A Missing Police Report

On December 8, two officers from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC responded to a report of an attempted break-in. Jean Darlington is a mother of two who’s also caring for her blind mother.

After that initial police response, Darlington waited in vain for six days for a follow-up visit from police to recover surveillance video footage of the break-in. Frustrated, she finally called the FOX 5 TV station. You can read the story here. 

FOX 5 verified that two officers really did come to her home on December 8 – they can be seen on the surveillance video. But no police report had been filed. (It showed up shortly after the reporters came to the police station – dated six days after the attempted break-in.)

The police department issued this statement:

Following the call for service, a report was not taken. Once this was brought to our attention, an officer responded to the location and a report was subsequently taken for the offense. This case remains under investigation. Furthermore, the initial responding officer’s actions are currently under review.

No arrest has been made in the case.

This incident is a useful reminder about the importance of thorough and timely police reports. You never know when what seems to be a routine incident will become national news.

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