Reporting crimes against your business is frustrating for owners and staff. It can take considerable time at a stressful moment, and we don’t always receive the response we would like. However, reporting a crime with the correct terminology can assist the person answering the phone to correctly determine the severity of what occurred. The word chosen when reporting a crime can potentially initiate different levels of police response. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office created the below guide and downloadable PDF for business owners to print out. The document can guide people in using the proper terms when calling 911 or the non-emergency number.
Reporting all crimes suffered by your business is critical to getting support from the police and city officials. Even when police do not come to deal with the issue, a report still appears on a criminal activity map, which guides where police concentrate efforts. Feel free to email the location and a short description of the crime with the report number to [email protected]. We will track these reports and work with law enforcement to improve safety along 82nd Avenue.
A robbery is:
Stealing or attempted stealing + physical force or threat of physical force
$ value of stolen items does not matter
A burglary is:
Entering where not allowed + intending to commit any crime, like stealing or
breaking things
$ value of stolen items does not matter, damage amount does not matter
A theft is:
Stealing, $1000 or more is a felony
A trespass is:
Entering after being excluded by any person in charge
Criminal mischief is:
Damaging property
When a crime happens, record:
• The date and time the crime happened
• The people who saw what happened, including their contact information
• Who did it, or a description of what that person looked like
• What happened
• $ value of items stolen or damaged
• Save the surveillance video and any photos you have of the crime