Writing Reports Chapter 9

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 COMMUNICATING THROUGH REPORTS Effective communication is essential in all police work. Police reports must set forth information in an accurate, concise, clear, and complete manner. Cop speak (police jargon) – Specialized vocabulary, or jargon, used by police. – Don’t use it in reports.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Report-Writing Guidelines Structural elements are typically included in a well- written report: – Who were the People Involved? – What Happened? – When did the Crime Occur? – Where did the Crime Occur? – How was the Crime Committed? – Why was the Crime Committed? Answering these six basic questions provides a kind of skeleton on which the reporting officer can hang the facts of the case.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4 Tests of a Report A checklist of traits of a solid report would include clarity, pertinence, brevity, comprehensiveness, accuracy, and a long list of other elements. Is the report complete, concise, clear, and accurate? Will an oral explanation be required to explain what is already included in the written report? Can the statements made in the report be proved, corroborated, or demonstrated by evidence? You want a “Yes” to question 1, a “No” to question 2, and a “Yes” to question 3.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 5 The Value of Reports Reports provide the data needed to investigate and apprehend criminals and to solve crimes. In some departments, officers come back to the station and type their reports on typewriters or computers. Others use computers to input their reports directly into the department’s information storage system and database.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 The Value of Reports Outside the agency, police provide information to their respective communities concerning the local crime rates and efforts planned or undertaken to reduce these rates. Internally, reports provide supervisors and administrators with information necessary for considering an agency’s policies, resources, procedures, and all other matters concerning the work in the organization.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD REPORT Completeness – Completeness means that the report contains all pertinent information. Conciseness – Reports should be written as a narrative but should eliminate nonessential modifiers or descriptors. Clarity – It must clearly explain exactly what the officer saw, heard, and did. – Short active-voice sentences lead to clear meaning and understanding. Accuracy – Reports must demonstrate accuracy to be valuable.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Language to Avoid Sexist language – Insensitive, politically incorrect language used in reference to gender or gender issues, occupations, and the like. Affected terms – Words or phrases that convey negative judgments or carry negative or pejorative attitudes about something.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Mechanical Elements Common to Police Reports Police reports are typically based on the various field notes taken by an officer or officers during the preliminary investigation. – Names – Race and Sex – Age – Addresses – Telephone Numbers – Addresses – Descriptions of People – Descriptions of Property

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Mechanical Elements Common to Police Reports Descriptions of Vehicles Description of Physical Areas Dates Times

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 11 Format of a Report Reports and reporting forms used by police agencies vary considerably. Differences in reporting forms are the result of: – department needs – requirements – policies – data collecting strategies and preferences The first section of most police report forms is a printed form section that can vary in length and content. Form section – A boxed section of a police report form designed for fill-in and check-off informational items.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Format of a Report The second portion of a police report form is the narrative section. Narrative section – A lined or blank section of a police report form designed for detailed descriptions and accounts of events. The narrative should be direct and clear, without tangents. Carefully spell out the following in the narrative section of the form: – details of the incident – descriptions of evidence – explanations of who found what and where it was found – descriptions of suspects – dispositions of the case Some agencies require a summary, or synopsis, of the full report as the first item in the narrative section.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 13 Major Parts of Police Reports

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 TYPES OF REPORTS Reports and reporting forms vary considerably in local, state, and federal agencies. Regardless of the variations and differences, police agencies tend to concern themselves with four basic categories of forms and reports: – Internal business-related reports – Technical and specialized equipment reports – Intelligence reports – Day-to-day operations reports

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 15 Misdemeanor and/or Miscellaneous Reports Sometimes such a report is called a complaint report or an incident report. Complaint or incident report – A police report written to document events surrounding misdemeanor and miscellaneous incidents. A sample completed misdemeanor and/or miscellaneous report involving a prowler complaint appears in Figure 9.3 (see next slide).

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Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 17 Felony Reports Felony report – A police record created to document the events surrounding a felony. – Many police agencies have specially printed felony crime report forms that contain the reporting requirements of that particular agency. Property report – A specific report directed toward documenting property taken or damaged during a crime. Evidence report – A report written about the evidence found at a crime scene. – Usually an evidence inventory is attached as part of the report.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 18

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Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 20 Follow-Up, Continuation, and Supplemental Reports Follow-up or supplemental report – A report written during the secondary level of criminal investigation, indicating any actions or information obtained after the initial report was written. – The label continuation report or supplemental report is sometimes used on reports describing crimes incidental or secondary to the primary felony. – In most instances, officers assigned to the case will draft the follow-up reports as work progresses.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 21 Arrest Reports Arrest report – A report that documents the circumstances of the arrest or detention of individuals by the police. Its purpose is to serve as a basis for prosecution. To accomplish its purpose, the report must meet two qualifications:  It must demonstrate a legal, proper arrest for which there was probable cause.  It must be complete and correct to serve as an adequate guide for follow-up investigation.

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Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 23 Arrest Reports Injuries Associated with an Arrest – People arrested are sometimes injured during the arrest or have been in fights or accidents before the arrest. – The injury or any illness noted should be described in the arrest report, and any medical or first-aid treatment administered at the scene should be documented.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 24 Arrest Report

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 25 Arrest Reports Property or Evidence Held in an Arrest When evidence is held or property is impounded as part of an arrest, all items should be accurately identified and described so that they can be released to a suspect or victim when they are no longer needed. Property receipts should be issued whenever possible.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 26 Vehicle Accident Reports Traffic collision report – A report that contains all the facts about the accident.

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 27 THE COMPLETED REPORT When a written report is completed, it is reviewed by the officer’s immediate supervisor. It may also be read by a number of others inside and outside the department: – Department administrators – Chief or sheriff – Record clerks – Court administrator – Other law enforcement agencies – Various assistant district attorneys – District attorney – Grand jury (in jurisdictions where they apply) – Defendant – Defense counsel – Trial judge – Various court officials and the Media