Quick Guide to Report Writing

Quick Guide to Report Writing Types of written communication Incident/ crime report: Form used for documenting information for a criminal investigation Briefing: Common document done for use in the courtroom consists of a simple summary of a case. Administrative forms: Officers use these for internal memos, to request time off, to report extra duty worked, or to request maintenance for damaged or malfunctioning equipment. Addendum report: A supplemental report written at a later time after the original report. It adds new info discovered about the incident in the original report. MAIN REQUIREMENTS AN D FEATURES OF A REPO RT: Write clearly -Initial police report is crucial to a successful prosecution -Short, simple, sentences -reports are written to pass on information, not to entertain or impress an audience Use everyday language  First person  active voice “I saw two men.”  avoid using street words like “crank” or “hubba”, instead say methamphetamine or crack cocaine  Third person  Passive voice “Two men were observed.” Be complete and accurate 1) Identifying information for each suspect, victim, and witness (name, address, contact information, physical description) -when suspects have not been identified 2) Location, vehicles used, and generalized details of the type of incident Do not rush through the narrative “unknown” and “not applicable” actually provide information and increase a reports clarity, compared to leaving the space empty Use the Five W’s + How  Background on WHO the witness is  WHAT the witness was doing there  WHEN the witness arrived at the scene  WHERE the witness was then he saw the incident  WHY the witness was th ere  HOW did the witness perceive the incident? Did the witness hear it or see it? Incorporate a beginning, middle, and end in your report Beginning : Identifying the individuals referred to in a report as a victim, suspect, or witness is a useful aid in keeping a reader from bec oming confused Middle : includes all the investigative efforts the officer makes to solve the crime -the middle of the story assists investigators who follow up on the crime by telling them with whom the officer spoke and what they said at the time, which m ay suggest further lines of inquiry the detective can use End : should include the outcome of the investigation as of the time the report was written Recording everything is vital in a forensic report. If you did not record something in your report, it was not done.

Recording what you did NOT do, and why you did not do it, is also important. Keeping these requirements and features in mind will help you in writing an effective report and help you solve more cases. It is essential that you do not forget any of these because even if you leave one thing out, or are not doing your job and staying observant, you could lose a case for something as simple as rus hing though and not double checking that you have everything. It is important to remember that the documents you produce in your daily job in the criminal justice world might become legal documents in the court room. So that being said, you need to produce the best possible report, even in “obvious” cases that you think do not matter.