The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is advising residents to report certain types of crime online in an effort to better serve the community.

While an emergency or a crime in progress should be reported immediately by calling 911, crimes like theft or robbery can be reported through the Sheriff’s Online Report Tracking  System, or SORTS.

The process was first introduced last year and allows sheriff’s officials to more efficiently process and address each reported crime.

“There are a lot of crimes that are not being reported because people don’t think it’s important,” said Shirley Miller, public information officer for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.  “If five cars are broken into, but only one of the owners filed a report, it makes finding the perpetrator more difficult.”

Not only does SORTS give overloaded law enforcement officials the opportunity to focus on more serious crime, it also allows them to get a better picture of where when, how and what types of crimes are being committed.

When each of the pieces of information are put together, sheriff’s officials are more likely to zero in on the “who” of the equation.

SORTS can be accessed on the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s website and will ask the user a series of questions to better understand the crime being reported.

The following incidents can be reported using the online form:

• Lost or stolen cell phones valued $950 or less.
• Lost or stolen property valued $950 or less.
• Vandalism, excluding graffiti, where damage is valued under $400.
• Theft from an unlocked vehicle valued $950 or less.
• Theft from an open or unsecured area valued $950 or less.

Since law enforcement officials maintain a database of stolen items, sheriff’s officials say that keeping track of serial numbers, whether for an phone, iPad or any other device, can greatly help the chances of recovering the stolen property.

“We want to be able to help people recover their property and help detectives link crimes together,” said Miller.