Microsoft Word - RWM Part I - General Guidelines.doc

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ReportWriting

Manual

SacramentoStatePoliceDepartment

RevisedFebruary,2014

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SACRAMENTOSTATEPOLICEDEPARTMENT

REPORTWRITINGMANUAL

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PARTI

GENERALREPORTWRITINGGUIDELINES

PURPOSE

Thepurposeofthismanualis toprovideguidancetopoliceandcommunityserviceofficersat

theSacramentoStatePoliceDe partmentregardingreportwriting.Alawenforcementofficer’s

abilitytodocumentthefactsandactivitiesofanincidentdirectlyreflectsoftheprofessionalism

oftheofficerandthedepartment,andalso

affectstheabilityofthejusticesystemto

successfullyprosecuteacriminalcase.

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INTRODUCTION

Nearlyhalfofapoliceofficer’sworkinvolveswriting,andbecauseofthis,thebestarrestswillgo

unprosecutedifthereporting officersdonothavethenecessarywritingskills torecordtheir

actionsinacaseclearly,concisely,andaccurately,withsufficientdetail.

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Anofficer’sreportmustdocumenteveryincident

inacomplete,clear,andconcisemanner.Any

arrest,followupinvestigation,prosecution,oradministrativeactionthatistobetakenasa

resultofthereportmustbeinitiated,supported,orjustifiedbytheinformationcontainedsolely

withinthebodyofthereport.

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Consequently,everypolicereportmustbe

abletowithstandcriticalreviewandlegalscrutiny,

andmustbetruthful,unbiased,andunprejudiced.Moreover,policeofficershaveamoraland

legalobligationtoinvestigateallcrimesthatarereportedtothem. 

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USESOFPOLICEREPORTS

Policereportshavemanydifferentuses,bothwithinthecri minaljusticesystemandbeyond:

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IdentificationofCriminals

Policereportsassistwiththeidentification,apprehensionandprosecutionofcriminalsby

servingasasourcedocumentforfilingcriminalcomplaints,byprovidingarecordofall

investigations,andprovidingabasisforadditionalfollowupinvestigations.

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InvestigativeRecord

Policereportsaidprosecutors,defenseattorneys,andotherlawenforcementagenciesby

providingrecordsofallinvestigationsandservingassourcedocumentsforcriminalprosecution,

aswellasdocumentingagencyactions.

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CourtPreparation

Policereportsassistofficerspriortoorduringcourtappearancesbyrefreshingtheofficer’s

memorybeforetestifying,orpreparingtoprovidehearsaytestimonyatpreliminaryhearings.

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CivilLiabilityAssessment

Policereportsareessentialforriskmanagers,insurancecompanies,andcivillitigationattorneys

foruseindeterminingpotentialcivilliabilitybydocumentingeventssuchasaccidentsorinjuries

oncity,county,orstateproperty,workman’scompensationtypeinjuries,aswellasto

presentingjustificationforanofficer’sbehaviororactionsin

acivilcomplaintorlawsuitagainst

theofficer.

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StatisticalAnalysis

Policereportsassistpoliceandcivilianadministratorsaswellasthecampuscommunityby

providingstatisticalinformationforanalysisofcrimetrends,equipmentneeds,manpower

issues,continuedprofessionaltrainingrequirements,andassistintheevaluationofofficer

performance.

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CHARACTERISTICSOFANEFFECTIVEPOLICEREPORT

Onadailybasis,policeofficersarefacedwithavarietyofeventsandincidents.Ateachone,

officersarerequiredtomakesignificantdecisions,oftentimeswithoutdelay,andwhileunder

stressorthebenefitofallthefactsregardingthesituation.Forthisreason,crimeandincident

reportsmustreflect

thedetailsofthespecificcrimeorincidentforfurtherreferenceanduse.

Whilethedetailsofeveryincidentorcrimereportwilllikelyvary,therearesixcharacteristics

thatalleffectivereportshaveincommon.

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Aneffectivepolicereportisalways:

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1. Factual.Apolicereportisanobjective

accountingoftherelevantandobservedfactsofthe

case,andanyconclusionsmadebythereportingofficermustbesupportedbyarticulated

anddocumentedfacts.Unsubstantiatedopinionsorconclusionsarenevertobeincluded

inaneffectivereport.

