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Liberty residents can file reports online
By LINDA M. LINONIS
liberty
Technology won’t ever replace the key human element it takes to do police work, but it is streamlining the report process for Liberty Township Police Department.
Detective Sgt. Thomas R. Couche Jr. has a background in computers and designed the website www.TheLibertyPolice.com.
He worked in computer technology in the Army, wrote computer software and operated a computer business. He used those skills to develop an online report form for minor property crimes and documentation purposes.
On the Web page, click on forms and links that will take the computer user to the minor incident/crime report form. The home LPD page features a letter from Police Chief Rich Tisone explaining the new online reporting.
Tisone said the technology is there to use, and the department is doing just that. “Eighty-five percent of what we do is public relations in serving the community,” he said. “This is another tool.”
Tisone emphasized that the online report is the first step in a process. “This is an efficient way to take these kinds of reports,” he said.
He added that technology enables people to fill out the reports from their homes at their leisure; they don’t have to wait for an officer to arrive.
“This technology will enable us to free our patrol units for more- serious crimes in the community,” he said.
Couche said the minor property crimes may include a smashed mailbox, spray-painted graffiti or broken windows. A resident fills out the online report, which takes a few minutes, then e-mails it to the department. The resident also can print out the report.
The report goes through the department secretary, who assigns it a case number and types it into a standard report. At roll call the next day, a member of the detective bureau will be assigned to follow up with a phone call or visit to the reporter’s residence, depending on the situation.
“The report won’t just go into the system without anyone looking at it,” Couche said. “Ninety percent of the reports are assigned for follow-up.”
So far, the department has received about 20 online reports but expects it will increase as more people learn about this service.
“This will save manpower for more-serious calls,” Couche said. When callers phone the police department at 330-759-1511, dispatchers will suggest the online filing if the situation lends itself to that.
Couche also noted that residents who file a report online also can add to it if they discover something else pertinent to the report. For example, he said, if residents file reports about break-ins, they can amend them if they discover other items missing.
“We’re a technology- oriented society,” Tisone said. “People have no problem using technology and are acclimated to it.”
The department also is posting its reports online.