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

2. 3.0 Where Do I Begin?
A. For the writer, the incident starts when they ______ _________ on the scene.

3. 3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued
B. For the __________, it is when they first realize they are the victim.
C. For the ________, it is when they first see the action that makes them a witness. 

4. 3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued
D. Of course, for the __________, 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. 

5. 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 ____ in which the events occurred to the writer.

6. 3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued
H. It can work — and has worked since _______ 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.

7. 3.0 Where Do I Begin? Continued
J. The problems in clarity occurs when there are multiple ________, 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?”

8. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
A. This _________ is not what I would call a report. It is a ________ from the writer saying what happened to them. In fact, in most cases the ______ has already occurred and the writer is telling the story drawkcab……..
____________

9. 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 ________ the information. 

10. 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.

11. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
1. This one short paragraph is interpreted to mean you talked to all the _______ __________ and examined the evidence.
2. A report is ____ a statement of what the writer did (although this format can more or less work).

12. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
D. A report tells the story of what happened, based on the ______________ investigation.
E. Some writers are concerned about being required to __________ about what the report revealed. This is not a concern, if you do it right.

13. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
1. You only testify to what you _____, _______, or _____. 
2. When a witness tells you what they saw, you ________ testify to those facts, only that they said it to you.

14. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
3. Their information should be thoroughly ____________ in their own written statements.
4. Each witness, victim, or suspect will testify to their own part in the case.

15. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
F. Crime scene technicians and experts will testify to the _______ and how it relates to the case.
G. Your story, told in true chronological order, will be the guide to the _____________ of what happened.

16. 3.1 Telling the Story Backward
Continued 
G.1. It is like the outlines in a _________ ______.
2. The ____________ will add the ______with his presentation, using all the subjects and experts as his crayons to illustrate the picture — the story. 

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

18. 3.2 Setting the Scene
A. We start the process with the opening ________ I outlined above. B. You can change the verbiage to suit your own _______..

19. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
C. The important phrase is the last sentence, “___ investigation revealed the following information.”
D. This tells the reader that this is the story of ______ ____________.  

20. 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 ________,
2. __________ and
3. other ______________ before it is discussed.

21. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
In a convenience store robbery, set the time, location and victim before you describe the _________.
G.1. For example:

22. 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:

23. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
H. These _______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.

24. 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.

25. 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...”

26. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
I. If you have multiple ___________ 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 _______________ case with multiple suspects and multiple loss prevention officers.

27. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
K. Before starting the action, place all the ________. 
L. This makes it easy to _________ the action when it starts.
M. After you finish telling the story, you can add all the ________ that need to be included in the report not brought out in the story.

28. 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.

29. 3.2 Setting the Scene Continued
N. Using this process will ensure your report is
1. __________,
2. __________
3. __________ and
4. __________. 

30. 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 ____________. 1. He reads it and says, “This is __________.”

31. 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 _____ or ________ he doesn’t like.
3. You think, “_________ ___?” 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?

32. 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.

33. 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 _______ on who is pretty, good looking and who is not.
2. Well what makes it so, we all agree, but we cannot ____________ it.
3. We can point to ______________.

34. 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 ________________.
2. When you look at a person, your brain sizes up the organization of the face.

35. 3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d
Back to our reports.
2.a. Is it balanced?
b. Are the _______ even?
c. Are the _______ the right size for the head?
d. Are the ________________ balanced?
e. This is the same thing the new technological application is doing.
3. It is looking for organization and balance.

36. 3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d
4. What is it that the supervisor is _______________ picking up on in your report?
5. It is the organization. If it is not organized, it is ______ 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, ______.

37. 3.3 A simple way to improve your report writing – Cont’d
How do we fix it?
Answer, get _____________.

38. 3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person
A. Most reports police officers write are written in ______ person. B. They are telling the story of what ______________ to them. C. Unfortunately, this is a ______________ report.

39. 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 ________.

40. 3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person – Continued
2. This can make for a ___________ 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 ____________ to end, unless we were there when it started.

41. 3.4 Tell Your Story in First Person – Continued
E.1. How often does that happen?
2. Right... rarely!

42. 3.5 Chronology
A. Here is my solution to the problem. B. Tell the ______ in the order that it occurred. C. Gather all of your ____________ from the victim, the witnesses, sometimes the suspect, your observations, and the evidence.

43. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d
D. Put the information back in the ________ it actually occurred.
E. _______ order is easier to write and easier to read.
F. Some people have criticized this method because you did not ______ the incident as it actually happen.

44. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d G. My answer, it is not a ______________,
it is a ______________ of what happened and
it is supported by the _____________ of the people and the evidence.

45. 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 _______________ revealed the following information.”

46. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 3. This statement tells the reader that you
____________ to a crime,
__________ to a lot of people,
looked at the __________ and
this is what you have ______.

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. 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

50. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d
4. Remember, you are not writing a ___________ (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.

51. ________ 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 _______
____________ comes home
Husband _____ wife
________

52. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d
7. The facts in true order may be as follows: (Continued)
d. The hit leaves a _______
e. The ______ calls police
f. You arrive
g. You investigate
h. You _____ husband
i. Husband is taken to ______

53. 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.

54. 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

55. 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.

56. 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.”

57. 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.

58. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d
5.a. The bottom line: she was previously not ________ and the sergeant saw it as ugly.
b. She _________ it, and now it is good looking and well written.
c. The sergeant recognized the organization as a ______ report.

59. 3.5 Chronology- Cont’d 6. So I say to you,
a. ________________ it first and
b. write it __________.

60. QUESTIONS

61. 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.