Quick Access
If this is an EMERGENCY please call 9-1-1 immediately.
Many common non-emergency crimes can be reported online, allowing you to avoid waiting for an officer to take a report. This online reporting system allows you to submit a police report immediately. You must have a valid email address to submit an online report.
Please confirm the following to find out if online report filing is right for you:
- Is this an emergency?
- Did this incident occur outside the Cape Girardeau city limits?
- Is there an immediate police response required?
If you answered NO to ALL the above questions, you are ready to file your report online. If you answered yes to any of the questions, please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department immediately either by calling 911 or 573-339-6621.
Please Note:
- All incidents filed using the Citizen Reporting System will be reviewed.
- Upon review, if further investigation of your case is needed, you may be contacted.
- Please note if your incident occurred on the Southeast Missouri State University Campus, please contact SEMO DPS at 573-651-2215. Filing a false police report is a Class B Misdemeanor crime under Missouri law (RSMO 575.080): A person commits the offense of making a false report if he or she knowingly: (1) Gives false information to any person for the purpose of implicating another person in an offense; or (2) Makes a false report to a law enforcement officer that an offense has occurred or is about to occur; or (3) Makes a false report or causes a false report to be made to a law enforcement officer, security officer, fire department or other organization, official or volunteer, which deals with emergencies involving danger to life or property that a fire or other incident calling for an emergency response has occurred or is about to occur.
Please click on “File a Report” to select an incident and begin.
What Can I Self Report?
The following incidents can be self-reported to the Cape Girardeau Police Department online:
- Trespassing
- Identity Theft/Fraud
- Lost Property
- Theft
- Property Damage
Online reporting may NOT be used to report felonies. Please contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 573-339-6621.
*Domestic violence is not a self-reportable crime.* Any person who attempts to kill, hits, chokes, kicks, threatens, harasses, or interferes with the personal liberty of another family or household member has broken Missouri Domestic Violence laws. Under Missouri law family or household members are defined as
“Domestic victim”, a household or family member as the term “family” or “household member” is defined in section 455.010, including any child who is a member of the household or family;
“Family” or “household member”, spouses, former spouses, any person related by blood or marriage, persons who are presently residing together or have resided together in the past, any person who is or has been in a continuing social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim, and anyone who has a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have resided together at any time;
Report Process
- Once your report is submitted, you should receive an email notification that includes an Incident Report number. Please be sure to check your Spam or Junk Mail email folder.
- Following the submission of a report, it is reviewed by officers at the Cape Girardeau Police Department. All incidents filed using the Citizen Reporting System will be reviewed.
- Upon review, if further investigation of your case is needed, you may be contacted.
- Any time the status changes as part of a review; you will receive an additional email. Possible status changes include:
- Accepted
- Processing. You should receive an email from an officer regarding any further information that is needed to process your online report.
- Rejection. A report is typically rejected because it occurred outside of our jurisdiction, no crime has occurred, or contact could not be made with the victim. In that instance, please contact the police department to speak with an officer for further explanation. A report may also be rejected because it is an incident that cannot be self-reported and would require an officer response.
- Once a report has been appropriately completed and approved, it will be assigned to an officer for follow up (if necessary).
Please note that the decision to assign an officer or investigator to follow up on a reported crime is based on several criteria, including the seriousness of the offense, solvability, patterns of behavior, and incidents that are, or may become, sensitive in nature. In determining which cases should be assigned, supervisors shall consider, but not be limited by, the following factors:
- The time elapsed from the time of occurrence to the time of the report.
- The existence of witnesses.
- The existence of physical evidence.
- The ability to identify a suspect.
- The ability to identify a suspect’s vehicle.
- The impact of the incident on the community.
As always, if you have any questions you can contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department for further information regarding online reports at 573-339-6621.
