If you or one of your family members has ever been the victim of a crime, you may know what it's like to feel vulnerable, frustrated, and sometimes even helpless. You want justice, but getting it isn't always easy.

Reno police officers say not every crime can be solved, but a new tool will help make things simpler for you, if you become a victim. It's an on line reporting system, called, "Cop Logic."

When Betty Brothers was involved in a hit-and-run here in Reno, she says it took the police an hour-and-a-half to respond.

They took a report, and told me there's really nothing they can do."

She says while her situation wasn't life-threatening...

"It was serious to me. That was my livelihood."

While frustrating for Brothers, this was before the on line reporting system was in place.

Lori Heidenreich of Reno PD says the police department gets bogged down with phone calls, and slammed with police reports...many times for crimes that have no evidence, no suspects, and no leads.

"The population has grown higher than the amount of available officers on patrol. So that would also mean a higher amount of crime out there. There are not enough people to send out for every one of the calls," said Lori Heidenreich, Supervisor of Community Services Officers.

She says the on line system allows victims of lower priority crimes, like vandalism or vehicle burglary, to report it without waiting on hold, waiting in line, or driving to the police department.

"We still go over all the reports, and read them. If we have more questions, we call to get more information. If there is evidence on scene, we can send an officer back out to their location," said Heidenreich.

Dawn Pontrelli of Sparks says when her car was damaged in a Reno parking lot, she knew she'd never find out who did it...but she still wanted to claim it on her insurance.

Pontrelli filed a report on line...and says by doing so, she kept our local police available for crimes where people's lives are at stake.

"It's like, they've got other things to bother with. The car was hurt and I wasn't. It saved me time and it saved them time," said Pontrelli.

Heidenreich says every time a police car is sent on a call, it costs about $40.00. An average of 200-300 on line reports are being filed in our area each month now, which she says is saving the city $8,000 to $10,000 a month.

If you are the victim of a non-violent crime, you can save yourself some time and frustration, by reporting it from your computer. Just go to www.cityofreno.com. Click on "Goverment," then "Police", then "On line Reporting System."