Only 20 people so far have used the San Diego Police Department's new online service for Spanish-speakers to report low-level crimes.
Sgt. Ernesto Servin, who oversees the program, believes the number is low because many Latinos aren't aware of the service or lack a computer or computer skills. Some may be undocumented and wrongly fear that they will be deported if they bring attention to themselves, he said.
"We do not ask for immigration or citizenship status," he said.
Meanwhile, more than 9,000 people have used the English version of the service to report low-level crimes, which are those that don't require officers to be dispatched to a scene such as a car break in, a stolen bicycle or a complaint of a harassing phone call.
The online service refers people to call police at (619) 531-2000 if they are reporting a hate crime, credit or debit card violation, or if the incident happened on a highway or if they know the person who committed the crime. They are urged to call 911 if it's an emergency.
The service, which began last June, also requires users to be at least 18 years old and warns about filing false reports.
The English-language service has significantly reduced the number of phone calls fielded by officers, Servin said.
"People are going to the website and using the system," he said.
Servin said police have been working with local Spanish-language news media organizations to promote the reporting system.
"We would like to see those numbers go up," Servin said.
Spanish-speaking officers also handle complaints over the phone but those numbers too are low, Servin said. About three or four of the 60 daily calls received are from Spanish-speakers, he said.
Leonel.sanchez@sandiegored.com
[sidebar]Where to file reports
The San Diego Police Department has an online service for people to use to report low-level crimes.
The "Sistema de Informes Policía" is for reports in Spanish and "Citizens' Online Police Reporting" is for English. The services can be found on the right side of the San Diego Police Department's website.
[/sidebar]
