Chatham-Kent police enhancing service’s online reporting system

The Chatham-Kent Police Service has seen a 151 per cent increase in the use of an online reporting system and Chief Gary Conn would like to see a lot more people use it.

“I view this as another investigative tool, another service to provide to our citizens,” Conn said of the Citizen Online Reporting System (CORS).

He said the initiative allows people to go online and not have to wait for an officer to attend and take a report.

“They instantly file their own report, which provides them with a police report number, which they can use for insurance purposes,” Conn said.

He provided the police services board with a two-year status update on CORS during this week’s board meeting in Chatham. The system was implemented in recognition of the police service’s need to be more efficient and effective in responding to calls for service.

CORS went live in September 2016 at www.ckpolice.com, providing residents the ability to report selected crimes from their computer or handheld device. Submissions are reviewed by a police officer and immediate feedback is received in the form of a report generated through the system, according Conn’s report to the board. A total of 605 calls for service for such incidents as theft from vehicle, theft, lost property, mischief to property and mischief to vehicle, were submitted through the system in the second year, up from 241 calls in the first year. Enhancements have been added to the system this year, including the security camera registry and the bicycle registry.

There is also a vulnerable persons registry that provides police information on people such as the elderly or ill if they go missing. “Certainly, with respect to the vulnerable persons registry and the security camera registry, those two new initiatives provide investigative tools for us after the fact,” the chief said.

“If a vulnerable person does go missing, we have all the particulars surrounding that person at our fingertips.”

Conn said so far only 69 people have signed up for the security camera registry to let police know they have the device.

He said the benefit is police get instant information, not just if a crime occurs at a victim’s residence, but also if a crime occurs within the area of their residence. “When we canvass an area, we look for cameras,” Conn said. “The nice thing about this (registry) is we’ll already have and know ... what houses have a camera, if they’re in the vicinity, and we can instantly go to those individuals and get their videos.”

CORS is also adding other features.

Last month, the key holder registry was implemented as a replacement to the previous alarm registry. Conn said this new, free service gives property owners the opportunity to provide police with contact information of both the property owners and any alarm monitoring company information, which would assist police with any dealings at the property.

Two new features coming soon, include a school bus safety reporting option to give local school bus companies the ability to report online any instances where vehicles have illegally passed school buses while stopped loading children. It will include the capability to upload video evidence from the school bus surveillance system directly to the police service’s traffic management section.

If a vulnerable person does go missing, we have all the particulars surrounding that person at our fingertips.