I did not see why this information would help them locate my stolen property; instead, I felt like I was being investigated! When I sent an e-mail to the department asking why they needed this information, I got a non-answer along the lines of “this is part of the form so it needs to be filled out.” Why do they need all this information from someone reporting stolen property?

I went through the site to see for myself. The reporting form is for people who need to report lost or stolen property or vandalism. Not only is it a convenient way to report one of these crimes, it gets the ball rolling on insurance requirements for reimbursement for stolen or damaged items.

I talked to Sgt. Terry Gonsalves of the Napa Police Department, and he said the information you provide is not any more than a policeman would ask of you in a face-to-face visit. When the police ask for your license, they’re looking at your birth date and other statistics. This is to make sure that you’re who you claim to be and to distinguish you from someone else with your name. You may not have realized that they were making note of this information, but that was and is part of the reporting process.

With the online form, police can’t look at the reporting person and verify that he or she is, say, 6 feet 1 inch instead of 5 feet 2 inches, so it doesn’t weed out any fakers. Except, Gonsalves said, that with the amount of information required, it does dissuade people from making false reports. People who are not honest about who they are will give up the charade if they have to work too hard. You might not want to risk it if a police officer could follow up and discovered a fraud.

So why would someone want to make a fake report? Nothing makes you feel more wide-eyed than asking that question. It turns out that people may use the tool to take revenge on someone they have a grudge on. That’s illegal, Gonsalves said, and a waste of police resources.

You’re right, the color of your eyes or your race don’t help the police find your stolen property. The data just makes life easier for the police and harder for fraudulent reporters. Gonsalves also said that the information is required for data the department maintains and sends on to the state.

So far 400 people have used the Web to report a crime.

But the Web site notes that as crime’s happening you should call police dispatch at 257-9223. Same for other crimes, including sex crimes, hate crimes and violent crimes.

What is Glad You Asked?

Glad You Asked attempts to answer readers’ questions. So if some information you’re curious about shows up missing, send your question to me at jdecker@napanews.com or 256-2215. No eye color, height or birth date required for me to crack the case.