It’s now easier for residents living on the South and Central Coasts to help law enforcement agencies fight crime.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has introduced a new citizen online reporting website. The public can file incident reports – including lost property, identity theft and vandalism – 24 hours a day online.
"It allows deputies to focus on priority calls instead of filling out paperwork that the citizen can easily fill out themselves," Kelly Hoover with the Sheriff’s Office said. "It just frees them up to do more proactive police work."
She added that residents should still call the sheriff’s office for any in-progress calls or 911 emergencies.
Another crime-fighting program is being implemented by the Simi Valley Police Department. It’s called SAFECAM, and it encourages those who have security cameras on their businesses or homes to register. In the event of a nearby crime or a traffic collision, investigators will be able to quickly contact the owner of the camera to request footage.