Chapter 3 Writing Effective Reports 1-

Introduction One of the most important skills investigators must develop is report writing Will examine how evidence is located and processed Will examine how witnesses, victims, suspects and others are questioned The report captures the essentials of an investigation 1-

The Importance of Reports EFFECTIVE REPORTS Need to be proficient 20 percent of time spent writing reports Poor reporting jeopardizes criminal prosecution Consider report usage Learning Objective: Do you know why reports are important to an investigation? Reports are permanent written records of important facts of a case to be used in the future and are a crucial and necessary cog in the wheel of justice. 1-

Uses of Reports VARIETY OF USES By the prosecuting attorneys in preparing the case By the responding police officer when testifying By the judge in determining the facts By the jury if a trial has resulted Will be read by many different people for many different reasons Learning Objective: Do you know how reports are used? Examine the past. Provide a documented record of incidents. Keep other police officers informed. Continue investigations. Prepare court cases. Provide the courts with relevant facts. Coordinate law enforcement activities. Plan for future law enforcement services. Evaluate individual officer and department performance. Refresh a witness’s memory about what he or she said occurred. Refresh the investigating officer’s memory during the trial. Compile statistics on crime in a given jurisdiction. Provide information to insurance investigators. 1-

The Audience VARIETY OF READERS Other officers Supervisors Attorneys and judges Jurors City officials Continued Learning Objective: Do you know who reads your reports? Other officers. Supervisors. Attorneys and judges. Jurors. City officials. Insurance adjusters and investigators. Civil rights groups. Citizens. Media. 1-

The Audience (Continued) VARIETY OF READERS Insurance adjusters and investigators Civil rights groups Citizens Media 1-

Common Problems with Many Police Reports INEFFECTIVE REPORTS Writing effective reports is a skill that must be learned Training officers encourage recruits to take shortcuts Overtime can occur with thorough, accurate, complex reports Effective report writing skills may not be recognized as important Learning Objective: Do you know what common problems occur in many police reports? Confusing or unclear sentences. Conclusions, assumptions and opinions. Extreme wordiness and overuse of police jargon and abbreviations. Missing or incomplete information. Misspelled words and grammatical or mechanical errors. Referring to “above” information. 1-

The Well-Written Report: From Start to Finish ORGANIZING INFORMATION Cornerstone of good report writing is organization The writer plans in advance First make an informal outline List what to include under each outline heading List the facts in chronological order 1-

The Well-Written Report: From Start to Finish STRUCTURING THE NARRATIVE Opening paragraph Next paragraph contains what the victim or witness said Next record what you did Final paragraph states the disposition of the case 1-

The Well-Written Report: From Start to Finish CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE REPORTS Content, or what is said Form, or how it is written Factual Accurate Objective Continued Learning Objective: Do you know which is more important: content or form? The effective report writer attends to both content and form because they are equally important in a well-written report. Do you know what the characteristics of effective investigative reports are? An effective report is factual, accurate, objective, complete, concise, clear, grammatically and mechanically correct, written in Standard English, organized into paragraphs and written in the past tense; uses the first person and active voice; and is audience focused and legible, leaving the reader with a positive impression of the writer’s competence. A well-written report is also submitted on time. Do you know how to differentiate between facts, inferences and opinions? Fact: A statement that can be proven. Example: The man has a bulge in his black leather jacket pocket. Inference: A conclusion based on reasoning. Example: The man is probably carrying a gun. Opinion: A personal belief. Example: Black leather jackets are cool. 1-

The Well-Written Report: From Start to Finish (Continued) CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE REPORTS Complete Concise Clear Grammatically and mechanically correct Written in Standard English Continued 1-

The Well-Written Report: From Start to Finish (Continued) CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE REPORTS Paragraphs Past tense First person Active voice Audience focused Legible and on time 1-

Recording and Dictating Reports TRANSCRIPTION Recording or dictating reports is common in some departments Demand for transcription services and software is increasing across the country More efficient and less costly Bulk of writing to records division 1-

Computerized Report Writing EFFICIENT DATA TRANSFER Hardware Software Spell check programs Presynct_DictaTrans Cannot correct sloppy data entry 1-

Evaluating Your Report EVALUATION CHECKLIST Reread it Proofread Check spelling, punctuation and capitalization Check grammar Is it audience focused? 1-

Citizen Online Report Writing ONLINE CRIME REPORTS Benefits Increase caseload processing efficiency Increase patrol officer effectiveness Private security guards file shoplifting reports Reduction in writing reports for minor incidents Directly download into the department’s records 1-

The Final Report CULMINATION Prosecution report All essential information gathered Bring case to trial 1-

A Final Note on the Importance of Well-Written Reports REPORT OVERVIEW The importance of reports is clear Maximize the benefits a report can provide Write it well the first time Keep everyone current and clear on the facts Can greatly enhance an officer’s career Learning Objective: Do you know why your reports should be well written? A well-written report helps the criminal justice system operate more efficiently and effectively, saves the department time and expense, reduces liability for the department and the officer and reflects positively on the investigator who wrote it. 1-

Summary Reports are permanent written records of important facts of a case The effective report writer attends to both content and form An effective report is factual A well-written report helps the criminal justice system operate more efficiently and effectively 1-