By next year, Los Angeles residents may be able to report traffic incidents, identity theft and even hit-and-runs without entering a police station or speaking with a police officer.

The Los Angeles Police Commission, which oversees the Los Angeles Police Department, on Tuesday allowed the department to proceed with a plan to shift some nonviolent crime reporting online, as well as shift requests for copies of police reports away from a paper-based system.

“This will make things a little easier to report a crime and to obtain reports,” Maggie Goodrich, chief information officer for LAPD, told the commission.

Included are reports needed for insurance claims, as in the case of traffic accidents and car break-ins, which Goodrich said would be the first to roll out.

Currently, all incident reports must be filed in person at a police station or with a police officer, and copies of police reports must be obtained at a station or through the U.S. Postal Service.

Under the plan, the city will contract with one of a handful of software companies that currently offer online police reporting systems. The selected company will integrate the online component into LAPD’s existing tracking systems.

The plan isn’t expected to roll out until sometime next year. With today’s vote, the department will issue a request for proposals, due by October 10. After that, it will weigh the proposals and return to the commission for approval.

Dozens of major cities, including San Diego and Sacramento, already use an online system for some crime reporting, and many more have websites for requesting police reports electronically.

However, cities vary on what can be reported online. Sacramento has extended online crime reporting to assault and battery as long as it did not result in serious injuries requiring hospitalization. San Diego allows for nonviolent offenses but only if the victim does not know the suspect.

The commission’s approval was unanimous. “Let’s hope this goes quickly and smoothly and we can soon have it online,” said commission president Andrea Sheridan Ordan.