Watsonville Police Department

Call 911 for Any Emergency

An emergency is a life-threatening situation, a crime in progress, or a serious crime that has just happened. If you are not sure whether you have an emergency, call 9-1-1 and the dispatcher will assist you. For non-emergency police officer response please call 471-1151.

Examples of an emergency:

Shooting
Stabbing
Fight in progress
Suspicious Person
Domestic Violence incidents
In progress residential burglary (someone is breaking into a residence)

You will be asked the following questions:

What are you reporting?
Where did this occur?
When did this occur?
What is the phone number you are calling from?
Where are you now?
Are any weapons involved?
How many people are involved?
What is the specific location?
Has this happened before?
Are alcohol or drugs involved?
What is happening now?
Are you hearing or seeing anything?
Are there any dangerous or vicious dogs or animals in the area?
Are there any hazards in the area?
Do you want to be contacted by an officer?

Please answer all the questions asked by the dispatcher. These questions are necessary for the safety of everyone involved. In most cases, the police officers, firefighters or paramedics are already on their way to help while you are talking to the dispatcher.

DESCRIBING A PERSON

Dispatchers cannot see or hear what you can. The dispatcher needs the caller to "paint a picture" with words; a picture that can be relayed to the police officers on their way to help you.

There are certain questions that a dispatcher will ask regarding person descriptions. These descriptions are then passed on to the responding officers so that they can identify the persons responsible for the crime.

Other questions a dispatcher will ask are:

Name
Sex
Race
Age
Height/Weight
Scars
Tattoos
Glasses
Facial Hair
Clothing from head to toe (hat, jacket, sweater, shirt, pants, shorts, skirt, shoes)

DESCRIBING A VEHICLE

There are certain questions that a dispatcher will ask regarding vehicle descriptions. These descriptions are then passed on to the responding officers so that they can identify the vehicle trying to leave the scene of a crime.

Here is a list of questions a dispatcher will ask about the description:

Color
Year
Make
Body Style
Misc Info
License Plate