2. Accurate.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inaccurate,the

credibilityandreliabilityofthereportwilllikelybejeopardized.Accuracyisachievedby

carefully,precisely,andhonestlyreportingofallrelevantinformati on.

3. 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.

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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.

5. Complete.Acompletereportwillcontainalltherelevantfacts,information,anddetailsthat

thereaderwillneedtohaveinordertohaveacomprehensiveunderstandingofthecrime

orincidentdescribedinthereport.Thereportiscompletewhenitisacomplete word

pictureoftheincident,there

arenoquestionsleftunansweredbythereader,officeractions

areexplainedandjustifiedbythecontentsofthereport,andbothsupportingand

conflictinginformationisincluded.

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Timely.Nodecisionscanbemadeoractionstakenregardinganarrestorrequestforfollow

upinvestigationifareportisnotsubmittedinatimelyfashion.

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FIELDNOTES

Anofficer’sfieldnotesaretheoriginalsourcedocumentsuse dtowriteapolicereport.Forthis

reason,iffieldnotesareincomplete,poorlyorganized,orillegible,theywillbeoflittleuseto

theofficerinwritingtheresultingpolicereport.Forthisreason,fieldnotesshouldalwaysbe

taken

atthescene,especiallywheninter viewingsuspect,victimsorwitnesses,andwhenever

theofficerwishestorememberspecificdetailsatalatertime.

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Whenwritingfieldnotes,officersshouldconsiderthatfieldnotesaretypicallymorereliable

thanmemory,especiallysincereportsaretypicallywrittenseveralhoursafteraspecificincident

orcrimehasoccurred.Thistimelapsecanoftencauseanofficertoeasilyforgetorconfuse

certaintypesofinformation,especially

times,observations,addresses,andkeywordsand

phrasesfromstatements.Moreover,thejudicioususeoffieldnotescanminimizeoreven

eliminatetheneedtorecontacttheinvolvedpartiesinacaseatalatertime.

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Everyevent,incident,andcrimeisdifferent,andforthisreason,thefactsand

information

neededbytheofficertowriteapolicereportisdifferent.However,fieldnotesshouldalways

beabletoanswerthequestionswhat,where,when,who,how,andwhyregardingtheincident.

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Regardlessofhowtheindividualofficerdecidestotakefieldnotes,thefollowinginformationis

asnapshotof

theitemsthatshouldbeincludedinfieldnotes.

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 BasicInformation AdditionalInformation

Victimsand

Witnesses

 Fullname

 Age

 Dateofbirth

 Race

 Sex

 Telephonenumbers(home,

work,cellular)

 Address

 Emailaddress(es)

 Howtocontactbytelephone

orinperson

 Bestplacetocontact

 Besttimetocontact

 Placeofemployment

(including

nameand

telephonenumber)

Occurrence

 Typeofcrime

 Location

 Dateandtimeofincident

 Wasphysicalevidence

handledbyofficer,suspect,

orvictim?

 Dispositionandchainof

custodyforallevidence

 Suspectdirectionoftravel

 Typeanddescriptionof

weapons

 Threatsmadewithweapons

 Directstatements

madeby

suspect

 Casenumber

 Assistingofficer’sactions

(andsupplements,if

necessary)

Allpersonsinvolved:

 Informants

 Reportingparty

 Victims

 Witnesses

 Suspects,ifknown

 Officers

 Outsideagenciesand

membersofoutsideagencies

 Medicalpersonnel

 Membersofthemedia

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 BasicInformation AdditionalInformation

Suspects

 Race

 Sex

 Age

 Build

 Height

 Weight

 Eyecolor

 Haircolor

 Hairstyle

 Facialhair

 Clothingtype

 Clothingcolor

 Clothingstyle

 Nameand/orstreetname,if

known

 Unusualphysicalattributes,

suchasscars,tattoos,alimp,



moles,odor,andmissing

teeth

 Canthesuspectbeidentified

bythevictimorwitness?

 Unusualormemorable

gestures

 Speechpeculiarities,suchas

accents,tone,pitch,or

noticeablespeechdisorder,

suchasstuttering

 Jewelry

o Rings(identifywhich

handandfinger)

o Necklaces

o Earrings

Bodypiercings

 Rightorlefthanded

o Whichhandwas

dominant?

o Whichhandheldthe

weapon?

o Whichhandopeneda

door?

o Wherewasawatch

worn?

