1. Chapter 3 Writing Effective Reports1-

2. 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-

3. 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-

4. 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-

5. 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-

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

7. 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-

8. 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-

9. 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-

10. 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-

11. 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-

12. 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-

13. 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-

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

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

16. 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-

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

18. 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-

19. 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-