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Police FAQ's

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1. When should I call 911?

You should call 911 when there is an emergency such as a crime in progress or a traffic accident with potential injuries that requires the immediate response of emergency service such as police, fire or paramedics. Always call 911 when there is a medical problem

2. Why should I call 911 when I have an emergency?

You should call 911 because non-emergency lines may not be capable of transferring your call to the appropriate emergency service or jurisdiction.

3. What should I do when I call 911?

When you call 911 an operator will answer stating "911 Police Fire or Medical Emergency" asking which emergency service you need.  Depending on the service you need and the jurisdiction you are in, you may be asked to hold while the dispatcher transfers your call to the appropriate emergency service covering your area. When you call 911 be prepared to:

• Tell the 911 operator what you need; ambulance, fire department or police department.
• Be as calm as you can. When a caller is upset, it is hard to understand what he or she is saying or to get vital information quickly.
• Stay on the phone.Do not hang up until directed to hang up.
• Give your name and address and when traveling or away from home on a cell phone always be aware of where you are "next to the brown house across from the yellow one" won't help. 
• If your address is different from the location of the emergency, be sure to let the operator know.
• In case of a police emergency, if possible, give the operator the suspects description, weapons, vehicles (license number) direction of travel away from the scene and anything else that may help description and license.

4. When my house or business alarm activates are the police required to respond?

No. CITY ORDINANCE 1574 allows the suspension of responses to alarms for various reasons.

5. Do I have any responsibilities as an alarm owner?

Yes. CITY ORDINANCE 1574 states that an Alarm User Shall:Maintain the premises and the Alarm System in a manner that will minimize or eliminate False alarms, and Make every reasonable effort to respond or cause a representative to respond to the Alarm location within 20 minutes when notified. Do Not manually activate an alarm for any reason other than an occurrence of an
event that the Alarm System was intended to report. An Alarm User shall adjust the alarm so that an exterior signal will not sound for longer than fifteen (15) minutes UL standards 365 or 609.An Alarm User shall have a properly Licensed Alarm Company inspect the Alarm System after three (3) false alarms in one (1) month period. An Alarm User shall not use Automatic Voice Dialers. An Alarm User shall maintain at each Alarm site, a set of written operating instructions for each Alarm System

6. Does my alarm company have any responsibilities?

Yes, an Alarm Company performing Monitoring services shall:

• Offer training without causing false alarms. 
• Attempt to verify every alarm signal, except Duress and Holdup Alarm activation before requesting a response.
• Communicate cancellations to the emergency services.
• Provide adequate training as to proper use of  Duress or Holdup Alarms. 
• Communicate the area of activation. 
• Attempt to contact the Alarm User when a dispatch request is made 
•  Maintain Dispatch Request Records for one (1) year,

7. Is there a fine for false alarms and how many before a fine is assessed?

Yes there is a fine. Alarm users are allowed 3 false alarms in a 30 day period after which they can be fined: 

• 4th $25,
• 5th $50, 
• 6th $75, 
• More than 6 $100.

However the department will most likely just suspend the response to your alarm activations until such time as the alarm is made reliable by the owner.

8. What's the difference between a criminal incident report and an accident report?

An incident report is the report of a criminal offense such as Theft, Battery, Burglary etc. An accident report is the report of a collision between vehicles or fixed objects on public streets or highways.

9. How do I file a police Criminal Incident report?

Police Reports can be filed at the Police Department Lobby which is open 24 hours 7 days a week including all holidays. Most reports can or will be required to be filed in this manner. The only reports requiring a police response include:

• Crimes in Progress 
• Reports requiring a crime scene investigation such as burglary.  

10. When do I file a Police Criminal Incident Report?

You should file a police report as soon as possible after an offense occurs.

11. How do I get a copy of a Criminal Incident Report?

Copies of Police Reports can be obtained at no cost from the Police Department Administrative Division  by e-mailing records@blythevillepd.org. Open cases or reports involving juveniles may not be available.  

12. What information will I need to obtain a copy of a Criminal Incident Report?

To obtain a police report in a timely manner you will need to provide accurate information such as:The Victim / Complainant's Full Name 

• The address where the offense occurred 
• The date the offense occurred 
• The date the offense was reported 
• The type of offense I.E. Burglary, battery etc.

The more information and the more accurate the information is the easier the process is.

13. I filed a Criminal Incident report and nobody has contacted me?

You most likely will not be contacted after filing a report unless or until such time as additional information is needed.

14. Will someone be assigned to investigate my Criminal Incident report?

It depends. Investigators are assigned Felony reports based on the nature of the crime such as a violent crime and or solveability factors such as physical evidence, eyewitnesses etc. Otherwise your report may not be assigned to an investigator. 

15. I found more stuff missing / more information / need to clarify the report, how do I get that added?

Additional information such as missing items / additional witnesses etc will not be taken over the phone. You will need to provide a written statement of the additional items / information. The statement can be mailed, e-mailed to cid@blythevillepd.org or hand delivered at anytime.

16. I don't want my report in the paper?

Sorry, all reports are subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Certain information such as the name of a juvenile may not be disclosed however the nature of the incident may be reported on by the media.  

17. I heard there was some stolen property recovered how do I find out if it's mine?

If your property is recovered you will be contacted. If you are not contacted we don't have your property.

18. What is the difference between an accident and a private property accident?

The collision between two vehicles, pedestrian or a fixed object on or in conjunction with a public street or highway is referred to simply as an accident report. The collision between two vehicle or fixed object on a parking lot or private driveway etc is referred to as a private property accident.

19. When is an accident report required?

An accident investigation and report is  required by state law when the collision took place on public streets or highways and involves over $1000.00 damage to a vehicle or personal injury is reported.