 Gangaffiliation(ifknown)

IncidentSpecific

 Scenedescriptionand

photographs(ifavailable)

 Pointofentry

 Pointofexit

 Descriptionofproperty

damage

 Typesandvaluesofproperty

taken

 Descriptionofsuspectvehicle

 Natureandlocationof

evidencecollected

 Suspectandvictiminjuries

 Uniquecharacteristicsofthe

crime

 Anythingelsenotalready

mentionedthattheofficer

believesisrelevanttothe

case



NOTETAKINGANDCONDUCTINGFIELDINTERVIEWS

Typically,fieldnotesareobtainedfromtheofficer’sdirectobservationsandfromfield

interviewswithsuspects,victims,andwitnesses.Thefieldinterview,however,iswherethe

officerwilllearnthemajorityoftheinformationaboutacrimeorincident.Therefore,the

statementstakenduringafieldinterviewareoftencriticalto

learningaboutthespecificfactsof

acase,becausetheexistenceofcertaincrimeelementsmayonlyberevealedfromthe

statementsofwitnesses,victims,andthesuspectsofacase.



Aneffectivefieldinterviewshouldgenerallyfollowthefollowingfivestepformat.



1. Separatetheinvolvedparties.Thisminimizesdistractionsand interruptions.Separating

theinvolved

partiesalsofocusestheirattentiononspeakingtotheofficer,ratherthaneach

other,andalsominimizesmanipulationofwitnessstatementsbyotherinvolvedparties.

2. Establishrapport.Becourteous,considerate,andpatient.Brieflytellthepersonbeing

interviewedwhytheinterviewisbei ng conducted,anddescribetheinterviewprocess

tothe

individual.

3. Listenattentively.Askthepersonwhathappened,andallowthemtotalkaboutitfreely.

Letthemexplainitintermsthattheyunderstand.Besuretokeepthepersonfocusedon

themainsubjectbeingdiscussedintheinterview.Iftheybegintogetofftopic,

guidethe

personbacktothesubject,andalwaysuseactivelisteningskillstoencouragethepersonto

talk.Listencarefully,andpayattentiontothedetailsoftheincident.Don’ttakenotesat

thispointintheinterview!

4. Takenotes/Askquestions.Askthepersontorepeattheiraccount

ofwhathappened,but

stopthepersonandaskquestionsforclarification,wherenecessary.Takenotes,butwrite

inshort,simplestatements,highlightingtheimportantthoughtsorideas.Besuretoobtain

accurateidentificationinformationforthepersonatthispoint,andaskanyadditional

questionsthatarenecessaryforclarification.



5. Verifyinformation.Repeatspecificinformationtothepersonbeinginterviewedfromthe

notestakeninthepreviousstep,toens ureaccuracy,andgivethemanopportunitytoadd

facts.Besuretoconfirmdirectquotes,timerelationships,weaponsinformation,and

physicaldescriptionsofsuspects.Besuretoverifyany

changesmadeinthisstage.



Itisimportanttonotethatwhilesomeofficersmayelecttorecordaninterviewwithadigital

voiceortaperecorder,theuseofarecordermayinhibitanindividualfromtalkingfreely.Also,

electronicdevicescanmalfunctionorfa il, therebyeliminatingtheinformation

fromthe

interview.Ifinterviewsarerecorded,officersshouldalsotakewrittennotesasabackupinthe

eventofmechanicalordevicefailure.



IMPORTANTFIELDINTERVIEWSKILLS

Oneofthemostimportantskillsthatofficersarerequiredtohavewhileconductingafield

interviewandtakingfieldnotesisdeterminingthedifferencebetweenopinions,facts,and

conclusionsinastatementgivenbyasuspectorwitness.Anotherimportantskillisbeingable

todeterminewhatinformationisrelevant

tothecaseorincident. 



Opinionsarestatementsthatcanbeopentointerpretation,orexpressesabeliefnotsuppor ted

bythefactsofacase,whileafactisastatementthatcanbeverifiedorprovenbythefactsof

thecase.Aconclusionisastatementthat

isbasedupontheanalysisofopinionsand

conclusions,andaconclusionshouldalwaysbeaccompaniedwiththesupportingfactsand

opinions.



