The following methods can be used to file a police report:

  • By telephone:
    • Emergency at 9-1-1 or non-emergency at (509) 527-1960
    • By telephone: College Place Police (509) 394-8550
  • In person at the Police Department
  • By Email


When to Call the Police

Many people are unsure as to when it is appropriate to call the police. Listed below are some examples of when you should call:
  • You are a witness to illegal or unlawful activity. You are considered a witness if you sense that something is wrong, observe something different from normal neighborhood activity, or hear strange, unfamiliar, or loud noises. Examples could be breaking glass, yelling, someone screaming in pain, etc.
  • You are a witness to what appears to be suspicious circumstances. It could be one person who appears to be in an area where they would not belong for that time of day or night or a large volume of vehicular or pedestrian traffic at a particular location coming and going at odd hours.
  • You or someone else needs immediate help where it would be appropriate to seek the assistance of the police.

The Bottom Line

Remember: The Police Department will always prefer you call and allow them to check on something that doesn’t seem right at the time, regardless of whether it may later turn out to be legitimate, than to ignore your senses and subsequently discover that a burglary, theft, assault, or other crime has taken place that might have been prevented or a suspect could have been apprehended had the police been promptly contacted and responded.

The bottom line is we are here to serve the community the best we can. You can help us to do that by being a concerned citizen and reporting anything you believe is taking place that does not appear to be legitimate.