CRI-316

WEEK 4-5
Prepared by: Prof. Lady Lou Pido
Course Instructor
AT THE END OF THE UNIT, YOU ARE EXPECTED
TO:

Establish deep knowledge on the purposes of Police

Report Writing principles for effective justification of
Police Writing and Definition of Good Police Writing, by
knowing its background and methods.
POLICE REPORTS
Report
o Account of some subject specially investigated or an official statement of

facts (Gammage, 1961)

o Defined as an account of any occurrence prepared after thorough

investigation.

o It also defined as an account or statement describing in detail an event,

situation, or the like, usually as the result of observation or inquiry.

POLICE REPORT
Police Report Writing
o Is considered technical writing, and as such, one needs to develop special
skills and techniques.
o It is the backbone of criminal investigation and prosecution.
o A chronological or step-by-step account of an incident that transpired in a
given time (Soriano, 2005).
o May be written or oral; detailed or brief; simple or complex
o Must be complete, factual, accurate to speed up an investigation
o Follow standard format
o Can make the difference between a conviction and an acquittal
POLICE REPORT
• Purpose of Written Reports • Qualities of a Good Police Report
o Accurate
o To preserve knowledge o Clear
o To provide accurate details o Complete
o Concise
o To aid the Personnel and other agencies o Factual
o Objective
o To coordinate the activities within the organization o Prompt
 POLICE REPORT
Important Uses of Police Report Writing (Soriano, 2005)

o Serve as records for police administrators in planning, directing, and

organizing the unit’s duties and functions;

o Use as legal documents in the prosecution of criminals;

o Use as basis by law enforcement agencies and other government and

private organizations;

o Provide information to the media which need access to public documents;

o Be a basis for research; and

o Reflect the competence and personality of the police writer regarding his

written work.
 POLICE REPORT
5 Steps in Report Writing Process

o Interviewing – defined as asking somebody a series of questions to gather information. The investigator’s
interview of the victims, witnesses and suspects is the backbone of the preliminary investigation.

o Note Taking – an investigator takes notes to assist his/her memory with specific details, such as names, DOB,
serial numbers, addresses phone numbers. It would be of great help especially when an investigator is subpoenaed or
summoned to appear in court.

o Organizing – the sequence of events must be followed in order to portray the incident clearly.

o Writing the Narrative – you must write for the benefit of the reader.

o Proofreading – Review your work!

 POLICE REPORT
• The Contents of a Police Report (5W’s and 1H)

o The POLICE OFFICER needs not be a literary genius to write a good police

report. The 5 Ws and 1H can be a useful guide to report writers, especially

the beginners.

WHO?
▪ Complete and correct name. Wrong name usually results in

failure to locate a witness or apprehend a suspect. The

spelling of the name of witness, victim/s, and suspect/s should

be correct. Name including middle name must be exact.

 POLICE REPORT
The Contents of a Police Report (5W’s and 1H)

WHAT?

▪ What type of property was attacked, e.g. building, residence,

alley, vacant lot, etc.

▪ What type of property was stolen, lost or found. What items related to the crime were found at the crime scene. An
accurate description of all such properties stolen, lost or found should be entered in the notes.

▪ What offense was committed, e.g. murder, homicide, rape,

physical injuries, robbery, theft and violation of special laws.

▪ What type of evidence was found or recovered?

 POLICE REPORT
• The Contents of a Police Report (5W’s and 1H) WHY?
▪ Under this heading is listed the object or desire which
WHERE? motivated the offense.
▪ In crime against person, the object of the attack might
▪ This question is concerned with the GEOGRAPHICAL
be
LOCATION of the crime scene, property or evidence. revenge, ransom, or sexual pleasure.
▪ In crime against property, the reason may be to
WHEN? acquire
money and property.
▪ This question includes the DATE and the TIME when the
HOW?
offense was committed; property found, suspect ▪ This question refers to the general manner in which
the
apprehended, etc. crime was committed.
 POLICE REPORT
Security Classifications of Documents

o Classified information is a material that the government deems to contain

sensitive information and requires protection of confidentiality, integrity or

availability.

o Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people, and

mishandling can incur criminal penalties and loss of respect. A formal

security clearance is often required to handle classified documents or

access classified data.

 POLICE REPORT
• Security Classifications of Documents

▪ TOP SECRET
- A document which unauthorized disclosure of its contents
would cause exceptionally grave damage to the NATION,
politically economically or from security aspect.
- This category is reserved for the nation’s closest secrets and
is to be used with great reserve. This kind of document has
the highest level of sensitivity.
▪ SECRET MATTER
- A document which unauthorized disclosure of its contents
would endanger NATIONAL SECURITY, cause serious injury
to the interest or prestige of the nation or to any government
activity or would be of great advantage to a foreign nation.
 POLICE REPORT
• Security Classifications of Documents

▪ CONFIDENTIAL MATTER
- A document which unauthorized disclosure of its contents,
while not endangering the national security, would be
prejudicial to the interest or prestige of the nation or any
government activity or would cause administrative
embarrassment or unwarranted injury to an individual or
would be of advantage to a foreign nation.
▪ RESTRICTED
- A document which requires special protection other than that
determined to be TOP SECRET, SECRET or
CONFIDENTIAL.