Law Enforcement Report Writing UNIT THREE Where Do I Begin, order & SETTING THE SCENE

3.0 Where Do I Begin? A. For the writer, the incident starts when they first arrive on the scene.

3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued B. For the victim, it is when they first realize they are the victim. C. For the witness, it is when they first see the action that makes them a witness. 

3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued D. Of course, for the suspect, it is when they make that conscious decision to commit the crime.  E. When we say chronological order — meaning true chronological order — we’re talking a bout the order in which the events actually occurred. 

3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued F. Many reports begin this way: While on patrol, (date and time) I received a call to (location). Upon my arrival, I spoke to the victim, (name) who said... G. This format is told in the order in which the events occurred to the writer.

3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued H. It can work — and has worked since report writing began — in simple cases with few principals, facts, and evidence. I. these cases, it is easy to use and can be understood fairly well.

3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued J. The problems in clarity occurs when there are multiple principals, a significant amount of evidence, and events occurred over a longer time period of time.  K. You know you’re having problems in your agency when you ask yourself, “Where do I begin?”

3.1 Telling the Story Backward A. This format is not what I would call a report. It is a statement from the writer saying what happened to them. In fact, in most cases the crime has already occurred and the writer is telling the story drawkcab…….. BACKWARD

3.1 Telling the Story Backward B. When asked why they write this way, many writers will state that they don’t want to make it look like they are “making it up” — they want to emphasize where they received the information. 

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  C. I have a simple startup paragraph that relieves this concern and makes it clear where the information came from: I, (name), on (date and time) received a call to (location) reference to (the crime). My investigation revealed the following information.

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  1. This one short paragraph is interpreted to mean you talked to all the parties involved and examined the evidence. 2. A report is not a statement of what the writer did (although this format can more or less work).

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  D. A report tells the story of what happened, based on the preliminary investigation. E. Some writers are concerned about being required to testify about what the report revealed. This is not a concern, if you do it right.

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  1. You only testify to what you did, heard, or saw.  2. When a witness tells you what they saw, you cannot testify to those facts, only that they said it to you.

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  3. Their information should be thoroughly documented in their own written statements. 4. Each witness, victim, or suspect will testify to their own part in the case.

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  F. Crime scene technicians and experts will testify to the evidence and how it relates to the case. G. Your story, told in true chronological order, will be the guide to the prosecutor of what happened.

3.1 Telling the Story Backward Continued  G.1. It is like the outlines in a coloring book. 2. The prosecutor will add the color with his presentation, using all the subjects and experts as his crayons to illustrate the picture — the story. 

Telling the Story Backward Continued  G.3. The investigating officer that writes the report is one of those crayons.

3.2 Setting the Scene A. We start the process with the opening statement I outlined above. B. You can change the verbiage to suit your own style..

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued C. The important phrase is the last sentence, “My investigation revealed the following information.” D. This tells the reader that this is the story of what happened.  

E. Your actions will be inserted in the story as it unfolds. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued E. Your actions will be inserted in the story as it unfolds. F. When you start, set the scene. G. Introduce 1. the people, 2. property and 3. other information before it is discussed.

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued In a convenience store robbery, set the time, location and victim before you describe the action. G.1. For example:

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued Mr. Jones was working as a store clerk on Jan 12th, 2013, at the Mid-Town Convenient store, 2501 E. Maple Street, at 2315 hours. Jones was standing behind the counter, facing the store. There were no other people in the store. G.2. For example:

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued H. These first sentences set the scene. The next sentence is the next thing that happens. 1. Approximately 2020 hours the suspect walked in the front door. 2. Each of the following sentences is merely a statement of what happened next.

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued a. The suspect walked around the store in a counter clockwise direction. b. When he emerged from the back of the store he was wearing a stocking mask.

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued c. He walked up to the counter and pointed a small revolver at the clerk. d. He said, “Give me all the money in the register...”

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued I. If you have multiple subjects involved in the event, introduce and place them all at the same time, before starting the action. J. A good example of this is a shoplifting case with multiple suspects and multiple loss prevention officers.

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued K. Before starting the action, place all the people.  L. This makes it easy to describe the action when it starts. M. After you finish telling the story, you can add all the facts that need to be included in the report not brought out in the story.

3.2 Setting the Scene EXAMPLE - Continued M.1. Evidence collected 2. Pictures taken 3. Statements of witnesses, the victim and even the suspect. 4. Advised suspect of his/her rights 5. Property recovered 6. Any other facts needed to be documented in the case.

3.2 Setting the Scene Continued N. Using this process will ensure your report is 1. clear, 2. factual 3. concise and 4. complete. 

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing A. What does police report writing have in common with "the beautiful people?“ B. You submit your report to the supervisor. 1. He reads it and says, “This is terrible.”

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing- Cont’d 2. When you ask what is wrong, he stutters, he stammers, he looks at the report and perhaps picks out some phrase or word he doesn’t like. 3. You think, “That’s it?” He hands it back to you and tells you to fix it. 4. You scratch your head and begin the rewrite, not sure what he wants. 5. What’s wrong with it?

