If you are a victim of a crime, you must be wondering about what to expect and what you should do next. Being a victim of a crime can be an unfortunate position to be in, as you can feel helpless when you feel victimized. You might feel utterly shocked to the point that you don’t understand what to do next. There are property crimes, sexual crimes, and there are also personal crimes – so what you need to do when you are the victim of a crime is that you have to report it.
Reporting is Mandatory
So, as we mentioned earlier, irrespective of the nature of the crime, you must report the crime so that legal action can be taken against the offenders. You must contact the police or visit the police station in person and tell them what happened.
For instance, you might have checked into your storage unit to find out that you have been robbed. In this example, you might learn about the robbery a few weeks or even months later than the time the incident actually occurred.
Cooperate with the Police
The first thing, if you are a victim of a property crime, is to leave the crime scene as it is and then call the police. Once you have called the police, make sure to cooperate with them and go where they want you to go or do what they ask you to do so you can explain what happened.
Fill Out the Witness Statement Form
In a typical scenario, you will meet with a police officer, and they will ask you to fill out a witness statement about what happened. The police will also interview you about what exactly happened. If your case is some sort of assault charge that just happened right there and then, the police might try to find the suspect.
If you are a crime victim of something that happened in the past, then the police will take that report and assess whether they are going to assign your case to a detective. The thing is that technically if you report a crime that is not recent and has happened in the past, which can be days or weeks ago – the petrol officers will take the initial report, but it is not really their job to investigate or follow up with your case.
Your Case Might Get Assigned to A Detective
If you are reporting a crime that is happening right then and there, such as where you report domestic abuse or someone stole your car a few minutes ago – or you are a victim of a sexual crime that just happened – then petrol might show up and rally other officers to try to deal with the situation right there. But – for the most part, if the crime isn’t happening at the very moment, then it is going to take some time, and the case is more likely to get assigned to a detective.
What To Do After Reporting?
Now that you have reported the crime, you might be wondering about what to do next and how to follow up with the reports. The best thing to do next is to get a police report number from the involved agency. You might get an automated text message with your report number after reporting the crime – however, not all law enforcement agencies have this system in place.
It is in your best interest to ask about the police report number from the responding officer. The reason why you need to get the report number is that that will be the only instant way to know what is going on with your case.
Question Who’s In Charge of Your Situation
If you have reported the crime, you might want to call the police department and ask about the detective who is in charge of your case by giving them the police report number. You can also make a public disclosure request and try to get a copy of the investigation that is going on in your case. Oftentimes, you can get something as the victim of the case that no one else can get.
If you want something to happen in your case, you must ensure that the law enforcement people know that you are taking things seriously and that you are paying attention. The truth is that law enforcement is overwhelmed as they have so many crimes they are dealing with. So, the more serious the crime is, the more likely they are to follow up with it more urgently.
Get A Lawyer Involved
Other crimes, such as property crimes or older crimes, are just going to sit around because the crime cases have to be prioritized. If it is traumatizing for you, you can always ask a lawyer, such as Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, to follow up on your case with the police. Hiring a lawyer for your crime case will signal to the police that you are treating your case very seriously, which is why they will have no other option but to prioritize your case.
Of course, the police are here to help, but with a lawyer by your side, you will be helping the police help you. You will have to let them know that you are interested in your case and that you are cooperating in every way possible.
What Else Can You Do?
Now that you have reported the crime and you have gotten the report number, there are additional things you can do as well. If someone is getting prosecuted for the crime that you are a victim of, now you have some additional steps to follow. You want to find out who is behind the prosecution. For instance, if you are a victim of domestic abuse, you will have an advocate who is assigned to talk to you.
However, if there has been theft, you won’t have an assigned advocate, which is why it will be up to you to reach out and follow up with prosecutors.
Why to Hire A Lawyer?
The best thing you can do for yourself is to hire a lawyer right after reporting the crime to the police. Why, you might ask? The attorney will have your back and even accompany you to court. This way, you will feel more included as the attorney will explain to you every step of the legal process. They will also help with your statement, as victim statements are crucial to help the jury understand the impact of the crime.
