If you think the incident is an emergency, dial 9-1-1 right away and report what you saw to the dispatcher, who will then send the appropriate response to investigate. If it is not an emergency, call the Police Department business number and tell the dispatcher what happened. In either case, give as much information as you can, as this will help resolve the problem that much sooner.
If you suspect that someone has used your name, Social Security number, or other personal information to get credit or a loan, the following information can help you.
Keep a record. Because recovering from identity theft can be a long and complicated process, it’s important to keep a record of all communications. Send all letters by certified mail and keep copies. If you think your case might lead to a lawsuit, keep track of how much time you spend dealing with the problem.
Call the police. Report the crime to the police or sheriff’s department that has jurisdiction in your case and request a police report. Though the authorities are often unable to assist you, a police report may be necessary to help convince creditors that someone else has opened an account in your name.
Contact the Federal Trade Commission. Call the FTC’s identity theft hotline at 877-438-4338 and file a complaint. The FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems itself, but your complaint may lead to law enforcement action.
Check your credit report. Get your credit report and check for inquiries that you do not recognize and any new accounts opened in your name. Because new accounts may take up to six months to show up on the report, continue to monitor your credit report. Get the 3-in-1 Credit Report and see your credit history as reported by the three major nationwide credit reporting companies.
Contact the three Credit Reporting Agencies. Have one of the agencies put a fraud alert on your file, which will aid in preventing new credit accounts from being opened without your express permission.
Fraud Alerts. You may place an initial 90 day alert by calling any one of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. You may place an extended 7 year alert by writing to one of the nationwide credit reporting companies and providing an Identity Theft Report as well as a day and evening telephone number. The requirements for an Identity Theft Report are listed on the FTC’s website at www.ftc.com. The extended alert removes your name from pre-screened offers of credit for 5 years. You will receive a confirmation when an alert is added to your credit file.
Active Duty Alert. You may request an active duty alert, which will remain on your file for 12 months, by calling any one of the nationwide credit reporting companies. This alert removes your name from pre-screened offers of credit for 2 years. You will receive a confirmation when an alert is added to your credit file.
Sharing of Alerts. The nationwide credit reporting company that accepts your request for a Fraud or Active Duty alert will share your request with the other two nationwide credit reporting companies, which will add the alert to your credit file or request that you provide them additional information.
Freeze fraudulent accounts. Contact the appropriate creditors, banks, phone companies, and utility companies and have them freeze the accounts. You’ll probably be liable for only $50 of the fraudulent charges, but different issuers have different policies. Most creditors promptly issue replacement cards with new account numbers.
You may also need to contact one or more of the government bodies listed below, each of which will inform you of the necessary procedures.
Block the reporting of fraudulent accounts. If an account was opened fraudulently and was identified in a police report as being fraudulent, you can provide a copy of the police report and request that Equifax or the other two nationwide consumer reporting companies block the reporting of the fraudulent account in your credit file.
Place a Security Freeze on your credit file.
If you reside in select states you have the right to place a security freeze on your Equifax credit file. To determine the availability of a security freeze for your state and to determine the fees for placing and temporarily lifting a security freeze, please click here. A security freeze will prevent us from reporting your Equifax credit file to third parties, such as credit grantors and other companies and agencies, except those exempted by law or those for whom you contacted us and requested that we temporarily lift the security freeze.
A security freeze will require you to plan ahead for all your credit applications as you will need to contact us to request that we temporarily lift your freeze to allow us to report your Equifax credit file to the credit grantor you identify. Under the laws of most states that allow security freezes, it may take up to three business days to process your request to temporarily lift the security freeze. It may take longer if you have lost the security freeze confirmation number which we provided to you when you first requested the security freeze be placed on your credit file. You may not be able to request a temporary lift of a security freeze during non-business hours or on weekends. A security freeze may hinder your ability to immediately obtain credit to make major purchases. Accordingly, if you are credit active and apply for credit on a regular basis and have a security freeze on your Equifax credit file you need to be especially mindful of the need to plan ahead and contact us in advance to request a temporary lift of the security freeze on your Equifax credit file.
For more information visit Equifax.com
No. Under state and federal laws it is prohibited for an officer to use the computers for personal use. The computer systems can only be used as an aid in an investigation. That information can only be shared with other law enforcement personnel.
If the animal appears to be a threat to human(s), dial 9-1-1. If you believe the animal is a nuisance, dial 860-292-8240 to report the situation. The dispatcher will ask you basic questions that will assist the responding officer. If the officer is able to enforce a criminal statute, they will. If they are unable to, or believe that further investigation is necessary, they will forward the call to an Animal Control Officer who will then follow-up when on-duty.
Call the police department’s non-emergency line at 860-292-8240 and make a report.
Please provide basic information about the issue and when it occurs. The information will be forwarded to the Patrol Division.
Yes, the EWPD depends on citizens calling to report suspicious activity. Sometimes these reports lead to arrests in connection with crimes. In an emergency situation dial 9-1-1. In a non-emergency situation dial 860-292-8240 to report the criminal or suspicious activity.
Try to be as specific as possible and the more the information the better!
Officers generally do not actively get involved in civil disputes as they are not empowered by state statute to do so. These incidents are best dealt with by contacting an attorney or the civil courthouse. However, do not hesitate to call for an officer in any situation, as he/she will recommend options available to you and document the situation.
Pistol permit applications can be picked up in the lobby of the police department. If you have any questions regarding the process you can request to speak with an officer who will help you.
Yes the police department currently has an internship program. You can read details about our internship program under the “About” section of our webpage.
A copy of a police report must be obtained in person by coming down to the police department at 25 School Street. Records can be obtained Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when the records division is open. Feel free to call the police department to check if the records division is available prior to coming.
