Crime Information

Where can I obtain crime prevention information?
Where can I obtain information on Domestic Violence?
How can I report a hate crime?
How can I obtain a restraining order?
What can I do about annoying or threatening phone calls?
How can I report child abuse?
How can I report elder abuse?
What can I do about "identity theft?"
How can the Sacramento Police Department help me locate a missing person?
When should I use 911?

How can I report a hate crime?
Hate crimes are very serious and traumatic incidents. When these crimes are occurring, they should be reported to the police immediately by telephoning 911. If you have been a victim of a hate crime but it is not an immediate life-threatening emergency, you should call our Report Writing Unit at 264-5868 and report the crime.

How can I obtain a restraining order?
You can request a Restraining Order against a person who has hurt or threatened you, or other family members, by going to the Family Relations Courthouse at 3341 Power Inn Road (it is located near the Carol Miller Justice Center).  You may pick up the paperwork for requesting civil harassment restraining orders between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

The courthouse also holds Domestic Violence and Restraining Order workshops. Begining May 3rd, 2004 the workshop will only be conducted on Monday(s), Wednesday(s) and Friday(s) promptly at 9:00 A.M. A temporary Restraning Order will be issued at the workshop and a court hearing date will be set for you to get a permanent one.  A Restraining Order may be requested whether or not an arrest has been made or the police have been called. A Domestic Violence Restraining Order is always free. In many courts, free legal assistance is available or you can represent yourself. This class lasts for about 3 hours. For more information, please call 875-2654.

How to obtain a restraining order:

1. Request a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) at the Superior Court at the location and time given above..

NOTE: Emergency Protection Orders are available through the Police Department on a 24-hour basis, and are valid for only 5 court days.

2. Your TRO should be granted the same day.
3. Serve the defendant with a copy of the TRO. (Anyone over 18 years of age, except you, can hand the Order to the defendant.)
4. Deliver a copy of the TRO, Proof of Service, and Law Enforcement Information form to your local police station. Retain the originals of all documents.
5. You must return to court in approximately three weeks to obtain an order that is valid for three years. This order must also be served to the defendant and copies delivered to the police station.

You can be ordered to see a mediator to try to work out visitation of any minor children involved. The law gives you the right to see the mediator alone, in a separate meeting. After any agreement with the mediator regarding visitation, be sure to return to court to obtain the three-year restraining order which protects you!

What can I do about annoying or threatening phone calls?
If you become a victim of annoying phone calls, you should report them to the police department. Your phone company may be able to assist in tracking the origin of the calls if they have a police report number.

If you become a victim of threatening phone calls, report them to the police department by calling 264-5471. Law enforcement takes threatening calls seriously, and so should you, especially if you are in a battering relationship or have been the victim of domestic violence.

How can I report child abuse?
Call our Child Abuse Unit at 433-0650.

How can I report elder abuse?
"Elder physical abuse" is defined as a situation where any person who has the care or custody of, or who stands in a position of trust with an elder, willfully inflicts upon that elder any cruel or inhuman corporal punishment or injury. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, direct beatings, sexual assault, unreasonable physical constraint, or prolonged deprivation of food or water.

Reporting Elder Abuse
Any elder or dependent adult care custodian, health practitioner, or employee of a county adult protective services agency or a local law enforcement agency is a mandated reporter. Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 15630.

Any person who is not a mandated reporter under WIC Section 15630, who knows, or reasonably suspects, that an elder or a dependent adult has been the victim of abuse, may report that abuse to a long-term care ombudsman program or local law enforcement agency when the abuse is alleged to have occurred in a long-term care facility. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15631(A).

Any person who is not a mandated reporter under WIC Section 15630, who knows, or reasonably suspects, that an elder or a dependent adult has been the victim of abuse in any place other than a long-term care facility may report the abuse to the county Adult Protective Services (APS) agency or local law enforcement agency. Welfare and Institution Code Section 15631(B).

Abuse of an Elder Adult
Every person who, under circumstances and conditions likely to produce great bodily harm or death, willfully and unlawfully inflicts on an elder adult of 65 years of age or older, with knowledge that said person was an elder adult of 65 years of age or older, unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering, is guilty of a violation of Section 368(a) of the Penal Code (PC), a felony.

