Welcome to "Crime Tips"
ALWAYS DIAL 9-1-1 IN AN EMERGENCY!
Report suspicious activity or on-going criminal activity in your neighborhood. Together, we can make our community safer!
Email your "Crime Tips" information to: crimetips@rpcity.org or Call 707/584-COPS (2677)
Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety "Crime Tips" Hotline was established as a
means of providing the public with the opportunity to report drug, gang, and other
criminal activities in their neighborhoods. The "Crime Tips" messages are checked
by department personnel several times during the week. Anyone reporting crimes can
leave a recorded voicemail message or an email describing the activity, or they can
request to be contacted by an Officer. To ensure your complaint is handled properly, it
is important you are aware of the following information when reporting criminal activity
in your neighborhood:
Many times, someone reporting crimes in their neighborhood is intimidated by fear of
reprisal from the persons responsible for the criminal activity. California law identifies
persons who report crimes for the good of their neighborhood as “Citizen Informants"
and allows a means for criminals to be prosecuted without revealing the identity of the
informant. The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety will hold your identity in the
strictest confidence and will not reveal your identity if you request anonymity. It is not
necessary to identify yourself when you report crime on the “Crime Tips” Hotline;
however, complaints are more easily investigated if Officers can contact the person
reporting the crime. This allows the Officer to judge the validity of the complaint and
gain valuable information that will aid in the investigation.
Q: What happens when I report criminal activity on the “Crime Tips” Hotline?
A: “Crime Tips” is checked for messages and if a new complaint is received, it is
logged and assigned to an Officer. The Officer is assigned a complaint then performs
a thorough investigation. Based upon the information received during this
investigation, the Officer will then determine a course of action for resolving the
complaint. Due to the fact that people sometimes make false complaints, the Officer
must first develop some information that corroborates the nature of the complaint. In
some cases, this may require a brief surveillance of the residence or contacting the
individual who lodged the complaint.
Numerous complaints are received each week and Officers commonly have several
complaints assigned to them at any one time. This requires each complaint to be
prioritized based on the nature of the complaint, combined with several other factors.
Additionally, many complaints are very difficult to investigate and may take weeks,
months, or even longer before results are seen. A great deal of patience and
communication is needed during this period.
Q: What information should I provide when I report criminal activity in my
neighborhood?
A: Location of occurrence or the where: The address where the activity is occurring is
ideal, but if you cannot determine the actual physical address, then describe the
residence completely. A good rule of thumb is to provide a description as if you were
throwing a party at the residence and giving directions to guests. When describing the
location, you can use cross streets or block numbers, i.e. 3rd house on the left as you
turn from Main Street or 6000 block of Maple Dr. Be sure to include the color of the
residence, including the trim and the roof type. Tell us if the residence is a single story
or multi-story house, has a brick façade or picket fence, or any other unusual
landmarks that will make the location in question stand out or distinguishable.
Nature of activity or the what: Describe what is happening or the nature of the activity
or the what completely. Many times we receive complaints from anonymous persons
who state: "The people at 123 Main Street are dealing drugs". These complaints are
very difficult to investigate and require the Officers to begin their investigation at
ground zero. Complaints such as these are very difficult to corroborate and often go
unresolved. Report specific observations or activity that suggests someone is selling
drugs, is involved in gang activity, or other crimes from the residence. Many times
these activities include:
• Unusual amount of people coming and going from the residence, many times at odd
hours of the day or night.
• People waiting in vehicles outside the residence.
• People parking around the corner or down the street and approaching the residence
on foot.
• People who visit the residence often and only stay for 15 minutes or less.
• Any activity you deem unusual such as digging in the yard, repeated trips to a
storage shed, or strange privacy modifications to the residence.
• Frequent visitors to the residence and their vehicles. If possible, obtain license plate
numbers of these visitors. Although this information is helpful, it is not crucial and can
be gained by other means. Do not jeopardize your safety or alert the occupants
to your activities to obtain this information.
Describe the following in your tip:
• All the people living at the residence completely. This information should include:
sex, race, age, height, weight, hair color and style, eye color, facial hair, and
distinguishing marks or tattoos of each occupant.
• Vehicles at the residence and if known, identify who drives them. Sometimes
vehicles are difficult to describe. It may be helpful to use the acronym CYMBALS
when describing a vehicle (see below):
*Color ~ Light blue, dark green. If vehicle is more than one color, describe top to
bottom; i.e. - white roof over blue Oldsmobile.
*Year ~ Year of the vehicle. If not known exactly, use: late 70’s, early 90’s, etc.
*Make/Model ~ Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, Oldsmobile Cutlass, etc.
*Body Style ~ 2 door, 4 door, hatchback, pickup, van, convertible, etc.
*Anything Else ~ Dents, bumper stickers, headlight out, no front license plate,
cracked windshield, etc.
*License Plate Number ~ Very Important
*State ~ State in which license was issued.
If you think of anything else that might be helpful to the investigation, no matter how
insignificant it may seem, be sure and report it. One of the largest cocaine busts in
California was the result of a person who thought it was suspicious that truck drivers
at a local warehouse were having difficulty backing them into the garage.
And last but not least, please provide your name and a means of contacting you.
Although this information is not required, this allows the Officer to contact you and
obtain critical information. Please trust that these Officers understand the risks of
retaliation and will hold your identity in the strictest confidence.
Email your "Crime Tips" information to: crimetips@rpcity.org or
Call 707/584-COPS (2677)
Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents. They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.