Law enforcement entities around the country consistently use the phrase “If you see something, say something.”
This mentality for civilians helps police keep the community safe, but for some, calling the police is a scary thing.
Manitowoc Police Chief Nick Reimer was on WOMT’s Be My Guest program this week, where he answered a question from a listener.
They asked if it was standard procedure for officers responding to a call to run a background check on the person who called it in.
Chief Reimer explained that it is standard among all law enforcement agencies to ask the caller or witness for their name, date of birth, address, and phone number, and then run their name through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
This is to make sure that that person isn’t wanted, and that they have a license that they can drive from the scene.
Chief Reimer explained, “We would look pretty, pretty foolish if somebody had a warrant and called us, we never ran them, and then we let him go.”
That being said, Chief Reimer also noted that witnesses are not required to give their identifying information to police.
“If you’re not wanted, if you have a driver’s license that’s valid and all that stuff, it is really not an issue, but if you really want to avoid that, and they could certainly remain anonymous,” he explained. “If you’re a suspect, then you have to give that all that information or you go to jail.”
You can listen to the entire episode by going to SeehaferPodcasts.com.
