AJ 151 Quiz

Tense

All police reports are written in past tense

What are reports used for?

Assist with Identifying, apprehension, and prosecution of criminals Assist prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other law enforcement agencies Assist officers for court appearances Crime analysis A source of information for evaluating an officer's performance Assist in determining potential civil liability

Field Notebooks

Case Number Date of Incident Time of Interviews/Actions Subject Information Statements Crime Scene Details/Diagram

Who uses reports?

Detectives/Investigators Other law enforcement agencies Attorneys (Prosecutors, Defense, Appeals or Civil) Probation/Parole Agents Involved Parties Media Insurance Agencies

When or where to use your interviewing and note taking skills?

Crime Scene Anytime you want to remember specific details at a later time Interviewing persons: Victims Witnesses Suspects

Traits of a report: Reports should follow 6 characteristics under the acronym F.A.C.C.C.T

Factual Accurate Clear Concise Complete Timely

Information Needed for: Victims/Suspects/Witnesses

Full Name (First Middle Last) Date of Birth (DOB) and Age Race Driver's License/Social Security Card Address (home, work, school) Telephone numbers (home, work, school, pager, cell phone) Best time/place to contact Vehicle involved? Describe: year, make, model, type, color Direction of travel? How long ago?

Complete Report Continued

Know the meaning of the words or do not use them If you are going to refer to more than one victim, suspect, or officer use their names Use short concise sentences (get to the point) Use the active voice (begin each sentence by identifying the person who committed the act followed by what the person did, and to whom the subject did it) -Ex: "Mr. Doe found the gun in the trash can" PROOFREAD your report

Objective of this class

Learn how to take notes in the field/class Learn how to prepare police crime reports Understand the importance of report writing in the successful prosecution of cases Understand the role of police documents Enhance your observation skills/abilities Learn how to obtain information from victims, witnesses, and suspects (interviewing)

Follow these 3 steps for interviewing & note taking:

Listen actively Take notes and ask questions Verify information

Elements of Robbery

Penal Code 211. Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear

Documentation

Person knowledge (if you observed or heard something, indicate it in the report) Hearsay (if someone else observed or head something, include their name and explain their circumstances) Statements (always take statements from everyone who was involved) Ex: witnesses, victims, suspects List all property descriptions and value Times of occurrence (dispatched, arrived)

Importance of Report Writting II

Police reports are very important to the judicial process so each report must be able to face critical review and legal scrutiny Reports should contain only facts that occurred Describe nature of crime Describe all circumstances "The elements"

Effectiveness of Report Writting

Police reports become a Permanent record of facts used to coordinate follow-up investigative leads Provide basis prosecution (may be used by defense for impeachment) Agency review (reports are read before they are sent to the District Attorney office) District Attorney review (reports which are incomplete or difficult to understand are often rejected for prosecuting the case Defense Attorney review (impressions of your ability to testify will e based on how the officer prepared his/her report

Importance of Report Writing I

They failed to take the time to write accurate reorts Fail to read them before testifying in court

Not a primary objective of this class

To teach you how to write

Tell the Story

What let up to the fight? Relationship background?

Do not put the following in reports:

Where required by department police Non-facts (include only facts) Assumptions/Theories There are limited exceptions for opinions Where an observation and your opinion support probable cause for certain action-vehicle search or search warrant Testimony based on expertise (DRE)

A Complete Report should contain and answer:

Who was involved? What happend? When did everything happen? Where did it happen? Why did it happen? How did it happen?

Organization of notes

Write in BLACK ink ONLY! Write Classroom Instruction Subject (What is being taught) Date (Month/Day/Year) Instructors Name (Last, First) Instructors Agency (below name)

What is an Investigative Report?

Written Document Write by a Police Officer or Police Representative (Ex. Community Service Officer, Police Service Aide, Security Officer, or Police Cadet) Related to an incident

Complete Report Continued

Written in chronological order Avoid writing reports off the "top of your head" Use your notes for reference or to refresh your memory Use short, simple, and easy to understand words Avoid police jargon or slang terms (ex: radio codes, words such as: affirmative, exited the car, stand-by, back-up, cuffed Avoid using big words when shorter words will express the same meaning