Milwaukee Police Department online reporting system launched

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 11 launched the new "Police to Citizen" (P2C) site – a new way to file a police report at the touch of your fingertips.

The idea is to free up officers from thousands of non-emergency calls each year – like low-dollar thefts, vandalism, property damage or lost property – so they can be available for more serious incidents. MPD gets roughly 270,000 to 290,000 calls each year, about 96% of which are for emergencies. That means roughly 12,000 calls are for non-emergencies; there have been 8,200 such calls thus far in 2022.

"Out of a spectrum of all the calls, this is a corner of that. But any little bit helps," said Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. "We want to keep our people available as much as possible for those situations that need a sworn (officer) or civilian."

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Say, for instance, your car window was smashed in, and you need to file a police report. You could call MPD or, with this new system, you could do it online. Click on "report incident" and "start an online report." Then, follow the prompts. Once complete, the report is sent to the police department where it is approved or rejected. MPD said, once you send it, you will get a receipt of your record.

"All reports are followed up on, looked at by officers. It is important that this is not taking away the personal touch of an officer looking at it," Norman said.

If you file an online report, you can still call the department and ask for an officer to come out; it is not a mandatory system for non-emergencies. It is important to note, there are reports you cannot file online – such as violent or sex-related crimes. 

MPD modeled the system after other police departments across the country, including Modesto, California and Gwinnett County, Georgia.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

How to use P2C

The following criteria are required to file a report online:

• The incident must have occurred in the city of Milwaukee
• The reporting person must be 18 years of age or older
• A valid email address is required

The following types of reports will be accepted online:

• Theft valued at less than $2,500
• Vandalism/Damage to property valued at less than $2,500
• Lost property

The following types of reports will not be accepted online:

• Violent crime or sex-related offenses (e.g. battery, robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault, domestic violence, arson etc.)
• A crime with viable suspect information
• Motor vehicle theft
• Burglary
• Identity theft
• Any offense involving a firearm (to include lost/stolen firearms)

For more information or to file one of the accepted types of reports, click here.