Generally,relevantfactstypicallyestablishthefactsofthecaseorelementsofthecrime.

Irrelevantfacts,ontheotherhand,usuallyfurnishdetailsthatarenotelementsofthecrime,or

provideinformationthatmaydilutethefacts of thecase.



QUESTIONSANSWEREDBYANEFFECTIVEREPORT

Thefactsandquestionsthatanofficerincludesinhisorherfieldnotesshouldtypicallyprovide

thefoundationforaneffectivepolicereport.Asdiscussedearlier,aneffectivepolicereport

shouldalwaysanswerthequestionswho,what,where,when,how,andwhy.



Ifanyofthesixquestionscannot

beansweredbytheofficer’sreport,thereportshouldcontain

asmuchinformationaspossible,astheinformationcanprovetobevitaltoinvestigators,

attorneys,andotherusersofthereport.



Thefollowingtablepresentsexamplesofthespecificfactsandinformationthatcanbeincluded

inthebody

ofthereporttohelpanswerofthesixquestions.Itisnotintendedtobeall

inclusive,andusedasaguide.Specificcrimesorincidentswillrequirecertaininformationthat

shouldbenotedbytheinvestigatingofficerinthereport.



 SupportingFacts/Information

What

 wasthecrimethatwascommitted?

 aretheelementsofthecrime?

 weretheactionsofthesuspectbeforeandafterthecrime?

 actuallyhappened?

 dothewitnessesknowaboutit?

 evidencewasobtained?

 wasdonewiththeevidence?

 weaponswereused?



 actiondidtheofficerstake?

 furtheractionshouldbetaken?

 knowledge,skillorstrengthwasneededtocommi tthecrime?

 otheragencieswerenotified?

 otheragenciesneedtobenotified?

When

 wasthecrimecommitted?

 wasthecrimediscovered?

 weretheinvolvedpartiesnotified?

 didtheinvolvedpartiesarriveatthescene?

 wasthevictimlastseen?

 wasthesuspectlastseen?

 didofficersarrive?

 wasanyarrestmade?

 didwitnesseshear

anythingunusual?

 didthesuspectdecidetocommitthecrime? 

 SupportingFacts/Information

Where

 wasthecrimecommitted?

 wasthecrimediscovered?

 wasentrymade?

 wastheexit?

 wastheweaponobtainedthatwasusedtocommitthecrime?

 wasthevictimfound?

 wasthesuspectseenduringthecrime?

 wasthesuspectlastseen?



werethewitnessesduringthecrime?

 didthesuspectlive?

 doesthesuspectcurrentlylive?

 isthesuspectnow?

 wouldthesuspectlikelygo?

 wastheevidencefound?

 wastheevidencestored?

Who

 aretheinvolvedpartiesintheincident?(i.e.,victim(s),witness(es),

suspect(s))

 weretheparticipatingofficers?

 wasthecomplainant?

 discoveredthecrime?

 saworheardanythingofimportance?

 hadamotiveforcommittingthecrime?

 committedthecrime?

 hadthemeanstocommitthe

crime?

 hadaccesstothecrimescene?

 searchedfor,identifiedandgatheredevidence?



Alsowithwhom…

 didthevictimassociate?

 didthesuspectassociate?

 wasthevictimlastseen?

 dothewitnessesassociate?

 didthesuspectcommitthecrime?



Additionalinformationregardingspecific

peoplecaninclude,butnot

belimitedto:

 phonenumbers(home,cellularandwork)

 addresses(home,work,andemail)

 ageanddateofbirth

 socialsecuritynumber

 occupations

 physicaldescriptionsasrequired

 SupportingFacts/Information

How

 wasthecrimecommitted?(e.g.,force,violence,threats,etc.)

 didthesuspectleavethescene?(e.g.,onfoot,bycar,etc.)

 didthesuspectobtaintheinformationnecessarytocommitthe

crime?

 wasthecrimediscovered?

 wasentrymade?(e.g.,smashing,breaking,key,etc.)



wastheweapon/toolforthecrimeobtained?

 wastheweapon/toolused?

 wasthearrestmade?

 muchdamagewasdone?

