Reporting Crimes & Incidents to the Police
  by Julie Mills, San Diego Police Department Community Relations Officer
(article from the April 18, 2002 issue of the ‘Tierra Times’)  

Emergency: 911
Non-emergency: 619-531-2000

Emergencies include crimes that are in progress or about to happen, and ones that have, resulted in serious personal injury, property damage or property loss. They also include situations in which the suspect may still be at the scene and some suspicious activities. By calling 911, you will be linked to the appropriate police as well as firefighting, medical and ambulance services. You don't need money to call 911 from a pay phone.

The following are examples of crime emergencies:

• fights, sexual assaults, etc.
• homicides
• burglaries or robberies in progress
• domestic violence
• sounds Of gunshots, screaming, breaking glass or explosions
• traffic collisions with possible injuries
• finding a piece of unexploded ordnance (mark location first)

Crimes and suspicious activities that fall into the non-emergency category include:

• those that don't involve serious personal injury, property damage or property loss
• ones in which there is no possibility that the suspect is still at the scene or likely to return
• ones for which an immediate response is not needed
  

The San Diego Police Department response to non-emergency crimes will depend upon the relative seriousness or priority of the situation, the likelihood of making an arrest at the scene, and the availability of an officer. Response times are the longest for so-called "cold crimes" like home burglaries where the suspect has fled the scene, no suspect exists, and the victim is no longer in danger. You should also call the non-emergency number if you need to file a police report of any type. Not all types of reports require an officer to be dispatched to the scene. Some reports are taken over the telephone by the "Telephone Report Unit."
If in doubt, please call 911 or 619-531-2000 directly.