20. When is a private property accident required?

Private Property accidents are not required by law and are not investigated. The department may  respond under certain conditions and document the drivers and or vehicle information on an informal dispatch log. Officers will not respond to hit and run private property accidents that do not involve pedestrians. Officers will not review surveillance video on private property accidents unless a pedestrian is struck.  

21. What kind of information will I need to obtain an accident report?

To obtain a copy of an accident report you will need accurate information. Most times officers have provided the drivers with an accident exchange form. The accident number and other parties information is on this form. You will need:

• The accident number from the exchange form 
• The full name of one of the drivers 
• The date the accident occurred 
• The date the accident was reported

The more information and the more accurate the information is easier the process is.

22. How do I get a copy of my accident report?

Accident reports are available on-line 24 hours a day. You can access them by clicking here, please allow 5 to 7 days before the report is available.

23. I was involved in an accident the other party showed proof of insurance now I found out it was cancelled what can I do?

If you have been involved in an accident and found out the other parties insurance had been canceled you can file a criminal incident report for 27-22-104.  Insurance required -- Minimum coverage and you may seek warrants against them. Doing this will not cover your damages or injuries for that you should contact a private attorney.  

24. I don't agree with the accident report or I have more witnesses what can I do?

You will need to provide a written statement including the any additional witnesses information unless they provided separate statements. These statements will l not be taken over the phone. They can be mailed, hand delivered or e-mailed here.

25. How long does it take to have a warrant issued for someone's arrest?

Seeking a warrant for someone's arrest does not guarantee a warrant will be issued. There are several factors but most fail because of a lack of evidence / identification. To seek a warrant to have someone arrested you will need to file a report, have sufficient evidence that the person committed the crime, submit a sworn written statement of the facts and evidence called an affidavit. The affidavit is submitted to the court for review. If court finds sufficient evidence a warrant can be issued.  The police department will then serve the warrant.  

26. How will I know if a warrant has been issued?

To verify the issuance of a warrant please e-mail your request here. Sorry but request will not be taken by phone.

27. How long will it take before the warrant is served?

The Police Department may serve  2,000 or more warrants a year. There are to many factors to consider to be able to determine when a warrant may be served.You will need to update any changes in your phone # / address with the court clerk. Many cases are dismissed because the court was unable to contact the victim.  

28. I've decided I don't want to press charges anymore what do I do?

If you want to drop charges you must submit a written statement that you want to drop charges. However the warrant most likely will stay active until the court can review your statement.

29. I forgot to pay a ticket how can I find out if a warrant was issued for my arrest?

If you have to ask you probably do. 75% of all warrants issued by the Blytheville District Court each year are for Failure to Appear (FTA) many for forgotten tickets. If your ticket was for a moving violation your drivers license has probably also been suspended as well and will cost you to have it reinstated by the State. The best way to handle the warrant is to surrender yourself to clear the warrant.

30. How can I find out if someones in jail?

The police department does not operate a jail. When someone is arrested by the Blytheville Police Department they are taken to the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department. They can be contacted at (870) 658-2242. Please keep in mind that it may be several hours before Information is available and remember when the time comes they will be allowed a phone call and you can ask them any questions you may have. 

31. How can I find out about my community service or fine balance?

To check the balance of time needed to complete community service or your fine balance you can call the records department of the Administrative Division or email your request here.

32. How do I get a "No Contact Order"

In order to get a "No Contact Order" issued:

Step 1) You must file a police report

Step 2) You must press charges

Step 3) You can't drop charges

A criminal court, such as the County Chickasawba District Court in Blytheville, issues a "No Contact Order" in criminal cases against an abuser or offender as a condition of sentencing. So in order to get a "No Contact Order" you have to file a report and press charges, without pressing charges you can't get a "No Contact Order". 

33. How do I get an "Order of Protection"

To get an "Order of Protection" issued: (there is no cost to file a petition for an Order of Protection it's free)

STEP 1: You must fill out a "Petition" (click here) then file it by giving it to the Court Clerk at a Mississippi County Courthouse. There's one in Blytheville and Osceola. If you provide enough information and the judge doesn't have any questions they will

STEP 2: Issue a Temporary Order or "Ex Parte" 30 day order of protection 

STEP 3: If you need to extend the order of protection for more than 30 days the court will have a hearing to decide whether to extend the Temporary Order of Protection. You must attend this hearing.

If you get an Order of Protection issued we recommend you bring a copy of it to the Blytheville Police Department (or your local police department) so we can have a copy on file. We'll even make the copy for you. We also recommend you keep a copy of your Order of Protection with you until everything is resolved. 

34. How do I get a "Restraining Order"

You get a "Restraining Order" the same way you would get an "Order of Protection" (see How do I get an "Order of Protection"). Here's an example; If you are getting a divorce, your attorney may ask the judge to issue a Restraining Order, which prevents one spouse from selling the marital property in a divorce and from harassing or bothering the other. A restraining order may not adequately protect you if you are being physically harmed or threatened. You can have an "Order of Protection" and a "Restraining Order" at the same time.

35. What is the difference between an "Order of Protection" a "Restraining Order" and a "No Contact Order"

Many people are confused about the differences between an Order of Protection, a Restraining Order and a No-Contact Order.

Order of Protection:
If you are being physically harmed or threatened, you need an Order of Protection. With an Order of
Protection, the police can arrest your abuser if he or she violates the order. You do not have to pay anything, and you don’t need an attorney to get an Order of Protection.

Restraining Order
If you are getting a divorce, you may ask the judge to issue a Restraining Order, which prevents one spouse from selling the marital property in a divorce and from harassing or bothering the other. A restraining order does not adequately protect you if you are being physically harmed or threatened. You can have an Order of Protection and a Restraining Order at the same time.


A criminal court issues a No Contact Order in criminal cases against an abuser as a condition of release from jail.