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    • Stearns County Jail
      • Inmate Information
      • Jail FAQs
      • Inmate / Warrant Searches
    • Enforcement
      • Patrol
      • Water Patrol
      • Snowmobile Patrol
      • Special Emergency Response
      • Violent Offenses
      • Mobile Command Center
    • Crime Prevention
      • Submit a Tip
      • Neighborhood Watch
      • Securing Your Home
      • Property Identification
      • Personal Security
      • Consumer Fraud
      • Crime and Older People
      • Places of Worship
      • Crime Alert Network
    • Public Safety
      • Gun Permits
      • Water Permits
      • DARE Program
      • K9 Unit
      • Dive Team
      • Mounted Reserve
      • Medication Drop-Box
      • See Something Say Something
      • Crime View Maps
    • 911 Services
      • The 911 Center
    • Civil Process
      • Judgment Collection
      • Mortgage Foreclosure Sale
      • Eviction Action
  • Emergency Services
    • CMPSRC
    • Preparedness
      • Campaigns
        • Monthly Campaigns
        • Discover Departments
        • Hazard Mitigation
      • Hazards
        • Cyber Security
        • Drought
        • Fire
        • Winter Weather
          • Winter Storms
          • Wind Chill
          • Blizzards
          • Ice Storms
          • Sleet Storms
        • Flood
        • Infectious Disease/Bio-Terrorism
        • Hazardous Material
        • Terrorist Attack
        • Water Supply Contamination
        • Dam Failure
        • Summer Storms
          • Lightning
          • Thunderstorms
          • Hail
          • Tornadoes
        • Extreme Temperatures
      • Plans
      • Emergency Alerts
      • Tools & Resources
  • Stearns County Court Administration
    • Fine and Ticket Information
    • Court Administration Fee Schedule
    • Conciliation Court (Small Claims)
    • Court Calendar
    • Eviction Process
    • Family Law
    • Jury Duty
    • Restitution and Reparations
    • Court Admin Service Center
    • Court Records Research
    • Court Forms and Brochures
  • Adult Prosecution
    • Order of Events in a Trial
    • Welfare Fraud Investigation
    • Adult Diversion Program
    • Domestic Violence Court
      • Klobuchar Panel Discussion
    • Drug Court
    • Civil Forfeitures
  • Criminal Case Search
    • Adult Felony Sentences
  • Adult Probation
    • Intake
    • Pre-Trial Supervision
    • Traditional Supervision
    • Probation Reporting Center
    • Sex Offender Program
    • Intensive Supervision Program
    • Enhanced Programs
    • Drug Court
    • Domestic Violence Court
    • UA Testing
    • Electronic Monitoring
    • Community Service
    • Supervised Release
    • Transfer of Probation Supervision
  • Juvenile Probation
  • Juvenile Delinquency and Child Protection
    • Juvenile Diversion Program
    • Juvenile Court Process
    • Truancy
      • Information for Schools
    • Educational Neglect
  • Crime Victim Services
    • Reporting a Crime
    • Know Your Rights as a Victim
    • Support for Crime Victims
    • Testifying in Court
    • Offender Release Notification
    • Helpful Links for Crime Victims
    • Orders for Protection
    • Harassment Restraining Orders
  • Accessing the Courts
  • Tri-County Crime Stoppers

Law & Public Safety

Home  »  Law & Public Safety  »  Crime Victim Services  »  Reporting a Crime

Reporting a Crime

Stearns County Attorney
Janelle P. Kendall

If you have been the victim of or a witness to what you believe may be a crime, dial 911 and report the matter immediately.

Law enforcement will then:

  • Receive and document your report, if within their agency's jurisdiction, or put you in contact with the proper jurisdiction;
  • Investigate the reported crime;
  • Gather and hold evidence of the crime;
  • Possibly arrest the alleged offender; and
  • Conduct follow-up investigation as needed.

Depending upon several factors, including the size of the department, the officer that responds to the scene of a crime may not be the individual to conduct the follow-up investigation. After the initial report is taken, a detective may be assigned to pursue the investigation.

Once the alleged offender has been identified, he or she may be arrested and taken to jail for processing.

In some cases -- depending upon the nature of the crime -- the alleged offender may be eligible to receive a citation to appear in court, and therefore, would not be taken into a facility for processing.

In other cases -- normally involving more sensitive and/or serious crimes -- the offender may be held for 48 hours or slightly longer while the reports are presented to and reviewed by a prosecutor. The prosecutor then may formally charge the offender with a crime.

The law enforcement officer's role does not end with the arrest of the alleged offender. Officers are routinely called upon to testify in the prosecution of a case. They may be involved in grand jury hearings, preliminary hearings and as witnesses at the actual trial.

In any event, citizen and victim participation in holding offenders accountable is critical to public safety. Reporting of any suspicious activity is encouraged and recommended.

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Copyright 2019 by Stearns County, Minnesota
Stearns County, Minnesota