Kennewick PD & BCSO Launch New Crime Reporting System

The Tri-Cities has long been known for how well the respective law enforcement agencies work together.  It's not uncommon to see a Benton County Sheriff's Deputy backing up a Kennewick, Richland or West Richland Police Officer, and vice-versa.

Yesterday it was announced that two of the agencies in Benton County were offering a new service for residents to take advantage of when it comes to reporting certain crimes.  The Kennewick Police Department and the Benton County Sheriff's Office are collaborating on a new online reporting system for residents in those jurisdictions.

Law Enforcement (like many other entities) is always looking for ways to make technology work for them and who they serve.  The online reporting system offers an outlet for people that want to report something that doesn't necessarily need contact with an officer or deputy.  That means only certain crimes can be reported through the new online option.

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What Can I Report Online?

Non-Emergency misdemeanors can be reported by residents and businesses instead of calling non-emergency dispatch.  Some of the crimes cited in the announcement that fall under the parameters are:

• fraud
• harassing phone calls
• mail theft
• supplemental reports

Each department has their own website to handle reports for their agency.  All reports received online will reviewed by staff in that department for follow up.

I reached out to Kennewick Police Chief Chris Guerrero and Benton County Sheriff Tom Croskrey for their thoughts on the offering of Online reporting.  Chief Guerrero said:

The new online crime reporting tool provides our citizens another opportunity to report criminal activity.  We know there are citizens who may want to report a crime, but may not need officer contact.  These cases may not involve a suspect or there may not be physical evidence, and in these circumstances we want to provide our citizens a convenient way to report the instances.  We do not want this to take away from a citizens desire to have officer contact.  If a citizen wants to speak to an officer we will still be there, even if the report could have been handled online. 

Sheriff Croskrey told me:

Online reporting has been an option for Communities and Law Enforcement for a few decades.  Since becoming the elected Sheriff of Benton County I have been looking at systems to improve public safety and this is one of those systems that will streamline reporting of certain crimes and speed up the processes for citizens and us at the Sheriff’s Office.  While citizens appreciate face to face communication with our deputies that is still an option but for those that are in a hurry and don’t have time to wait for a deputy to arrive in person or wait for a phone call this will speed up their day and streamline a lot of reporting issues for us.

Sheriff Croskrey also mentioned that his department paid most of the cost for the interface and has invited all law enforcement agencies in the county to use it.  Kennewick is the first agency to jump on board.  If you wish to file an online report and you live in Kennewick, you can use this link.  If you reside in an unincorporated part of Benton County, you'll go to this page.