(Radio Iowa) – The police department in the northwest Iowa community of Le Mars is among the first in the state to launch what it’s calling Online Citizen Reporting. Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte says they’re trying to make it easier and more convenient to file non-emergency police reports.

“An individual can actually go online and file a police report without having to call into the police department or drive down to us,” Vande Vegte says. “It really simplifies things, but the key to that, it’s for really minor offenses, maybe parking offenses, things that are going on in your neighborhood.” He stresses, the online option is -not- for emergency situations, as the service is designed to help the police to more quickly prioritize non-emergency calls.

“If you file a report, let’s say it’s at two in the morning, that will be emailed to our new community impact officer,” the chief says. “When he gets to work, he opens up those reports and he will either handle them himself or he’ll assign that to one of the patrol officers. It’s really going to work well, once it gets going.” Le Mars residents have a couple of options for logging into the service.

“You can access this through the City of Le Mars website by simply clicking on the police department. It’ll take you right to the website,” Vande Vegte says. “We also have it on our Facebook page. There’s a QR code on there, you can scan it right into your phone and you can go right to this Citizens Reporting page.” The site also allows homeowners to request police drive-by’s if they’re going on a long-term vacation, and business owners can register all of their “keyholders” in case there’s an after-hours emergency.