General
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| General
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Q: What is the lag time between the initial report and when you get it?
A: The lag time depends upon the amount of time it takes the field officer to complete the report and turn it in to police records. Most departments upload the accident report the next business day. Some departments upload reports the same day and we have some reports available in as little as 4 hours after the accident has occurred. Once uploaded, the report is available 2 minutes later. |
Q: I am performing a Vista Readiness Assessment for the City of Chandler AZ, and would like to know if your product is compatible and supported under Windows Vista
A: Our software packages are compatible with the Vista operating system. Since the Chandler Police Department has been a user of our software for several years, we may need to update the software being used. Software upgrades are always free and will take approximately 15 minutes to install. Please call our office at 800 489-0190. |
Q: What is your web privacy policy?
A: Our privacy policy is listed at the bottom right of each agenices search page. Just select any region of the US map on our home page and then select any of the departments from the list. You can then read our privacy policy from the link at the bottom right. |
Q: I need help with a report. I have already been charged a fee but was not able to get my print out. When I click on the link to view the report, all that poped up was a blank screen. How do I get this report without having to pay agin?
A: This is usually caused by a setting on your computer. If you purchased the report with a credit card and entered your email address, our system automatically emails you a copy of the report. In either case, please call our office at 800 489-0190. We will help you get your report or make a refund. |
Q: The PoliceReports.US report search page doesn't look like our department's web site. Can you make the page resemble our web site?
A: Yes. The PoliceReports.US graphics on the search page is our standard background and comes with our service at no additional charge. We can also use graphics to make your search page look like your agenices web page. Please go to our home page and select the eastern region and then select the Roswell Police Department as an example. You can also select the mountain region and view the Chandler Police Department. We can give you a quote for the one-time custom graphics package once we have discussed your needs. |
Q: How does your system deal with the legally mandated redactions that exist per state. Presently, we deal with each case report individually as a request comes in considering the potentially unique characteristics or relationships of the requestors.
A: All redactions should take place before reports are uploaded to our system. We can, in some circumstances, set a universal redaction area for reports. In this case, every report would have a standard section blocked on every report. Our system cannot accomodate different redation requirements for the same report unless you have the ability to upload the report with unique report numbers for each redaction. Since this is a complicated issue, we recommend that you call our home office and discuss your specific needs with us at 800 489-0190. |
Q: You have a no-upfront cost for your service. How can our purchasing department order your service?
A: What a great question! Purchasing departments may not be accustomed to our business model. Someone in your agency or purchasing department should contact our office at 800 489-0190 and request a proposal. One of our sales team members will prepare a proposal based on your needs. When our proposal is accepted, we will then forward a contract for service which usually includes a no-upfront cost process. Within 1 day of our contract being signed, your agency will be uploading reports. I don't know if we can make it any easier than this. We look forward to hearing from you. |
Q: I work for Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. They will not do the prepay to city police depts. Is there a way to pull the police report and then send the check?
A: We do not bill for reports obtained through our system. With our system, you are not prepaying the police department. The prepayments are made to our company. If your agency prohibits prepayments, you can still obtain reports by using a credit card. |
Q: I'm setting your company up in our payables system & I need to get a Federal Tax ID #. Thanks
A: To obtain our Federal ID number, you will need to call our home office at 800 489-0190. |
Q: Are prepaid accounts available?
A: Yes Prepaid accounts are available for professional business offices. Accounts begin at $200.00. A prepaid account works with all departments listed on our site. You can use the Prepaid Accounts link on this page to submit your request or contact our business office at 1 800 489-0190 Monday through Friday 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM EST. |
Q: We charge a fee for reports. Can your system collect fees for reports?
A: Yes, many of our customer agencies charge a fee for reports. Depending on the agencies contract; excess fees, above the cost of our service, are returned to the agency at the end of each month. |
Q: Do you have references that I can contact?
A: Yes. If you will contact our home office, we can provide you with a list of agencies, administrators and records personnel that are currently using our processes. |
Q: You have multiple software programs. Which one do I need?
