Police Reports
IMPORTANT: Use this page to file a police report. You can request an incident report copy here. All other public records requests are made at the link below.
How to File a Police Report
Make the right call!
Dial 9-1-1 only in an emergency
It is an emergency if: there is an immediate threat to you or others; the crime involves a weapon; the crime is in progress or you know the suspect’s location.
If it is not an emergency, you will get help most quickly by calling our non-emergency line, at 1-415-553-0123 for crimes that occurred in San Francisco.
NOTICE: Please see below a breakdown of what you CAN and CAN NOT file online. Any report filed online not meeting the below-listed requirements WILL BE REDIRECTED. Please read the information below carefully.
Types of Crime Reports That Can Be Filed Online:
- Harassing phone calls.
- Lost property.
- Vandalism or graffiti.
- Vehicle burglary: property stolen from a vehicle. This can also include vehicles that have been rummaged through, as there are many other indicators a vehicle has been burglarized.
- Vehicle tampering, including vandalism.
- Theft –unless it involves a residential or commercial burglary or the stolen property is a passport, firearm, license plate, car, or electric vehicle. Electric bikes, scooters, and Segway are allowed only when there is no serial number. In those cases, call our non-emergency number at 1-415-553-0123.
- Credit card fraud
- Shoplifting
Types of Crime Reports That CAN NOT Be Filed Online:
- Residential Burglaries (Theft from a Building)
- Robbery Incidents
- Traffic Collisions AND Hit & Run Traffic Collisions
- Stolen Vehicles
- Identity Theft / False Impersonation
- Stolen License Plates
- Lost / Stolen Foreign Passports
- Stolen Electric Bicycles WITH Serial Numbers
- Cases WITH Suspect Names
- Cases WITH Video Evidence
For Crime Reports That CAN NOT Be Filed Online, Please Go To Your Nearest Police Station.
File a police report online:
If you have an email address you can file an online police report for many types of crime by clicking below on the language of your choice.
File a Police Report in English
Presentar un informe policial en español
Powered by CopLogic. Please turn off your pop-up blocking software before filing your report. Note that we cannot accept online reports involving known suspects, suspect descriptions or surveillance records.
No computer available to file online? Not a problem. Simply call 3-1-1 (outside of SF, call 1-415-701-2311). A representative is ready to assist 24 x 7 and can provide language assistance in over 175+ languages.
If you wish to report a crime that occurred in the City and County of San Francisco which is not included in the above listing, you can report:
- In person with a police officer at your nearest police station.
- Call Police Non-Emergency at 1-415-553-0123 and have a police officer come to your location.
Call to file a police report:
If you do not have an email address or your language is not included above, call 3-1-1 or 1-415-701-2311.
Go to your nearest police station*:
*Please note: In an effort to avoid unnecessary in-person contact and help stem the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you first consider the options listed above.
Remember: Filing a false police report is a crime. See Section 148.5 of the California Penal Code.
Request a Police Incident Report Copy
Request and receive all types of San Francisco Police Incident Reports through an online portal. Report types include traffic collisions, domestic violence, and all other incidents of general crime. Using the portal is the most secure and convenient way to request and receive incident reports from the San Francisco Police Department. An account can be created within the Incident Report Request Portal to track the request(s) and receive reports and correspondences securely online.
Reporting Crimes Outside of City and County of San Francisco's Jurisdiction
The San Francisco Police Department does NOT handle crimes that occurred in property that is outside of the City and County of San Francisco's jurisdiction and those should be reported directly to the appropriate agency as listed below. If the crime is posing an immediate threat to you or others, call 9-1-1 immediately.
BART Property (stations and plazas) – Call BART police at 1-877-679-7000 or visit Bay Area Rapid Transit website.
City College – Call City College Police at 1-415-239-3200 or visit City College District Police Department website.
On the Freeway – Call California Highway Patrol (CHP) at 1-800-835-5247 or visit California Highway Patrol website.
Golden Gate Bridge (including Visitor's Center) – Call CHP at 1-800-835-5247 or visit California Highway Patrol website.
