ANGELIKA NICOLE R.

DELALAMON
CRI 326 (10923)
LET'S DO THIS

Activity 1
In writing a police report it must possess the characteristic such as; Concise, Clear,
Organized, Thorough, Accurate, and Adequate.
At this juncture, you will ELABORATE the following characteristics of police report. (It
must be 3-5 sentences and in bullet form.)

1. Concise
• Reports should be brief but also contain all relevant information necessary for a
complete understanding of the crime or incident,without additional explanation. Brevity
should never take precedence over accuracy, completeness, or clarity in report writing.
2. Clear
• A police report speaks for the reporting officer when he or she is not present. There
should be no doubt or confusion regarding what happened during an incident or crime,
based upon the content of a police report. Clarity in report writing is achieved by clear
and logical organization of information, the judicious use of simple, common, and first
person language, and effective writing mechanics.
3. Organized
• Police reports must be organized, logical, and present all relevant information simply. An
effective report must also be written in plain English in order to be useful and
understandable for the reader. The investigator has to be well organized and be able to
bring the crime scene together so that he/she can create a “big picture”. Every
investigator has to develop their own note taking system. A good note taking system can
help the investigator but he/she must be careful to not use shorthand because it would
be difficult for others to understand.
4. Thorough
• Police report forms contain checklists and fields for the police officers to fill in
information. Each item and area has to be thoroughly completed, even if it is non-
applicable. Several of these fields are completed by the police officer using the victim or
alleged suspect's government-issued identification card. Contact information and phone
numbers are important to follow up or obtain additional information from the victim or
alleged suspect.
5. Accurate
• It is the conformity to facts and representation of truth with precision and exactness.
The decisions and actions taken as a result of the report must be supported by accurate
information contained in the report. If any information is in accurate, the credibility and
reliability of the report will likely be jeopardized. Accuracy is achieved by
carefully,precisely,and honestly reporting of all relevant information.
6. Adequate
• An officer must be able to present a sufficient details for the record of information
regarding those activities and present it to those who were not there while also doing
their job well. A person 's guilt or innocence may rest on information present or absent
in these records. The report that documents on the cases must be good enough to stand
the test of time.