Policy Text
Policy
331Buena Park Police Department
Buena Park PD Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/09/23, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Buena Park Police DepartmentIdentity Theft - 1Identity Theft
331.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Identity theft is a growing trend that frequently involves related crimes in multiple jurisdictions. This
policy is intended to provide guidelines for the reporting and investigation of such crimes.
331.1.1 ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
This section pertains to the following CALEA Standards: N/A
331.2 POLICY
It is the policy of the Buena Park Police Department to document and investigate all identity theft
crimes reported by residents of the City of Buena Park, and all reported identity theft crimes
occurring in the City of Buena Park.
331.3 REPORTING
In an effort to maintain uniformity in reporting, officers presented with the crime of identity
theft (Penal Code § 530.6) shall initiate a report for victims residing within the jurisdiction of
this department when the crime occurred. For incidents of identity theft occurring outside this
jurisdiction, officers should observe the following:
(a)For any victim not residing within this jurisdiction, the officer may either take a courtesy
report to be forwarded to the victim's residence agency or the victim should be
encouraged to promptly report the identity theft to the law enforcement agency where
he or she resides.
(b)While the crime of identity theft should be reported to the law enforcement agency
where the victim resides, officers of this department should investigate and report
crimes occurring within this jurisdiction which have resulted from the original identity
theft (e.g., the identity theft occurred elsewhere, but the credit card fraud occurred and
is reported in this jurisdiction).
(c)Officers should include all known incidents of fraudulent activity (e.g., credit card
number applied for in victim's name when the victim has never made such an
application).
(d)Officers should also cross-reference all known reports made by the victim (e.g., U.S.
Secret Service, credit reporting bureaus, U.S. Postal Service and DMV) with all known
report numbers.
(e)The reporting officer should inform victims of identity theft that the California Identity
Theft Registry is available to help those who are wrongly linked to crimes. The registry
can be checked by law enforcement and other authorized persons to investigate
whether a criminal history or want was created in the victim's name ( Penal Code §
530.7). Information regarding the California Identity Theft Registry can be obtained by
calling toll free (888) 880-0240.
Buena Park Police Department
Buena Park PD Policy Manual
Identity Theft
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/09/23, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Buena Park Police DepartmentIdentity Theft - 2(f)Following supervisory review and department processing, the initial report should be
forwarded to the appropriate detective for follow-up investigation, coordination with
other agencies and prosecution as circumstances dictate.
331.4 PREVENTION AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE
Fraud prevention materials and information are available on the Buena Park Police Department
website and at the Police Department front counter. The Detective Bureau Sergeant is responsible
for updating the material and information when necessary.
Department employees should offer a "Preventing Identity Theft" information pamphlet to all
victims of identity theft.