REPORT WRITING IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT TASK

A written or electronic communication on  a departmental form; A report form is a preprinted set of questions; that  are made at  or about the time of an event for investigative purposes; Statements of  what people have said }Permanent record

WHO READS YOUR REPORTS?

Documentation taken by individual officers in reference to crimes, incidents, arrests and other daily activities operational reports are those associated with the patrol officer.

Reports that affect the administration of a department (ex. Personnel evaluations, budget reports, crime analysis, statistical breakdowns, disciplinary forms, etc.)

Whenever departmental policies prescribes Whenever police action is taken is when officers should initiate a report.

Factual •Un-clear •Incomplete •Concise •Impartial •Transition words •Cardinal rule are elements of a good report

Prewriting, organizing, revising for clarity, writing in first person and proofreading are steps to a successful report

This technique involves the officer writing or typing  a brief sketch of the narrative on a separate piece of paper in order to identify errors before it is transcribed to the actual report

Using the prewritten text,  officers should recheck the order in which events were written for accuracy. In the heat of the moment, a small detail may inadvertently be omitted. This could cause problems later for the officer attempting to present his/her case in court. It is imperative that the event are recorded in chronological order

Clutter, jargon, ambiguity and bias can undermine a well-organized report. 

The goal of most reports is to be brief and to the point, officers should record the events using the simplest language possible with  without sacrificing clarity

This essential step ensures that reports are not forwarded with spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Even if the report is transmitted electronically, it s a good idea to proof the document. Often times software programs cannot tell the difference between “misspelled” word and one that is issued out of context

Observations an officer makes at the scene of an incident. They include things such as the demeanor of a DUI suspect or to the extend of injuries to a crime victim

Verifiable facts as the subject’s address, the color of a vehicle or the date and time of the incident.  CHECKING FOR ACCURACY IS A MUST!  NEVER INCLUDE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE NOT VERIFIED

Personal  observations recorded by the officer at the scene of an event or at the  time information is first gathered 

A field not- book can be entered into evidence

How is the field notebook helpful to a  police  officer?

A narrative should describe the details of what an officer has learned about the incident/event/offense

The address to a location where the incident/event occurred should be entered where?

The Agency's I.D., ORI is required on all incident reports

Either "YES" or "NO"  box must be checked on all incident types to not whether the offense was completed

An automobile is classified as a premise

The date on which the incident/event/crime occurred should always match the same date the officer or agency was notified, dispatched and arrived at the scene.