Getting a copy of an accident or incident report from the City of Danville Police Department used to require a trip to police headquarters.
No longer.
Citizens now can search and download these reports or view recent arrests and wanted person lists through the city’s new P2C or police-to-citizen website.
They also can use the website to find out whom Danville has confined in the city jail and adult detention center.
The website – p2c.danvilleva.gov – will save time and money, say Danville Police and the Danville Sheriff’s Office.
“Citizens often will call or visit the Police Department inquiring about the status of incident and accident reports. In all instances, citizens must wait for staff members to research their request,” Police Maj. Chris Wiles said. “With P2C, citizens can view and print information at their convenience.”
If a citizen where to request a report in person from the Police Department, then they would be charged a fee of $5. With P2C, citizens can download information free of charge.
The City of Danville Sheriff’s Office also receives frequent calls and inquiries regarding the status of inmates and the criminal charges they face.
Sheriff Mike Mondul said, “Giving the public the ability via the Internet to find out whether or not someone is in jail, their arrest date, and where they are housed (jail or adult detention) is a huge advantage for our staff and the public. It will save time, and allow our staff to be more productive performing other core duties. This is an important step forward in the city’s information sharing initiative which streamlines productivity in the process.”
P2C uses an application built by the software and technology company SunGard Data Systems to pull data from the Police Department’s records management system and the Sheriff’s Office’s jail management system.
Wiles and Mondul said the information available online is no more and no less than the information provided when visiting or calling police headquarters and the Sheriff’s Office. Sensitive information in all records made available to the public is redacted because of privacy and investigative concerns.
Work on setting up the website began last fall and it includes records from December 2013 onward.
To obtain an accident report online, citizens must have three pieces of information: the first and last name of the person involved and the case number provided by the officer in charge at the scene of the crash.
For incident reports, citizens can search by the date of the incident, range of dates, name and location.
The database for recent arrests is not searchable, but information is provided in an alphabetized display by last name. Recent arrests are those made within the previous seven days.
Two wanted person lists are available. One list is an alphabetized display of all persons wanted on felony and misdemeanor charges. The second list is the Police Department's “Top 20 Most Wanted” developed as the result of criminal investigations, often in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, that have resulted in the issuance of an arrest warrant for the suspect.