Quick Guide to Report Writing

Quick Guide to Report Writing Ask a few key questions to determine what style of writing will be necessary for the report:  Am I checking boxes and choosing items from drop down menus? If so, there will not be much that the officer will need to fill out in his/her own words.  Am I typing the information into a web based reporting system? If so, there will be numerous ways to check spelling, grammar, and change information easily if a mistake is made.  Will I be required to hand write the report? If yes , be extra vigilant in checking for spelling errors, as there will be no system to correct these mistakes.  Quality of the Officers work An effective report will reflect the quality of the officer’s work in the field. Things such as how much information was given, and if the officer filled out the report in a way that will aid the prosecutor or defendant (if not guilty) in getting a favorable outcome. An example of this would be:  Filling out ALL information: If information is left out of the report, this could look as though the officer had a lack of skill in filling out their report. If information is unknown or not applicable to the situation, fill in “UNK”, or “N/A”. Never leave anything blank Writing a police report is the telling of the events that happened at the crime scene, as well as giving crucial information about the witnesses, the information they gave, and writing any inferences that the officer may have drawn after all information has been given.  Who, what, when, where, why, and how. “The five w’s and how” will be an officers best guide to getting all information into the report in a way that is cohesive and easily understood by all who are reading it.  Who: Identify who the witnesses or suspects are  What: What incident took place  When: when did the crime take place  Where: Where did the crime take place, i.e. street names, buildings, areas  Why: Why was the witness at the crime scene  How: How did the witness perceive the incident? What did they feel, see, hear etc. How will the report be filled out? Requirements in a police report.  Accurate and legible writing. Accurate and legible writing may seem an afterthought to the officer once they have gotten all of their information in the report, but making sure the report fits this requirement could make a substantial difference in how useful the report is.  Spell Check .  Read the report out loud  As a fellow officer to go over the report with you for cohesiveness  Less “ jargon ”, more simple terms. Many professionals are notorious for using “jargon” when speaking or writing about their field. This type of report writing could be confusing to anyone else who may need to access and draw information from the report. While this style of wording is not incorrect, it may result in the officer having to further explain themselves which could be easily avoided if the off icer writes in more simplistic terms. An example would be: “The perpetrator approached the crime scene, and engaged with the victim at midnight” instead consider: “The suspect came to the crime scene and talked with Mrs. Jones at midnight” While the first example is not even particularly complex, the jurors may have a harder time comprehending that sentence, even if they know what the words mean individually. To summarize, an effective report has all the elements as described above. The officer must identify what style of report he/she will be filling out so as to deliver it in the most effective way. The report must contain “the five w’s and how”, this will cove r all the important bases of the incident and ensure the officer does not leave crucial information out. Ensure that the report is written with accuracy and is legible for anyone who might read it, and leave out any “jargon” to make sure that anyone, espec ially jurors can understand what the officer is referring to in his/her report.  Importance in the criminal Justice world. There are many ways that an effective report is essential to the criminal justice world. For example: In the court room, an officer may be asked to testify about a case that he/she worked on many years prior. There are a few ways in which an effective report will be invaluable to the officer and the case:  The officer’s credibility will not be in question  The officer will easily be abl e to reference the report to answer any questions about the case.  An effective report may land a conviction of the suspect Why is effecitve report writing essential?