In order to get the best possible service from the City, it’s important to know who to call. Unfortunately, sometimes knowing who to call can be tricky. With the adoption of the 311 system, the City of Minneapolis has greatly simplified this, but some questions still remain, particularly when it comes to reporting a possible crime.
The basic rule about calling 911 remains unchanged: Use 911 whenever you want to have a squad respond to your location. All squads are dispatched through the 911 system, so that the department knows where all of its officers are at any given time. This is essential for officer safety. If you want to have a squad come to your location, but it’s not an emergency, you can also call 348-2345. This is the non-emergency number for 911 and it’s answered by the same operators who answer the phone when you call 911.
However, with the introduction of the new 311 system, some reports can be taken by 311 instead. If you need to report certain crimes, and you don’t need a squad to come out, you can call 311 instead. The reports that can be handled by 311 are:
Damage to Motor Vehicle
Damage to Other Property
Defrauding an Innkeeper (skipping out on a hotel or motel bill)
Gas Station Drive Off (driving away from a gas station without paying)
Failure to Pay Taxi Fare (providing the suspect is not present)
Theft from Building
Theft from a Coin Operated Device (not laundry room burglaries)
Other Theft (not robbery, auto theft or burglary)
Lost Property
Violation of Restraining Order
Visitation Rights Violation
Harassing or Obscene Phone Calls
Credit Card/ATM Fraud
Identity Theft
Theft by Swindle