Report a Crime

Call 911 in case of emergency

In an emergency, call 911. To connect directly with the Berkeley Police Department from your cellphone, call (510) 981-5911. 

The dispatcher will ask you questions about what happened, who is involved, where the incident is occurring, and other details to assess how urgently police response is needed and how many officers to send.

Calls are prioritized into four categories:

• Priority 1: Calls dispatched immediately. These calls include situations involving threat to life, crime of violence, in progress felonies, missing juveniles (under 12 years old), and accidents with injuries.
• Priority 2: These calls should be dispatched within 20 minutes. They include situations involving business or residential alarms, calls with a threat of violence, and suspicious circumstances (involving suspicious vehicles, or suspicious persons).
• Priority 3: These calls should be dispatched within 60 minutes. These are calls in which a significant amount of time has passed since the crime occurred. These include crimes such as burglary, thefts, vandalism, with the responsible parties gone.
• Priority 4 and 5: These calls include parking matters and abandoned automobiles.

Call the non-emergency line for incidents requiring immediate police attention

For immediate police response, call (510) 981-5900. Situations that require immediate police attention include:

• You, or someone you've spoken to, knows who committed the crime
• There is potential evidence that can be collected or something was left behind by the suspect
• Your vehicle, trailer, motorcycle, scooter or license plate has been stolen

For incidents that occurred outside of the City of Berkeley, contact the Police Department for that jurisdiction. For incidents that occurred on a freeway or state highway, call California Highway Patrol at (707) 551-4100. For incidents that occurred on University of California property, contact the UC Police Department at (510) 642-6760.

EASILY Report non-urgent incidents online 

Report various types of non-emergency crimes online, including theft, fraud, lost property, vandalism, non-injury traffic incidents, and more.

By reporting online, you can:

• Report incidents more efficiently and at your convenience
• Upload digital evidence (surveillance video, audio, or documents)
• Quickly obtain a copy of the report, which you may need for insurance or documentation purpose
• Help the Berkeley Police Department identify crime hotspots and trends

Reporting all crimes is important. By reporting crimes online, you help provide Berkeley police with data to inform public safety decisions, including how and where we deploy resources. The Berkeley Police Department’s data-driven approach to public safety ensures that our decisions are grounded in evidence. 

See the list below for types of crimes that you can report using our online system. You must have a valid email address to report a crime online.

Harassing phone calls

Report repeated, unwanted phone calls of an annoying or threatening nature. Examples include immediate hang-ups or obscene language with no known suspect. See California Penal Code 653m.

Report harassing phone calls 

Identity theft

Report theft of your personal identifying information and use of it to get credit, goods or services. Examples include someone obtaining a credit card using your Social Security Number or getting phone service using your personal information. See California Penal Code 530.3.

Report identity theft 

Fraud or Scam

Report when you have been the victim of fraud or a scam.  One common example of a scam is where someone poses to be someone you know over the telephone and convinces you to give them money because they are in distress.  See the FBI’s Common Frauds and Scams website.

Report a Fraud or a Scam

Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards

Report when someone has illegally used one of your credit or debit cards. See California Penal Code 484g.

Report a Fraudulent Use of Credit Cards

Theft

Report property taken without your permission. Property known to be stolen and missing may be reported. Lost property is not a theft. See California Penal Code 484 (a).

Report theft 

Lost Property

Report property that you have lost.

Report Lost Property

Theft from vehicle and auto burglary

Report property taken from a car (including catalytic converters). You may also report a break-in to a car, whether or not property was taken. See California Penal Code 459.

Report theft from vehicle 

Theft of Services (Defrauding an Innkeeper)

Report an incident where a customer does not pay for a service you have performed. Examples include a customer at a restaurant who leaves before paying for their meal. See California Penal Code 537.

Report a Theft of Services (Defrauding an Innkeeper)

Vandalism

Report permanent defacement or damage to public or private property. Examples include any graffiti, knocking over mailbox, throwing rocks through a window, etc. See California Penal Code 594 (a).

Report vandalism

Vandalism to vehicle

Report tampering to a vehicle (see theft from vehicle section above for theft of catalytic converter or damage related to car break-in). Examples include keying, or breaking windows, side mirrors, or wipers. See California Vehicle Code 10852.

Report vandalism to vehicle 

Non-Injury Hit and Run

Report an incident where someone struck your vehicle and did not leave a note as required by law.  See California Vehicle Code 20002.

Report a Non-Injury Hit and Run 

Non-Injury Traffic Incident

Report a traffic related collision or incident.

Report a Non-Injury Traffic Incident

Police will review your report within two business days

After submitting your report, you will receive a temporary tracking number. Police personnel will review your report to verify that you provided all required information and that the incident meets the minimum reporting requirements. 

If further investigation of your case is needed, you may be contacted by police personnel for additional information. Upon approval, a permanent Berkeley Police Department report number and a PDF e-copy of your report will be emailed to you.