One of the most important things you can do to help the police and your community is to report crime. Community information is essential to identifying crime patterns and apprehending offenders.
But when you call the police, it is critical that you Make The Right Call. Not every situation is an emergency that requires an immediate police response, so not every call to the police needs to go through the 9-1-1 emergency number. The City of Chicago has a non-emergency number 3-1-1, as well as various hotlines and other mechanisms for communicating with the police in non-emergency situations.
The Police Department can respond more efficiently to your needs, and the needs of your community, if you Make The Right Call.