The Colorado Springs Police Department announced a new online reporting option this week for theft and related crimes, and a partnership with 988, Colorado’s Mental Health Hotline.

The online reporting system is intended to shave days off of the reporting process for non-violent crimes. Offenses like identity theft, non-residential and non-business break-ins, shoplifting, online scams and theft of money or property are supported by the system.

Many theft offenses take several days to be officially reported, sometimes up to a week, the department says. By having these reports filed online, the process is expedited exponentially, allowing an investigator to get assigned to a case quicker.

“(Victims of theft) usually call the non-emergency line to report a crime, and we might not have an officer available to take their call and file a report for several days, or sometimes a week later. Once an officer makes a report, it takes another several days to get the case to the appropriate investigator,” a department spokesperson said. “The online reporting option streamlines this process.”

Online reports filed with suspect identities tend to be responded to before those without, the spokesperson said.

The department’s partnership with 988 is intended to provide the Colorado Springs community with more mental health resources in moments of crisis.

The national 988 hotline was recently in the national news after the Trump administration announced the LGBTQ+ extension of the hotline will be discontinued on July 17. The LGBTQ+ extension pairs LGBTQ+ people with professionals who specialize in serving the queer community.

The Colorado 988 organization responded to this announcement on Tuesday, stating that the state hotline will continue to serve all people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and has a goal to serve “all members of every community in Colorado.”

The Police Department and 988’s partnership will allow dispatchers to connect callers directly with the mental health hotline. Only non-emergency callers will be referred to 988 — the Community Response Team will still provide emergency mental health care for those in need of immediate attention.

“A lot of (mental health related) callers just need someone to talk to. We often send an officer out to provide them with the resources they need. … Sometimes when you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you don’t always want to talk to the police. That isn’t always the most appropriate option,” the spokesperson said.