AJ 53 –
Police Field Operations
Chapter 13 –
Reporting and Records
Importance of Report Writing
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To ensure Due Process, must have
sufficient information & evidence to assist…
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Follow-Up Investigators
Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys
Judges, Jury Members
Legal document which becomes a
permanent record of particular crime or
incident
Impact of report writing?
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May take up 50% of actual patrol shift!
Uses of Reports
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Identify, apprehend,
prosecute criminals
Assist DA’s, PD’s, &
other agencies
Assist officer before
& during testimony
Help determine civil
liability
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Compile criminal
justice statistics
Allocate resources
Provide information
for Media & Public
Serve as basis for
officer performance
evaluation
Field Notes
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Provide basic information for report
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Must be clear and accurate!
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Identifying information of all parties
Summary of individuals’ statements
Weather, lighting, etc.
Must be able to read/understand what you wrote
Names, addresses, times, etc.
Serve as outline for final Report
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Face Page and Narrative
Field Note Considerations
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Best type of notebook to use?
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New/separate page for each incident
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Clearly indicate date/time/case no., etc.
Tape record interviews when possible
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Advantages/Disadvantages to each size
Consider having more than one available
Aids with recall of exact statements made
Include Facts only, no personal opinions
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Field notes are Discoverable!
Questions to Ask
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Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
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Refer to list, page 436-437
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Retain or Destroy?
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May be determined by Department Policy
If you choose to retain…
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How? Where? How long?
Courts have upheld destruction, if…
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Notes destroyed in good faith
Content has been transferred to report
Report accurately represents notes
Defense has access to officer’s report
Note-Taking Techniques
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Interview people individually/separately
Use quotation marks for exact quotes
Paraphrase statements but do not
compromise on accuracy
Keep notes clear, simple, and legible!
Establish a consistent style
Report-Writing Considerations
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Must describe something you may not
have witnessed personally
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Must clearly describe event to others
who were not present
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Relying on second/third-hand accounts
Supervisors, Investigators, DA, Court, etc.
Due Process requires report to be…
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Clear, Factual, Accurate, Complete
Report Writing (continued)
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Review notes
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Make an Outline
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Clarity and accuracy of information
Arrange notes in chronological order
Identify key actions, statements, etc
Mentally create a rough draft before
writing actual report
Proofread after writing report
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Print & read, read aloud, another
person…
Narrative Content & Format
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Introduction
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Body
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Day, date, time, location
How officer became involved
Victim/Witness statements
Conclusion
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Officer actions
Disposition of evidence, suspects, etc.
Follow-up required
Report Content
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Free Flowing Narrative style
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First-Person vs. Third-Person
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As if telling a story to someone
Use paragraphs for clarity & understandability
Officer = “I”
Names of Persons Involved
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Full names at first, last names thereafter
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May have to use first names for clarity
Avoid ambiguous pronouns, words, phrases, etc. (p. 454-455)
Facts vs. Opinions
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Report should be objectively factual/accurate
Opinions may be based on factual information
Types of Reports
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Crime/Offense/Arrest Reports
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Document occurrences of specific crimes…
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Suspect information, weapons used
Property, physical evidence, chain-of-custody
Incident Reports
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Corpus delicti, crime elements, MO
Document non-criminal or civil incidents/events
Specialized Report Forms
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Traffic Collision, DUI, 11550 H&S, 10851 VC, etc.
Records Management
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Law Enforcement relies heavily on reports and
records keeping
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Crime statistics
Types of calls
Response times
Records Management System
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Storage of reported data that is somehow retrievable
Must be reliable and accurate
Uses of LE Records
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Crimes & Incidents
Arrests
Offender Registration
Warrants
Wanted Persons
Missing Persons
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Lost/Stolen Property
Vehicle Registration
Stolen Vehicles
Towed Vehicles
Gun Registration