can I call the police anonymously?

[Rdonalds76]

Is it possible that I can call the police anonymously to report child abuse? I have a neighbor that I feel is doing that and I don't want him to know I called the cops on him?

 

[dchalke]

When you call the police department, you can definately request that your complaint be kept anonymous.

 

[downsouth]

I think if you call 911 they set a trace on you though.

 

[bala]

Call from a public pay phone somewhere out of the vicinity of your neighborhood.You can,but i guess they somehow will find you,CCTV,locals..etc..
I don't know if you can request anonymity though.

 

[lei]

Just call them and say that you have an anonymous tip. Or report them to Child Protective Services and tell them you want to remain anonymous.

 

[Shawn]

Of course you can. Burner phones cannot be traced all that well. Most cell phone 911 hangups just give a general area where the phone was located during the time of the call. You don't have to give your name, you just say what you need to say and hang up.

 

[Profit5500]

Remaining anonymous is tough with the police I don't know about not having your name given though. 911 could trace all the calls that are made so they would know where you are.

 

[Ricardo187]

You can surely request anonymity but the police will still know who made the call. If you really want it to be top secret, all you can do is cover up your face and body with clothes you don't use, use gloves and walk to a payphone on the street and make the call. Even if they use cctv they won't find out. Make sure you park your car somewhere far, where there are no CCTVs nearby.

 

[PhilA]

Where I live there is an anonymous phone line for this use. It is better to have a line for anonymous calls than no way to do it, and the possibility that someone will not ring at all.

 

[True2marie]

Is it possible that I can call the police anonymously to report child abuse? I have a neighbor that I feel is doing that and I don't want him to know I called the cops on him?

Don't count on being anonymous. Once an investigation is opened up, the person do the questioning will want to talk to you. I only know this because I called the police on the very same situation. One of my neighbor's kids comes over to visit me on a regular basis and he made a disturbing comment to me. After he left, I called the police for help. Because his story was all over the place, it was decided that maybe nothing was afoul. However, the officer who spoke to me made it very clear that my name might end up in the report.

Also, by the way, I commend you for wanting to help. Molestation is such an ugly situation. It's also scary. I really didn't want to get an innocent party in trouble, but I also didn't want a young life to be ruined either. So, this is why I called the police.

Since, I have spoken to the child about appropriate and inappropriate touch. I have also told him that if anyone does that to him I can help. However, his behavior and response made me think he was okay. That what he said earlier had nothing to do with molestation.

 

[milyjohnson]

I didn't think you could make anonymous phone calls to the police. They are able to trace the call you make. Maybe you can do as others suggested and tell them to withhold your name from the police. May I ask what has happened to the child that you were afraid was being abused? Are your neighbor still abusing the child?

 

[Gelsemium]

I think we can call anonymously if we wish, if we feel our safety is in danger, as long as we report something illegal I think we are doing the right thing.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

A friend of mine felt as though she had to report a neighbour to the police once because of the way that she was treating her child, and it was never revealed that she had been the one who had made the complaint. It was simply said to her that the police had reason to believe that there was a child being mistreated under her care, and that they would have to investigate. Then, the child's medical history spoke for itself and there was not a problem with the case because it was solved very easily indeed. Don't worry about people finding out that you reported them, because it really shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Peninha]

I once called the police and they asked for my identification, but I guess that if we don't want to give it we can always turn down the phone at that time.

 

[Lin]

Is it possible that I can call the police anonymously to report child abuse? I have a neighbor that I feel is doing that and I don't want him to know I called the cops on him?

Well, I assume that you are not the only neighbour who knows about this abusive situation in the area. I would encourage you to call the cops indeed. It's a risk, but at least you are saving a life. And that child will be grateful to you for a lifetime.

 

[Lin]

I once called the police and they asked for my identification, but I guess that if we don't want to give it we can always turn down the phone at that time.

In my country, they allow us to call and not state our names. They even give us a special line for anonymous calls. I think all countries should do that.

 

[Lin]

I think we can call anonymously if we wish, if we feel our safety is in danger, as long as we report something illegal I think we are doing the right thing.

Indeed. Think about it: if the child was actually under your roof and being abused, wouldn't you have called the cops? Then again, we have to understand your definition of abuse. Is it beating or spanking...which may not be illegal in some countries? Some countries follow the strict rule of proverbs which encourages parents to "spare not the rod and spoil the child".