Mod 3 Report Writing

a statement that can be verified or proven and has real, demonstrable existence

Fact

(1) consists of marking down brief observations and quotes from the incident (2) a way to ensure that pertinent information is recorded, (3) used to provide detailed documentation for writing a report

Note taking

a statement that can be open to different interpretations and expresses a belief not necessarily substantiated by proof.

Opinion

Chronological Organization

Organizing chronologically means sorting information by date and time from the first event to the last, especially useful writing a narrative and allows you to easily explain what happened, when, and in what order.

verb

Expresses an action, events or a state of being.

Report

(1) A permanent written account that communicates all available facts of an incident or event in a correctional setting. (2) A legal document that becomes a permanent written record of that event or incident.

A-B-C-D-E-F system (Category)

(1) A- Actions of the Officer (initial contact) (2) B- Behavior of inmate, victim/witnesses/suspects (3) C - Communication, the dialogue, direction or commands (4) D - Description of the scene, inmates, other after determining the nature of the incident. (5) E - Evidence, what and how items were collected and turned over (6) F - Final Disposition, describe how the issue/incident was resolved, what actions the officer took and the recommendations for further investigation if necessary.

Accurate

(1) Ensuring that it contains only what happened based solely on information, statements, and physical evidence collected. (2) Verifying that all facts and names are recorded and spelled correctly, and that numbers written in the report match those in the notes.

The five steps in writing a report

(1) Gathering, (2) recording, (3) organizing facts, (4) writing, (5) evaluating the report.

factors that can affect the clarity of a report.

(1) Organization of Information (2) Language Used (3) Writing Mechanics

factors that can affect a writer's ability to write concisely

(1) Word selection (2) Sentence Structure & Grammar (3) Relevance

Factual

(1) no personal opinions (2) no inferences (3) all witness accounts (4) avoid words with emotional overtones

FACCCT

-Factual -Accurate -Clear -Concise -Complete -Timely

minimum required logbook entries

1. Date (month/day/year) and time (24 hour clock) of each entry. 2. Names of all officers or staff assigned to the unit, work area, or security post. 3. Record of every shift change or relief or assumption of duty. 4. Inmate counts. 5. All scheduled events and inmate movement activity 6. Any unusual or unscheduled event 7. Anything not covered that is pertinent to the unit 8. log all staff "in" and "out" whenever they enter of exit the unit

According to policy, time entries are to be documented in a:

24 hour format.

Entries are to be made in chronological order at a minimum

30 minutes

# of steps to follow when writing a corrections report

5

6 primary questions within the body of the report

5 Ws and H Questions who, what, when, where, why, how

# of characteristics that all effective reports have in common.

6

Sentence

A group of words (including subject/noun, verb/action, and an object/effect) that expresses a complete thought. Verb and noun must agree numerically.

Noun

A person, place, thing, or idea

Adverb

A word that modifies, identifies, or quantifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

A way to organize the narrative for category format

A-B-C-D-E-F system

Use of Force Reporting

ACO's must compile a comprehensive and chronological summary of the sequence of events as they transpired during the event while providing detail

accurate

Achieved by carefully, precisely, impartially, and honestly recording all relevant information.

Principles of Clear Report Writing

An effective report will have good content and proper formatting, presenting the material aspects of the case and subject's actions.

chronological order

Arranging information in chronological order is the grouping of recorded facts by date and timeline of event occurrence. (1) Events are arranged in the order in which they happened (2) Easiest for narrative reports

Concise

Avoid wordiness.

All logbook entries are to be made in Black or _______ ink?

Blue

2 Ways of Organizing a Report

Category (Sorting information by category) Chronological

Reports can be organized in what two ways?

Chronologically Categorically

clear

Clarity is achieved by the use of appropriate language and logical order.

A statement that is based on the analysis of facts and opinions.

Conclusion

Open-ended Questions

Encourages conversation and requires the interviewees to think, reflect, and provide their opinions and feelings. The interviewee is likely to answer these type of questions with more detail.

Logbooks entries for all admission/release of inmates from custody, housing transfer into and out of a housing unit, infirmary or disciplinary lockup is entered in what colored ink?

Green

Active Voice

In _____ ______, the subject of the sentence comes before the verb and is clearly stated. For example: "Ann struck John with a frying pan."

Passive Voice

In ______ ______, the object and the subject switch places. For example: "John was struck with a frying pan by Ann." Avoid using passive voice at all costs.

timely

Information that is available to decision-makers before it loses its capacity to influence decisions.

"a fact is not in the report, it_______________."

It did not happen

Complete

It presents a complete word picture of the event or incident.

COR.05.08

Post/Area Logbook Policy

A record change in headcount in ______ ink.

RED

Logbooks entries for a supervisor conducting an inspection of any post is entered in what colored ink?

Red

Logbooks entries for any / all unusual occurrences or emergencies is entered in what colored ink?

Red

Dept Policy

Reports must be written and submitted for review prior to the end of shift.

concise

Reports should be brief yet, contain all relevant information the users will need to do their jobs.

Reporting requirements

State and federal statutes mandate that law enforcement agencies report certain events and incidents

Note taking

The act or process of writing down brief pieces of information concerning an incident, event, activity, or statement is called _______.

Narrative

The largest and most important part of a report is the _______. It is defined as paragraphs containing specific details, pertinent info, and incident elements.

Each station log in housing units and high activity areas shall be reviewed and signed by a supervisor each shift.

True

Entries are to commence on the first line of each page and continue with each consecutive line thereafter.

True

Entries shall commence with the first line of each page and continue with each consecutive line thereafter.

True

Erasures are prohibited. A horizontal line shall be drawn through the entry, which shall not prevent the original entry from being read.

True

Form PSD 0040

Use of Force Report

Misconduct Form: PSD DOC 8210

Used for inmate disciplinary infractions and details counseling and corrective actions taken. This is known as a 106.

Incident Report: PSD DOC 8214

Used to report in detail all incidents involving inmates, staff or events requiring reporting. These documents are in a narrative format. This is known in the Corrections Division as a 107.

Comma Usage

Used to separate complete sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction. There are seven coordinating conjunctions: but, or, yet, so, for, and, nor. **Used when writing dates and addresses.**

Pre-event

What drew the officer's attention specifically to the subject

The content of the narrative should answer what four key questions?

Why was the officer there?What did the officer observe?What did the officer do?What were the outcomes?

Clear

Words used should convey instant meaning and have only one interpretation.

Proofreading

________ is the checking of a report to ensure that correct spelling, proper punctuation, appropriate capitalization, and proper grammar are used.

Slang

an informal vocabulary composed of invented words, or arbitrarily changed words, that are often used by a specific group, region, trade, or profession.

ACO's must __________________ record all events/activities as they occur and facility management shall ensure uniformed supervisor are responsible to ensure compliance with the procedures prescribed by policy.

chronologically

Information is to be entered into the logbook by

date and shift

Grammar

defined as the rules and guidelines used by writers to make their message clear and understandable to the reader

Resistance

depicts the nature of confrontation that officers faced when using force or threatening to use force.

first-person reporting

document their actions using the word "I"

information gathered during their initial investigation in the field / on the scene

foundation for their investigative reports.

According to policy Post / Area logbooks must be maintained in a _____________________.

hard- covered bound ledger

factual

provides an objective accounting of the relevant facts related to the event or incident.

Past Tense

reports are written in _____ ________ because the events have already occurred.

Content

the significant facts of the incident.

Format

the way information is organized and presented

Jargon

words used by a particular trade or profession that are not commonly understood by the general public but have meaning to that trade or profession