"Great bodily harm" refers to significant or substantial bodily injury or damage; it does not refer to trivial or insignificant injury or moderate harm. Actual bodily harm is not a necessary element of the crime. If such bodily harm is inflicted, its nature and extent are to be considered in connection with all the evidence in determining whether the means used and the manner in which it was used were such that they were likely to produce great bodily harm.

Fiduciary Abuse
Fiduciary or financial abuse, one of the most frequently reported forms of elder abuse, is the exploitation of someone’s funds or other resources. Such abuse can range from the misuse of funds to the transfer or sale of personal or real property.

Investigating and prosecuting financial abuse of the elderly has posed a unique set of problems for police and prosecutors, one being that the offenses often appear to be civil matters (lacking evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the intent to cheat was there), offenses for which the offender may be sued but not prosecuted. Perpetrators often have legal access to the victim’s assets. Victims generally are in poor health with diminished mental capacity, making them vulnerable to caregivers or strangers who befriend and persuade them to turn over control of their assets. Suspects’ names are often listed on powers of attorney, quit claim deeds, wills, living trusts, and bank accounts. The suspects then may withdraw savings or obtain loans on property, sometimes making it subject to foreclosure.

These swindles traditionally have remained hidden and silent crimes because in many instances the victims are unable to recognize that financial abuse has occurred, much less testify about it in a court of law.

Under a 1986 California law (368(C)PC), these offenses are considered prosecutable crimes. Victim’s rights were strengthened under another California law, the Elder Abuse Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, which was passed in 1992. The provisions of this law allow victims to sue perpetrators and collect damages. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15600.

Who to Turn to for Help for Elder Abuse
Your Local Law Enforcement Agency: If anyone is inflicting physical or sexual abuse on any person RIGHT NOW, please call 9-1-1. If you suspect any form of elder abuse has occurred, but is not currently in progress, contact your local law enforcement agency or any of the appropriate programs listed below by using non-emergency telephone numbers.

Adult Protective Services Program: Adult Protective Services (APS) is a State mandated Title XX service program which mandates the prompt investigation of all situations involving adults age 18 and over who are reported to be endangered by abuse, neglect, exploitation, or unsafe or hazardous living conditions. When necessary, the investigating social worker will seek the assistance of law enforcement to gain access to the client or to obtain protection in violent situations.

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: The Long-Term Care Ombudsman role evolved from federal and State mandates under the Older Americans Act to provide local advocacy services responsive to complaints and concerns of residents in skilled nursing and licensed board and care facilities. There are 35 Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs under the State Department of Aging, all of which receive State and federal funds.

Assistance from District Attorney’s Office: The District Attorney’s Office can provide victims of elder abuse with medical compensation, counseling, assistance in filing "Victim of Crime Claims," and assistance for victims with court procedures and transportation. Their phone number is 874-5701.

Organizations to contact for more information:

Sacramento County Adult Protective Services Centralized Intake at (916) 874-9471.

After hours call the Adult Protectice Services Emergency Number at (916) 874-9377.

What can I do about "identity theft"?

If you become the victim of identity theft, it is important to act immediately to stop the thief’s further use of your identity. (If you would like additional information, please go to our Financial Crime and Identity Theft links.)

