend, Garcia says the department will require non-emergency reports be filed online beginning July 3rd.
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These incidents include accident reports, vehicle burglaries, identity theft and interference with child custody among others.
The forms are on dallaspolice.net.
A series of pop-ups will guide users through the reporting process.
For those without a computer, there is a kiosk at DPD headquarters.
The city's 911 administrator, Robert Uribe, says folks can also use computers at public libraries to file an online report.
"If you do it online, you can access it immediately and complete the report in 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the type of report that you're making," he said.
The investigative process is still the same as if an officer took the report at the scene, but it's hard to overlook the timing of the rollout as DPD and other city departments are still dealing with the fallout from a ransomware attack.
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The City of Dallas says that more than 90% of the network has been restored, but the details of the remaining 10% is limited.
The department's website went down, the 911 computer-assisted dispatch was crippled and detectives lost access to electronic case files.
Garcia would not elaborate on the lingering effects but said residents should feel safe uploading their personal information.
"We're hopeful we can get fully operational here in a few weeks on some of our main issues," he said. "I think the community should be very confident uploading to this online portal."
The online reporting system has been available for three years, but it has been voluntary up until this point.
Last year alone, Garcia says online and phone reporting lead to a savings that equals 51,000 patrol hours or the work of more than 24 officers.
LINK: www.dallaspolice.net