Class Name, Instructor Name Lasley & Guskos, Criminal Investigation: An Illustrated Case Study Approach 1ed Chapter 6 INVESTIGATIVE REPORT WRITING Class Name, Instructor Name Date, Semester

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES Understand the importance of field notes and their use in incident/crime reports Explain the circumstances in which field notes are commonly taken Know the basic information contained in an incident/crime report Explain the required contents of incident/crime reports and the term FACCCT Know the different types of incident/crime reports Summarize how to take written and recorded statements

Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Understand the importance of field notes and their use in incident/crime reports

Reasons for Field Notes Observations Interviews Memory Recall

Explain the circumstances in which field notes are commonly taken Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Explain the circumstances in which field notes are commonly taken

FIELD NOTE BENEFITS Persons involved in criminal activity Previous interviews conducted Exact statements made by suspects and witnesses Information can help with future leads References can be checked for consistency with other investigators’ notes Refresh an investigators memory for testifying in court Crime scene sketches Notes, statements, etc. Can be used as admissible evidence

Know the basic information contained in an incident/crime report Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Know the basic information contained in an incident/crime report

Basic Report

Emergency medical personnel Who? Who? Victims Suspects Informants Emergency medical personnel Officers Witnesses

What? What? Damages Weapons Suspect vehicles Behaviors observed Sensory perceptions Victim’s routine

Suspect Vehicle

Hiding places of suspect Where? Where? Missing property Weapons stashed Hiding places of suspect Victims location Entry exit points Suspects residence

Where?

When? When? Crime was reported Suspect arrest Officer arrival and departure time Victim, witness, suspect interviews Physical evidence obtained Weather conditions

Why? Why? Attraction to victim Offenders took Offender in crime scene Victim in crime scene Type of weapon Crime not reported immediately Offenders took

Type of Weapon

How? How? Carried Victims crossed path with offender Suspected gained entry Suspect exited Stolen property disposed Witnesses saw/heard

Summarize how to take written and recorded statements Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Summarize how to take written and recorded statements

Strategies for Effective Field Notes Attention to detail Consistency and organized format Adopt and effective recording style 19 19

Writing Incident/Crime Reports Official Document that goes to: Supervisors Prosecutors Judges Probation & Parole Officers Defense Attorneys Insurance Agents Other Investigators Crime Analysts 20 20

Crime Reports

The Face Sheet Face Sheet Time, date, nature of crime Suspect, victim, subject Reporting officer Evidence obtained Property stolen & value Requests

Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Explain the required contents of incident/crime reports and the term FACCCT

FACCCT F-factual, include only factual information that is objective and relevant A-accurate, avoid including information that is inconsistent and illogical C-clear, use words and terms that are clear and unambiguous

FACCCT C-concise, don’t be wordy, don’t provide more information than is necessary C-complete, make sure all Ws & H are covered and factually supported T-timely, make sure the report is submitted within deadlines

Report Writing Tips Avoid imprecise or wordy forms of grammar Avoid including personal opinions Avoid misquoting statements Avoid repeating information Avoid using excessive or unfamiliar abbreviations Avoid overstating or and overpunctuating Avoid sloppy and careless work

Know the different types of incident/crime reports Learning Objectives After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes Know the different types of incident/crime reports

Specialized Crime Reports Private Person’s Arrest Citizens arrest form “Who Done it?” Workable information that could lead to a suspect Missing Persons Missing after 24 hours

Report Classifications Classification of categories: Closed: settled by officer or investigator Unfounded: not enough information or not factual Referred for Follow-up: investigators decide on further investigations Inactive: will not be investigated further 30

CHAPTER SUMMARY Field notes are the basis for the incident report. An investigative report often is written several hours after the investigation of a specific event or incident. Certain types of information such as statements, times, observations, addresses, and so on can be easily forgotten or confused with other information if not recorded while still fresh in the officer’s mind. Noting times is very important to the crime because this establishes a timeline of events as they took place. Field notes are the first step in the investigative process and create a visual picture for those who need to further investigate the matter noted. The field notes are documented at the scene of the incident and afterward are transcribed to various parts of the incident report. Field notes should be taken at the scene of an event or incident or when interviewing persons (e.g., victims, witness, suspects). They should also be taken whenever an officer wishes to record specific facts for a crime report and any time the officer wishes to remember specific details later on.

CHAPTER SUMMARY Victims and witness information is to include full name, age, date of birth, race, sex, address, and both home and work phone numbers. This basic information will allow investigators to follow up as needed to further investigate the case. FACCCT is an acronym describing the detail listed within an incident report. The first letter, “F”, refers to factual information. The second letter, “A”, refers to accurate information, as any report must provide accurate information to further investigations and prosecution. The three Cs stand for clear, concise, and complete. The last letter, “T”, refers to timely. Crime reports have to be clearly written and concise in the information presented.

CHAPTER SUMMARY There is a report taken with no workable information, which is a report that has no information for follow-up by investigators. Another report is one that does have workable information for follow-up by investigators. Another type of report is a missing person report. This report must be taken in person or over the phone. Incident reports assist with identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting criminals. They serve as source documents for filing criminal complaints and recording the entire investigation process, and they provide a basis for follow-up.