1. Immediately contact all your credit card issuers. Get replacement cards with new account numbers. Ask that the old accounts be processed as "account closed at consumer’s request." (This is better than "card lost or stolen," because when this statement is reported to credit bureaus, it can be interpreted as blaming you for the loss.)
2. Call the fraud units of the three credit reporting companies: TRW, Equifax, and Trans Union. Report the theft of your credit cards and/or numbers. Ask that your accounts be flagged. Also, add a victim's statement to your report such as, "My ID has been used to apply for credit fraudulently. Contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX (your phone number) to verify all applications."
3. Notify your bank(s) of the theft. Cancel your checking and savings accounts and obtain new account numbers. Ask the bank to issue you a secret password that must be used in every transaction. Put stop payments on any outstanding checks that you are unsure of.
4. If you use the ATM card for banking services, get a new card, account number, and password. Do not use your old password. When creating a password, avoid such commonly used numbers as the last four digits of your Social Security number and your birth date.
5. If you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up fraudulently, report it to Telecheck and National Processing Company (NPC). These check guarantee companies will flag your file so that bogus checks will be turned down. Call Telecheck at 800-366-2425. Call NPC at 800-526-5380.
6. The Secret Service has jurisdiction over financial fraud cases. This federal government agency usually does not investigate individual cases unless the dollar amount is very high. To interest the Secret Service in your case, ask someone in the fraud department of your credit card companies and/or banks to notify the particular SS agent they work with.
7. Notify the Social Security Administration’s office of the Inspector General if your SSN has been used fraudulently. You may want to have your SSN changed if your number has become associated with bad checks and credit. CAUTION: This step should be reserved for only the most extreme situations. You must be sure to notify all credit grantors and credit reporting bureaus of your new SSN.
8. If you have a passport, notify the passport office to be on the look out for anyone ordering a new passport fraudulently.
9. Call your telephone, electrical, gas and water utilities. Alert them to the possibility that someone may attempt to open new service using your identification. Also contact your long distance company.
10. The nearest office of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service might be able to help you remove fraudulent claims from your credit report. Call 800-388-2227.
11. In dealing with the authorities and financial institutions, keep a log of all conversations, including dates and names. Send correspondence by certified mail. Keep copies of all letters and documents. Provide your police report number to expedite reporting the crime.
12. Consider seeking legal counsel, especially if you have difficulty clearing up your credit history, or your case is complex and involves a lot of money. An attorney can help you recover from the fraud and determine whether your rights under various credit banking, SSN, and other laws have been violated.
13. Pay attention to your own mental health. Victims of identity theft report that they often feel they are somehow to blame. They can also feel violated, even powerless, due in large part to the fact that few, if any, of the authorities who have been notified of the crime step forward to help the victim. Discuss your situation with a trusted friend or counselor. Seek help from a victims rights organization.

Remember, if you have been denied credit, you are entitled to a free credit report.

Social Security Administration
To order Earnings and Benefits Statement, or to report fraudulent use of SSN, call 800-772-1213.

To remove your name from mailing lists (Direct Marketing Association)
Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY 11735
Telephone Preference Service, P.O. Box 9015, Farmingdale, NY 11735

To report fraudulent use of your checks
Call Telecheck 800-366-2425 or National Processing Company (NPC) 800-526-5380.

How to Report a Missing Person
You may initiate a Missing Persons Report (for missing Sacramento citizens only) by contacting non-emergency dispatch at 264-5471. Contrary to popular belief, law enforcement agencies in California do not require a person to wait a specific period of time before reporting a missing person.

If you have additional questions, you can contact our Missing Persons Unit at 433-0650.

911 Use and Abuse

When to use 911 versus 7-digit telephone lines:

• Call 911 when there is a life or death emergency that requires the immediate response of emergency service such as police, fire or paramedic.
• Always call 911 when there is a medical problem or something that requires the Sacramento Fire Department to respond, because they do not have non-emergency lines.
• When there is a situation that requires police response but is not an emergency, use our non-emergency 7-digit 24-hour telephone number, which is 264-5471.

How to call 911:

All 911 calls are received by Police Dispatchers who are trained to screen calls quickly and efficiently.

• Dial 911 (on a pay phone it is not necessary to deposit money).
• Tell the 911 operator what you need; ambulance, fire truck, or the police.
• Be calm. When a caller is upset, it is hard to understand what he or she is saying or to get vital information quickly.
• Stay on the phone. Do not hang up!
• Give your name and address. If your address is different from the location of the crime, be sure to let the operator know.
• If possible, give the operator suspect description, weapons, if any, and vehicle description and license.

Emergency operators will verify your address and telephone to ensure that the telephone company address that is sent with the call is current and accurate. People living in mobile home parks, condominiums or on private roads often have addresses that differ from the telephone company street address.

It is a misdemeanor under California Penal Code Section 148.3 for any person to willfully use the 911 system for any purpose other than reporting an emergency. It is a felony if someone is injured or dies as a result of emergency service response to a false call.