The St. Joseph County Police Department has instituted Online Reporting system for crimes of theft, vandalism or loss of no more than $2,500 of value. Victims will be able to fill out the Online Form as opposed to calling 9-1-1 and waiting for an officer to come out and take a report.

Online reporting is available for incidents within the County Police jurisdiction, where a suspect is not known, and where damages or loss due to theft results of less than $2,500. The following types of cases may be reported by a victim online: property damage due to vandalism, property (wallet, cell phone, personal items, etc.) theft, vehicle damage due to vandalism, vehicle theft and lost property.

If the victim can identify a possible suspect of the theft or vandalism, they must contact the St. Joseph County Police Department directly at (574) 235-9611 and an online report cannot be filed. For situations involving more than $2,500 in damage or loss, either 9-1-1 dispatch or the St. Joseph County Police Department (574) 235-9611 should be called.

The department states that the tool is not meant to replace officers or detectives investigating a case and citizens are still able to have an officer come out to take a report if they would prefer. This reporting system is designed to allow a victim, who might not know for a couple days following the incident that they have been a victim, to easily create a report that will allow our department to track the incident and allow the victim to have the paperwork necessary for insurance reporting needs. The County Police Department join South Bend Police and Mishawaka Police in their uses of the available tool.