Get the Picture….Visual

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d 6. You don’t know and he doesn’t know exactly how to articulate why he thinks it’s so bad. 7. He only knows he doesn’t like it. 8. Well, it is probably ugly. 9. You know what I mean. 10. You know it when you see it, but it is hard to define.

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d B. Look around you, look at the people you see everyday, look at the people on TV in magazines and the movies. 1. We all pretty much agree on who is pretty, good looking and who is not. 2. Well what makes it so, we all agree, but we cannot describe it. 3. We can point to examples.

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d C. If you have the talent, you can draw it. D. Most people do not know what it is, but most of us fail to really think about it. E. Well, here it is. 1. It is organization. 2. When you look at a person, your brain sizes up the organization of the face.

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d Back to our reports. 2.a. Is it balanced? b. Are the eyes even? c. Are the ears the right size for the head? d. Are the features balanced? e. This is the same thing the new technological application is doing. 3. It is looking for organization and balance.

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d 4. What is it that the supervisor is subconsciously picking up on in your report? 5. It is the organization. If it is not organized, it is ugly and the supervisor sees it. 6. Many times they don’t exactly know what it is they are seeing, like looking at the ugly person, the supervisor sees ugly, you know, ugly.

3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d How do we fix it? Answer, get organized.

3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person A. Most reports police officers write are written in first person. B. They are telling the story of what happened to them. C. Unfortunately, this is a backwards report.

3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person – Continued D. Most of them start, “I responded to a crime, I talked to the victim and they said….” and it goes on with the writer telling us what happened to them, the writer. 1. They are telling us what happened to them.

3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person – Continued 2. This can make for a confusing story as it is told from back to front, or middle to back and then back to front. E. Rarely do we tell the story from the true beginning to end, unless we were there when it started.

3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person – Continued E.1. How often does that happen? 2. Right... rarely!

3.5 Chronology A. Here is my solution to the problem. B. Tell the story in the order that it occurred. C. Gather all of your information from the victim, the witnesses, sometimes the suspect, your observations, and the evidence.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d D. Put the information back in the order it actually occurred. E. Time order is easier to write and easier to read. F. Some people have criticized this method because you did not see the incident as it actually happen.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d G. My answer, it is not a statement, it is a description of what happened and it is supported by the testimony of the people and the evidence.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d H. To clarify this at the outset, make this statement: 1.“On date and time, I Officer Name, responded to location reference to crime. 2. My investigation revealed the following information.”

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 3. This statement tells the reader that you responded to a crime, talked to a lot of people, looked at the evidence and this is what you have discovered.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d I. The process is easy. You go to the scene and gather all of your information, verify the facts, evaluate your evidence.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d I. The process is easy…Cont’d 2. The next step is to put those facts in true chronological order.

3.5.Chronology- Cont’d I.3. For example, you respond to a spouse abuse. You arrive and talk to the wife. She tells you the husband comes home, hits her, and leaves a bruise on her face. She called 911, you arrive, you investigate and he goes to jail

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 4. Remember, you are not writing a statement (what happened to you) or an arrest affidavit (sworn testimony of your opinion) leading to the probable cause. 5. You are merely telling the reader what happened.

ASSAULT 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 6. The first thing that happened is not you arriving, the first thing is, she was at home. 7. The facts in true order may be as follows: Wife is at home Husband comes home Husband hits wife ASSAULT

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 7. The facts in true order may be as follows: (Continued) d. The hit leaves a bruise e. The wife calls police f. You arrive g. You investigate h. You arrest husband i. Husband is taken to jail

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 8. This is an admittedly simplistic example. 9. However, it is an example of putting the even back into order. 10. When the supervisor reads it, it will look good, because it is organized.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER J. In the instruction of report writing, I’ve found this to be an easier way to write the report and the end result has been well received by supervisors. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d K. In one case, a deputy came to class and shared with me the fact that her report writing was bad and she would be terminated if she did not improve. 1. Her Sergeant tried to tell her how to write the report, but was having a hard time explaining it.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d K.2. After learning this method, she told her sergeant about it. 3. He did not understand and told her, “You write the report, and I will tell you if it is OK.”

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d K. 4. During the weekend, she had the opportunity to work a complex call of a robbery, a pursuit, and an arrest. She used this simple process to write her report. 5. The sergeant read the report and exclaimed how good it was.

3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 5.a. The bottom line: she was previously not organized and the sergeant saw it as ugly. b. She organized it, and now it is good looking and well written. c. The sergeant recognized the organization as a good report.

Does this make sense? 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 6. So I say to you, a. organize it first and b. write it right. Does this make sense?

QUESTIONS

3.6 PRACTICAL EXERCISE Given your assigned scenario you are to complete a Bexar County Constable’s Office PCT#4 REPORT Form. You have 20 minutes to complete this task using everything you have learned so far.

SOURCES SOURCE: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Police-Report

Recognition Course Research & Development Deputy Sheriff Brian Higby, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy. (For Unit One) Dr. YongSok KIM, PhD. Criminal Justice Deputy Chief George D. Little, C.C.P.S., MS Counter-Terrorism & Criminology, 44-year LE Veteran