12. The Police Report
At the end of the lesson, students should be
able to
• Understand the purposes of the police report
• List the elements of a well written report
• Understand the various types of investigative
reports and the circumstances in which they
are used
13. The Police Report
The Police Report
A police report is the physical record of an
incident deemed to be illegal or potentially
illegal. It is taken by a representative of a
police department and filed according to said
department's procedure.
14. The Police Report
The Police Report
• Police reports are the natural culmination of
field notes
• Reports are a permanent record and are
intended to preserve information
• 15 to 20% of an officer’s duty time is
expended on report writing
15. Importance of Police Reports
• They provide a source of information while
police carry out an investigation
1. Allows passing of the case from one officer to another
2. Provides a factual record of the work done on a case,
eliminating duplication
3. Is a requisite for the proper preparation and presentation
of a case to the district attorney and to the court
• Helps a department stay organized
1. The memory system of a department
2. Serves as a written, permanent record of all department
business
16. Importance of Police Reports
• A report is an administrative necessity; most
official forms of communication are
completed using reports.
• Other purposes
• The basis for maintenance of identification and criminal
records in the area
• Aid in the recovery of lost or stolen property
• Contain information used to apprehend criminals
17. Importance of Police Reports
• Used in civil suits
• Provide factual data to combat ill-advised or
unreasonable demands on police
• Furnish information to the news media
18. When are incidents documented by
the police?
• Reports are written
– Whenever an arrest is made
– For all serious incidents like
• Bomb threats
• Homicides
• Robberies
• Officer discretion is involved in the report decision for minor
incidents, when no arrest is made, or when a crime has not
been committed
– Minor disturbances
– Noise complaints
– Minor thefts
20. Reports are Public Documents
• Most agencies must release law enforcement
reports as public documents
– To media
– To a private requester
• Mandated by law
21. Questions Police Reports Should Answer
• Who
– Committed the crime
– Was the victim
– Are the witnesses
– Reported the incident
• What
– Happened
– Was stolen
– Evidence exists
• When
– Did the crime occur
– Was the crime reported
• Where
– Did the crime occur
– Is the evidence
• How
– Did the crime occur
– Was the crime discovered
– Were the police notified
• Why
– Did the suspect commit the
crime
22. General Report Writing Guidelines
• It must contain precise data
• The typical report is totally objective
• Opinions and conclusions not based on fact do
not belong in a report
• Information in the report should be based on
fact
• The majority of facts in a report will have been
experienced by the officer directly
23. Specific Report Writing Rules
• It should be well organized
• Events should be in chronological order
• Reports should be accurate and brief
• Reports must be complete
• No slang or police jargon should be used
• Quotations should be accurate and reflect
exactly what was said ̶ including vulgarities,
slang, profanity, etc.
24. Five Essential Elements to a Police Report
• Completeness
• Conciseness
• Clearness
• Correctness
• Courteousness or fairness
26. Preliminary Reports:
What the Officer MUST Document
• The offense
• Current date and time
• Date and time of the offense, if known
• Identification data pertaining to the victim or
other reporting party
• Location of the offense
• Method of operation
• Identification data pertaining to the suspect
• Identification of the officer
27. Progress Reports:
What the Officer MUST Document
• Document the progress of the investigation
• Are normally due at specified intervals or
whenever investigative activity dictates
• Designed to ensure constant follow-up to the
initial crime occurrence
• Are common to all detective bureaus
28. Closing and Prosecution Reports:
What the Officer MUST Document
• May be on a separate “Closing Case” form
• Should be used with greater frequency
– Filters out essential information
– Identity of victims and witness are included
– Evidence information is included
• Lab test results
• How evidence was located at the scene
• Transmission of evidence
29. Reports are Links to Successful Prosecution
• Well-organized, accurate, and complete
reports are key
• Many successful plea negotiations resulting in
guilty pleas are due to well-written police
reports
• One of the biggest factors to a case going to
trial is a poorly written police report
30. Expectations from Police Officers
• The ability to write a good report can make or
break a case.
• A report that a police officer writes in his
squad car has the potential to make it to the
Supreme Court.
31. Expectations from Police Officers
• Observation
• An important skill in law enforcement.
• The better an officer observes things, the
better he or she can describe them
32. Styles of Reports
• Narrative
– Most widely used
– Information written in a logical manner or
sequence
• Chronological
– Events written in order of occurrence
– Time element is of prime importance
33. Essential Qualities of a Report
• Clear and complete sentences
• Proper grammar
• Detailed descriptions
34. Rules for Description
• Describe things without assuming.
• Use vivid language.
• Look for distinguishing marks, color, size, shape,
texture, location, type, etc.
• Paint a picture of a place with words.
• Describe people from top to bottom and include
characteristics such as manner of speaking,
walking, moving, items they are carrying, etc.
• Four Corners Rule – if it's not within the four
corners of the paper then it did not happen
35. Rules for Description
• Describe things without assuming.
• Use vivid language.
• Look for distinguishing marks, color, size, shape,
texture, location, type, etc.
• Paint a picture of a place with words.
• Describe people from top to bottom and include
characteristics such as manner of speaking,
walking, moving, items they are carrying, etc.
• Four Corners Rule – if it's not within the four
corners of the paper then it did not happen