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.