Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team

If you’re currently planning on making a police report on some, then you might currently be asking yourself about what actually happens when you go ahead and make a formal report with your local police department.

Even though the individual circumstances of each crime will vary from situation to situation, it means that every case will be treated uniquely – including the police report that you file on the person that you have in mind.

Initially, though, in order to actually open up a criminal investigation, you will need to bring the issue to the attention of the police – and this means that you’re going to need to bring the issue to your local police department and request to file a police report on them.

So, in order to help prepare you for what you can expect to happen after you decide to go ahead and file a police report on someone, this article is going to be talking you through everything you need to know. Read on!

What Happens When You File A Police Report On Someone?

1. The Report Will Be Sent To A Dedicated Police Team To Assess

After a police report is opened up against another person and the police have taken all the necessary information that they need from you, an investigation will then begin to take the police to discover if any further action needs to be taken from the crime that you have reported to the police from opening up the police report.

Though the policy for how a police department goes about opening up an investigation will vary from state to state, it is very common for the police to send your filed report to the appropriate police force/department so that they can properly deal with the situation/crime that you have taken the time to report.

Once this has been done, a team will typically be established in order to take a closer look at the police report that you have submitted, so that they can continue on with the investigation to decide how the situation should be best handled.

This is usually referred to as an investigative assessment and will consist of the team that has been assembled to take a dedicated look at the investigation to decide if any further action needs to be taken.

All the while this is taking place if you are vulnerable or at risk of being targeted due to making the police report, the police department will provide you with the necessary support to ensure your safety, while also providing you with any information appropriate to share.

2. An Investigation Might Be Opened Up Regarding The Police Report

As we have already touched upon above, each crime situation is approached and handled differently – as no two filed police reports are the same!

For this reason, once the police department that you have filed the report with has taken the time to build a team, this team will then go ahead and decide whether or not a further investigation will need to take place.

As we have already mentioned above, the method to do this will likely vary depending on which state you are in and what police department you have gone to, but for the most part, most police departments will make their decision by considering the following factors:

• How severe the crime is that has been reported
• How likely it is that the crime will be able to be solved
• How vulnerable/at risk the victim is

After taking the time to consider these three main factors that we have listed above, as well as any other factors that the police team deems necessary to help form a decision, they may then take the decision to open up an initial investigation to take a closer look at resolving the police report that you have filed against the said person.

During this period of the initial investigation, the police will likely carry out a variety of different things to help them gain a better understanding of the situation and crime, as well as to help decide the best course of action to resolve whatever it is that is going on.

More often than not, this stage of the investigation will typically consist of police talking to witnesses, reviewing any evidence in support of the report (such as CCTV footage and other kinds of video footage evidence that may help give the police clarity) assess the crime scene if there is one, as well as search through their own databases. In some instances, the police may also decide at their discretion to take forensic evidence.

3. An Outcome Will Be Made

After the initial investigation, a decision/outcome will be made in order to determine whether or not the police report that you have filed requires any more investigation.

Typically, you will find that, during this stage, your report is either going to be investigated further or closed entirely – it will all depend on the analysis made by the police team during the initial investigative stage we have just talked you through above.

If the decision is made to close the investigation, then this will usually be due to the fact that the police feel that no further action is required at this stage, or there is not enough evidence to give the police report enough weight to warrant a full-blown investigation on the person that you have filed a police report on.

However, in the instance that the police team decides to investigate the case further, then you will typically be given a dedicated police officer who will be able to provide you with support during the investigation, as well as keep you updated on the further investigations being made on the police report you have filed.

Keep in mind that during this stage you might be required to provide police with a statement or any additional information that they deem necessary, this is entirely normal and will help to strengthen your case.

If the report is investigated further, then it might lead to legal action being made on the person you have made the report against.