A: If your agency maintains handwritten or printed reports without a database, you will need the "Chase" program. Chase allows you to scan the reports and upload them to our servers.
If your agency has a database, records management system or report imaging system, you will need our "Cruiser" program. Cruiser works with your database system and allows you to upload reports to our servers.
If you have Laserfiche, you will need our "Pursuit" program. Pursuit works with your Laserfiche imaging system and allows you to upload your reports to our servers. |
Q: Do you have a no-cost installation package?
A: Yes For many agencies that charge a fee for a copy of a report, we can install our software with no upfront cost to the agency. Our fees can be deducted from the revenues collected from the sale of reports. All excess fees collected above our costs are returned to the agency at the end of each month. All fees are negotiated between PoliceReports.US and the agency before contracts are signed. We handle all E-commerce and processing fees and accounting. At the end of each month your agency will receive an activity report and a check for your share of the revenues. |
Q: Do I have to purchase a computer and other equipment?
A: It depends. The minimum equipment required for our "Chase" online process consist of:
* A Pentium PC at 350mhz or faster
* Windows 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP
* We also recommend at least 128 mb of Ram
* Modem and internet connection
* A Twain compliant scanner (99% of all scanners are Twain compliant).
* Windows operating system
(Our software is only compatible with a Windows system.)
The minimum equipment required for our "Cruiser" online process consist of:
* A Pentium PC at 350 mhz of faster
* Windows 2000 or XP
* We also recommend at least 128 mb of Ram
* Modem and internet connection
* Windows operating system
The minimum equipment required for our "Pursuit" online process consist of:
* A Pentium PC at 350 mhz or faster
* Windows 98, NT, ME, 2000 or XP
* We also recommend at least 128 mb of RAM
* Modem and internet connection
* Windows operating system
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Q: Do I have to purchase software?
A: No. Law Enforcement agencies do not need to purchase any software for our online process. The Chase, Pursuit and Cruiser software that we have developed is a part of the service that we provide. |
Q: Will your program work with a Mac or Linux system?
A: No. Our software is only compatible with a Windows operating system. |
Q: We have a records management system. Will your software work with our system?
A: Once again, it depends. Our development staff is constantly working on new interfaces for the major records management systems. In all cases, there is no direct interaction between our software and your records management system. All of our systems were designed with your agency's security and integrity in mind. You should call the home office at
1 800 489-0190 to see if your system has an active interface. The chances are very good that our Cruiser software will work with your records management system. |
Q: How do I make changes to a report that has already been sent to PoliceReports.US?
A: By resending the report a second time. When a report is sent a second time, the original report is automatically replaced by the new image. The original report no longer exist on our servers. |
Q: How do I remove a report that has been sent to PoliceReports.US?
A: You will need to access your department's administrative function by use of your user name and password. From this page, you can search for and delete reports. If you are having difficulty, contact our office at 800 489-0190. |
Q: Do I need a broadband internet connection?
A: No. While a broadband connection does allow for faster uploads of the data, dial-up connections work just as well, only slower. Multiple images will upload in under a minute with a broadband connection. The same amount of data will require 5 to 10 minutes with a dial-up connection. During the uploading process, your computer operates normally with the internet connection being busy for that amount of time. |
Q: We have a web site. Can your online system work with our web site?
A: Yes. We recommend that you simply add a link on you web page that directs the viewer to our search page for your agency. |
Q: Will my computer be tied up during the uploading?
A: No. During the uploading process, you can continue to use the other applications of your computer. Only the internet connection is busy during the uploading process. |
Q: Is my agency vulnerable to hackers because of this process?
A: No. Image files are uploaded to our data center servers. This is a one-way process and there is no pathway back into your data. The data images reside on our servers and are accessed by the citizens from our data center. |
Q: I need to know how I can get a police report and final court certified dispositions for an arrest that took place on 2/15/1995
A: If the police report is from an agency not listed on our web site, we cannot help you with this request. Also, we do not handle any arrest incident reports. We recommend that you contact the police department that made the original report and then contact the county courts system to obtain the court disposition. |
