By the Yakima Herald-Republic Editorial Board
You come home from an outing to find graffiti on your fence; your head may want to explode, but it’s not a 911 emergency. The same applies to something you may have lost at a public place like a restaurant, or a request for extra patrols to keep an eye on vehicles speeding through a neighborhood. Someone using your personal information to open a credit card warrants quick reporting to the appropriate financial entities, but not a call to a 911 dispatcher.
You get the idea, which is the idea behind the Yakima Police Department’s new system for reporting incidents — some of which rise to the level of minor crimes. The department has set up an online reporting system at its main website, www.yakimapolice.org, that allows those with computers and smartphones to report incidents that don’t require an immediate police response.
(The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office also offers an online crime reporting tool for non-emergencies at snohomishcountywa.gov/210/Sheriffs-Office as does the Everett Police Department at everettwa.gov/546/Submit-Crime-Tips-File-Online-Police-Rep.)
In some ways, the online system parallels the phone number that the department offers for nonemergencies. Of course, folks of a certain age can recall memorizing the local police number, or posting it on the wall next to a placebound phone — in the days before 911.
We’ve all heard the stories about 911 calls that had no business being made — such as a 10-year-old boy upset that his mother insisted he go to bed, or a man who complained that his sandwich was missing its special sauce. Police also get emergency calls about toothaches, colds and stubbed toes. These make for humorous anecdotes, but they are less funny to dispatchers who know that each phone call may involve a life-or-death situation.
The new system allows dispatchers and officers to focus on situations that require an immediate police response. It’s also convenient for the citizen, who can file a report when details are fresh in mind — and without having to venture to the police station. Citizens also can get free copies of their reports through the system.
Just as the numbers 911 are easy to remember, bookmarking the website is convenient for those conversant with modern technology. The new system helps set priorities for both law enforcement personnel and the public that they serve, and it is a welcome technological upgrade for Yakima residents.
The above editorial appeared in the June 4 Yakima Herald-Republic.
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