The Dallas Police Department is rolling out a new way to file police reports, launching an online portal this week.
Amid a surge in violent crime and staffing shortage, the department hopes it will free up officers and reduce the amount of time spent on generating reports.
"Taking a few less calls away from officers and giving them an opportunity to do other things is positive," Assistant Chief Angela Shaw said at a press conference Tuesday.
Not all crimes will be eligible for the new portal, which can only be used for non-violent crimes including burglary, identity theft and criminal mischief.
Currently, the department estimates it takes an officer about an hour to fill out a report. The hope is the new site will allow for the generation of a report in 10-15 minutes.
A Spanish version of the site is also expected to launch later this year.
