CLEWISTON — The Clewiston Police Department recently announced details regarding use of their online reporting system. This system, the SMART Incident Reporting System, allows a police report to be submitted online, which limits the exposure to staff, law enforcement officers and citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. This reporting system is not for reporting an emergency and is for incidents that have occurred within the Clewiston city limits.

“As you are aware, we have been taking every precaution necessary here at the Clewiston Police Department to ensure the safety of both our staff and the citizens we serve. We have instituted several procedural changes and best practices such as inclusion of the staffing employees and first responders with the appropriate personal protective equipment when interacting with the public in an effort to slow the spread. As a part of this ongoing effort, we are pleased to inform you that we have implemented an alternative mechanism by which citizens may file a police report for NON-emergency reporting, which does not require a police officer to physically respond to their residence. This further limits direct contact with the public and will undoubtedly aid in keeping our staff and the public safe while continuing our efforts to slow the spread and provide the citizens of Clewiston with the level of service they deserve and have come to expect from their police department,” stated Aaron K. Angell, chief of the Clewiston Police Department, in a recent social media post.

They ask that before submitting a report, a citizen confirms that they do not know any of the involved suspects, that the suspects have left the scene, and no one involved has suffered any injuries. Also, they ask that you use the online reporting system only if there is no obvious physical evidence.

Upon completion of an online report, the system will provide a temporary case number and email confirmation that the report has been successfully submitted and received by the Clewiston Police Department. All cases filed online will be reviewed. Should a case require further investigation, the person who filed it will be contacted.

Chief Angell went on to explain that “citizens can now submit and file a police report from the comfort of their home via the Clewiston Police Department’s online citizen self-reporting service: citizenreport.clewistonflpolice.com. We have published a link to this service on the City of Clewiston’s webpage, City of Clewiston Police Department’s web page, and social media platforms. This service will not, nor is it intended to, entirely negate the need for officers to physically respond to calls for service and is intended as a means by which the public can report past occurred events of a non-emergency nature. Should you have questions or concerns, members of the Clewiston Police Department are always available.”

As a reminder, if you need to report an emergency, please call 911 immediately. All persons submitting a report are reminded that filing a false police report is a crime.

For more information, call the Clewiston Police Department at 863-983-1474, or visit them on Facebook: facebook.com/ClewistonPolice.

To file a report through the SMART Incident Reporting System, use this link: citizenreport.clewistonflpolice.com/smartirclient.