CJ 2500 FINAL PAPER
Chapter 6 – Field Notes and Reporting
Field notes are the shorthand written record made by police officers from the time they arrive at the scene until the assignment is completed. The following factors they arrive at the scene until the assignment is completed. The following factors form the importance of field notes.
Field Notes are More Reliable Than an Officer’s Memory
It only takes a short period of time for some important details to slide away from your memory and the only way to combat this potential loss of information is to rely on field notes which you previously prepared.
Field Notes are the Primary Information Source for the Incident/Offense Report
Because the first-responding officer is usually the person who writes any incident report which is required by the situation, field notes are important because they represent the information which forms the content of the incident report.
Detailed Field Notes May Reduce the Need to Re-contact the Parties Involved
Once in a while, victims and witnesses get annoyed and even angry when they are re-contacted by an officer who obviously did not take good field notes when he/she talked to them earlier and therefore cannot complete the incident report without additional information.
Field Notes Can be Used to Defend the Integrity of the Incident/Offense Report.
During courtroom testimony you may refer to field notes to refresh you recollection of the events.
In terms of the incident report, the basic questions which the first-responding
officer to a crime scene needs to find answers for are the blank spaces on the officer to a crime scene needs to find answers for are the blank spaces on the
face of an incident report. Typically this includes information about who the
victims and witnesses are and how to contact them, the specifics associated
with the crime, and descriptions of the suspect.
There are also numerous other questions which must be asked called interrogatory
questions. These include: what, when where, who, how, and why. Although no
single set of questions can meet the needs for investigating all types of crime, there
are six primary questions which have long be recognized in the field for being very
useful.
While the exact layout for incident reports typically varies from one
jurisdiction to another, they all have a “face” with blanks into which the jurisdiction to another, they all have a “face” with blanks into which the
officer conducting the preliminary investigation enters basic case
information. These blanks require information about the type of crime
committed, the complainant, victim, witnesses, and offenders, and other
details. Additional investigative information is written in the blank space
available on the reverse of the face or on a page which may be referred to as
“continuation.”
For roughly a decade, there has been a voluntary program underway which is
moving police departments away from the basic incident report format and toward a
detailed format which collects much more data about an offense. This program, the
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), is administered by the FBI.
The NIBRS incident report collects a significant amount of information for
later analysis by investigatorslater analysis by investigators
Whenever there are witnesses to a crime, even the most conscientious
investigator may fail to elicit all information available. For example, a form for investigator may fail to elicit all information available. For example, a form for
collecting all personal description information from witnesses may be used.
Another valuable aid for investigators is the handgun identification chart such as the
one shown. This is a useful tool for witnesses who are unfamiliar with guns.
Police reports are subject to supervisory review for corrections and guidance before
their final disposition
Well written reports are very helpful to investigators who may be conducting follow-
up investigations at a later date
The use of computers in cars is not a new development. By the 1980s, many police
cars were equipped with mobile data terminals (MDTs).
The continued development of wireless technologies has created new options and
possibilities for the use of technology in police cars.
In addition to using MDTs, some agencies are using Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs). These small hand-held units are particularly useful in traffic enforcement.
After approving an incident report, the supervisor must make some
disposition of it. The following dispositions may be made by the supervisor. disposition of it. The following dispositions may be made by the supervisor.
The case may be retained for further investigation by uniformed officers; it
may be unfounded, which means the complaint is false; the case may be
inactivated due to the lack of leads; it may be referred to plainclothes
investigators, or the case may be completed and closed.
Name
The full names of complainants, witnesses, and other parties must always be obtained.The full names of complainants, witnesses, and other parties must always be obtained.
2. Race, Ethnicity, and Sex
Race or ethnicity extraction should never be documented in such a manner as to cast aspersion on a person.
3. Age
On entries requiring only a person’s age, it should be indicated as of the last birthday.
4. Physical and Email Addresses
Physical and email addresses are particularly important because it helps investigators to find people for additional interviews or related procedures.
5. Telephone/Pager/Wireless Numbers
Telephone/pager/wireless numbers of an individual should always be obtained, including area code, residence number, and business number, including any extension number.
6. Personal Descriptions
A model form for gathering personal descriptions is shown and discussed later in this chapter.
7. Property Description
Elements useful in describing property are make, model, serial number, color, and type of material from which constructed.
8. Occupation
The occupation of a person may be of some importance to an investigation.
9. Value
The value of property stolen may determine whether the offense is a felony or misdemeanor.
10. Date
As a result of Y2K problem, police department abandoned the use of a six-digit format to record dates (MM/DD/YY, e.g., 10/22/98) and adopted an eight-digit format (MM/DD/YYYY, i.e., 10/22/2000) for the same purpose.
11. Time
For all official business, excluding general public and related information, most police agencies use the military system or 24- hour clock.
If incident reports are going to serve the many uses to which they can be put,
they must meet certain standards.they must meet certain standards.
1. Fill in all of the blanks on the incident report unless the
information is not available or it is refused to the officer.
2. Write the report in the first person, using “I arrived at the scene
at 1645 hours.”
3. Avoid unnecessary technical or legalistic jargon such as
“hereinafter,” “point of fact,” or “thereof.”
4. Write short sentences because they are less likely to be
confusing or to be misunderstood by the readers.
5. Use shorter paragraphs for the same reason as those for writing
shorter sentences.
6. Support any conclusions you express with details.
7. Don’t repeat facts more than once.
8. Check your spelling.
9. Edit what you write.
Periodically during the follow-up investigation supplemental reports must be
initiated.
The purpose of writing follow-up reports is to keep the file current as new or
corrected information is gathered. Additionally, specific acts or accomplishments
might require individual supplemental reports, such as issuing a BOLO. Other times
a supplemental report may be required including:
1. When the offense is unfounded.
2. When it is exceptionally cleared.
3. When the case is inactivated.