Incident Reporting: How to Contact SFPD

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The San Francisco Police Department Central Station’s January newsletter includes helpful guidance on when and how to contact the police in the event of a crime or other health or safety incident:

Incident Reporting: How to Best Reach the SFPD

Here is some useful information for our Central residents about reporting crimes and obtaining police services.

  • If you are reporting a crime that is in progress, dial 9-1-1 immediately. Also call 9-1-1 to report fires, medical emergencies and any emergencies related to public safety.
  • To report a non-emergency incident (a crime that has already occurred and the suspects are gone) please call the SFPD non-emergency phone number at 415-553- 0123 to have an Officer dispatched to meet with you. You may also go to any SFPD district station to make a report. Central Station is located at: 766 Vallejo Street.
  • If you are concerned about a homeless person in San Francisco, call 3-1-1 to make a report. The 3-1-1 staff will talk with you to determine if the call is referred to the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (SF HOT) or other emergency response services. For general program information about the SF HOT team, call 415- 355-7555.
  • For your convenience, the following crimes may be reported online using the SFPD’s main website (http://sanfranciscopolice.org/REPORTS):
    • Harassing Phone Calls: When you are experiencing annoying calls – with no known suspects; for example, hang-ups or heavy breathing.
    • Lost Property: When property has disappeared and not stolen. If you think it could have been taken but you have no idea by who, you may enter the report online.
    • Theft: When property is stolen but there has been no illegal entry or contact by the thief.
    • Vandalism/Graffiti: The act of changing, modifying or defacing public or private property, including graffiti.
    • Vehicle Burglary: When property was stolen from a vehicle.
    • Vehicle Tampering: Tampering with a motor vehicle, including vandalism/graffiti of the vehicle.

When you call 9-1-1 or the SFPD non-emergency number, you are actually calling the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and a trained professional will prioritize your call and send you the closest and most appropriate resource(s). Important data and tracking information will also be captured to assist in getting help to you in the most efficient manner.

Please note, the Central District Police Station email account is NOT monitored daily and was not set up to take reports of criminal incidents or suspicious occurrences.

Additionally, although we post information on social media such as “Nextdoor” and “Twitter” for informational purposes, the Police Department does not and cannot view your neighborhood “Nextdoor” posts and chats, because of privacy concerns. Please encourage your “Nextdoor” contacts to report incidents to the Police when they post information regarding crimes and any public safety issues on “Nextdoor.”