Having your car vandalized can be a huge headache. But on the upside, reporting it to the police has gotten easier.

The Napa Police Department is now offering online crime reports. Using the Internet, victims of non-violent crimes now can make a police report without ever leaving their home or picking up the telephone.

It's fast, easy, user-friendly "and just great," said Napa resident Tracy Kvidahl.

Last Monday, Kvidahl had the unpleasant experience of discovering her car had been spray painted.

"I called the police department to make a report, and they asked me if I would mind making it online. I guess the service has just started, and they wanted me to be a guinea pig. I said sure," Kvidahl said. "It was so easy. It didn't take more than five minutes. They called me back within 15 minutes to ask me how it went. I really recommend it."

Kvidahl said the police department e-mailed her a copy of the police report.

"I had my police report for the insurance company. It was done and over in such a short time. I didn't have to worry about it anymore, and best of I all, I didn't have to sit around and wait for an officer to show up. That can take all day," she said. "And the police report was accepted by my insurance company without any hassles."

Online crime report forms can be obtained at the police department Web site at www.cityofnapa.org/Departments/police

The Web site gives the victim the choice of filing claims for vandalism, theft from a vehicle, petty theft and lost property.

The report asks for the victim's name, description, address, where and when the crime happened and what was stolen or vandalized. There is also a section for a narrative of the crime.

Within three days, the victim receives an e-mail, which is the actual police report with an assigned case number, Napa Police Sgt. Gil Gallegos said.

"We're hoping the online crime reports will be more convenient for the public. When citizens call to report a non-violent crime, the minute they hang up the phone, they look out the window, expecting the officer to drive up. That's not going to happen," Gallegos said. "With the online reports, they can file the report just as soon as they discover the crime and be done with it. It should give them peace of mind."

In addition to the returned e-mail police report, the victim can expect follow-up telephone calls from the department, he said.

Online reports are not for crimes in progress, sex or hate crimes, stolen vehicles or any violent crime, such as rape, aggravated assault, robbery or commercial burglary. The victim also needs to call the police department to report a crime if they know who did it or have evidence to turn over to police.

In 2003, Napa police officers responded to more than 3,400 calls for vandalism, theft and lost property.

"That's a lot of our officer's patrol time. The biggest percentage of calls the officers respond to are non-violent. By using the online service, the officers will be freed up to respond to more serious crimes and even do more traffic patrol," Gallegos said.

It is a misdemeanor to report a false crime and a felony to report a false emergency crime.

For those who are skittish about giving out personal information on the Internet, "there is no reason to worry," Gallegos said.

"The information is sent to the official police department Web site and is handled with the confidentiality of any police report. It is not shared with other city departments," he said.

A description of the victim's stolen property is entered into the police department's records computer data bank.

When stolen or lost property is recovered, detectives check the data bank against the recovered property.

Gallegos suggests that the public mark there valuables, so if they are stolen and recovered, the owner can be identified.

"I think engraving your driver's license number on your property is a good idea. I wouldn't put a Social Security number," he said. "The police department has engravers which it loans to the public, at no charge, for this purpose."