Presidio – Call US Park Police at 1-415-561-5505 or visit United States Park Police website.
San Francisco State University – Call SFSU Police at 1-415-338-7200 or visit SFSU University Police Department website.
UCSF Campuses – Call UCSF Police at 1-415-476-5455 or visit UCSF Police Department website.
USF Campus – Call USF Dept. of Public Safety at 1-415-422-4222 or visit USF Campus Safety website.
Adding a Supplemental Report
File a supplemental report if you want to add information to your original report or to a report that has previously been filed by an SFPD officer. To file a supplemental police report, click on the "File a Police Report" link above, select the appropriate incident type, follow the prompted questions, and select 'supplemental report' when prompted.
Use the supplemental report method to report:
- Additional property losses from the same crime;
- Additional details to describe stolen property, such as a serial number.
When you have finished entering your report, a temporary report will be emailed to you. This report will not be official until it is approved. Once that happens, we will email you an official copy.
Filing a False Police Report
California Penal Code Section 148.5 PC
We advise anyone who files a police report to consider the following information:
IT IS A CRIME TO FILE A FALSE POLICE REPORT, This includes:
- MAKING A FALSE REPORT OF A CRIME - No crime occurred.
- USING A FALSE NAME OR IDENTITY.
- PROVIDING FALSE DETAILS OR INFORMATION ABOUT THE INCIDENT.
- MAKING A FALSE REPORT OF THEFT OR DAMAGE.
- KNOWINGLY MIS-STATING TRUE VALUE OF ITEMS STOLEN OR DAMAGED.
Penalties include jail and fines for each separate count of a false report.
USING A FALSE NAME OR USING SOMEONE ELSE'S IDENTITY: Knowingly giving a false name to police or using the identity of someone else on any police report, other official or financial report is a crime, a Felony under Penal Code Section 529 PC - Click here to read the section.
FALSE REPORTS FOR INSURANCE CLAIMS: If the police report is made or required for filing an insurance claim, knowingly providing false information, including a false report of a theft or loss, false report of damage or false value of insured property, it is considered insurance fraud. The false report will be prosecuted as Felony insurance fraud under Penal Code Section 550 - Click here to read the sections.
All reports received and processed using online reporting forms are read, screened and verified by a police officer to confirm information and reduce fraud. San Francisco Police Department prosecutes all false police reports, insurance fraud and cases of false or assumed identity. Using the Online Report system to file "hoax" or "joke" reports, is also a false report. We will file cases against offenders and our local District Attorney's office does prosecute these offenses.
Please read the following excerpt from the 2000 Edition of the California Penal Code. Use this link to read this and other Penal Code sections relating to offenses against public justice:
- California Penal Code Sections 142 through 181 – from California Legislative Information website.
- California 2000 Penal Code Online edition – from California Legislative Information website.
Penal Code Section 148.5 - Falsely report crime.
148.5. (a) Every person who reports to any peace officer listed in Section 830.1 or 830.2, or subdivision (a) of Section 830.33, district attorney, or deputy district attorney that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) Every person who reports to any other peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor if (1) the false information is given while the peace officer is engaged in the performance of his or her duties as a peace officer and (2) the person providing the false information knows or should have known that the person receiving the information is a peace officer.
(c) Except as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b), every person who reports to any employee who is assigned to accept reports from citizens, either directly or by telephone, and who is employed by a state or local agency which is designated in Section 830.1, 830.2, subdivision (e) of Section 830.3, Section 830.31, 830.32, 830.33, 830.34, 830.35, 830.36, 830.37, or 830.4, that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor if (1) the false information is given while the employee is engaged in the performance of his or her duties as an agency employee and (2) the person providing the false information knows or should have known that the person receiving the information is an agency employee engaged in the performance of the duties described in this subdivision.
(d) Every person who makes a report to a grand jury that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor. This subdivision shall not be construed as prohibiting or precluding a charge of perjury or contempt for any report made under oath in an investigation or proceeding before a grand jury.
(e) This section does not apply to reports made by persons who are required by statute to report known or suspected instances of child abuse, dependent adult abuse, or elder abuse.