Why(ifknown)

 wasthecrimecommitted?

 wasacertainweapon/toolused?

 wasthecrimereported?

 wasthecrimereportedlate?

 werewitnessesreluctanttogiveinformation?

 isthesuspectlying?

 didthesuspectcommitthecrimewhenshe/hedid?

 didthesuspect

committhecrimewhereshe/hedid?



FUNDAMENTALREPORTCONTENT

Aspreviouslystated,everycrimeorincidentisdiffer ent,andasaresult,eachreportwillrequire

differentinformationtocompleteatotalwordpictureabout theincident.However,every

reportshouldhavecertaincontentelements,regardlessofthecrimethatwas committed.



Thefollowinggeneralcontentelements arefundamental

toaneffectivereport,however,it

shouldbenotedthatinsomecrimesorincidents,aspecificelementmaynotbeapplicable.



1. Initialinformation.Thisshouldestablishhowtheofficerbecameinvolvedwiththespecific

incidentandadditionalbackgroundinformation.Theinitialinformationshouldalsodescribe

theofficer’simmediateobservations

andanyactionstheytookuponarrivalatthescene.

2. Identificationofthecrimeorincident.Alwaysincludethefactsthatarenecessarytoshow

thatthespecificcrimeorincidenthastakenplace.Thereportshouldincludethecommon

nameofthecrime,thestatutoryreferencenumberand

therequiredelementsnecessaryfor

thecrimetobecomplete.

3. Identificationoftheinvolvedparties.Regardlessofthetypeofreport,thereportshould

alwaysidentifythereportingpersons,victims,witnessesandsuspects,ifknown.Always

includefullnames,address,home,workandcellulartelephonenumbers.Includealternate 

contact

information,suchasworkorschooladdresses,emailaddresses,andtheirroleinthe

incident.

4. Victim/witness/suspectstatements.Summarystatementsofallinvolvedpartiesshouldbe

takenanddirectquotesused,wherenecessary.Statementsshouldalwaysincludethe

detailsoftheevents,fromtheirownperspective .

5. Crimescenespecifics/description.

Crimescenespecificsarenecessarytoaccuratelyre‐

createthesceneandeventsofthecrime.Includephotographs,wherepossible,andinclude

thelocationsofphysicalevidencepriortocollection.Photographsshouldbeprintedfor

inclusionwiththereport,andbookedaspropertyasevidence,whereapplicable.

6. Propertyinformation.Propertyinformationshouldincludethecolor,make,model,serial

number,approximatevalue,andfulldescriptionswherepossible.Detailspertainingto

stolenorrecoveredproperty,aswellaspropertybookedforsafekeeping,andproperty

bookedasevidenceshouldalwaysbeincludedinthereport,andenteredintoCLETS,were



applicable.

7. Officeractions/observations.Includedescriptionsandobservationsofallactionsrelatedto

theincident.Ifmultipleofficersrespondedtoacrimeorincident,eachofficerinvolved

shouldincludeasupplementthatdetailstheirownactionsattheincidentorcrime,andthe

supplementshouldbesubmittedforinclusionwith

themasterreport.Allreports,whether

amasterreportorsupplementalreport,shouldbewrittenfromtheperspectiveofthe

writingofficer,anddetailtheirownpersonalactionsorobservations



RECOMMENDEDGRAMMARFORREPORTS

Aneffectivereportmustalwaysexhibitthewriter’scommandoftheEnglishlanguage,andbe

relativelyfreeoferrorsinsentencestructure,grammar,andotherwritingmechanics,andthe

moreeffectivetheofficer’scommandofthewrittenlanguage,thegreatertheclarityofthe

writtenreport.



Duetothelarge

numberofgrammaticalguidelinesintheEnglishlanguage,officersshouldhave

abasicunderstandingofthebasicbuildingblocksofsentencestructurewhenwritingreports.



Nouns

Nounsarenamingwords,andcouldbeusedtoidentifypeople,places,orthings.



Propernouns

Propernounsrefertospecificplacespersons,orthings,andalwaysshouldbeginwithacapital

letter.Whenreferringtoaspecificpersonwithinareport,officersshouldusepropernouns.

Afterthepropernounhasbeenusedonce,justthelastname maybeusedwhenreferringto

thesame

person.



Pronouns

Pronounsarewordsthatsubstitutesforanounorpropernoun.Therearetwotypesof

pronounsprimarilyusedinreportwriting.

 Firstpersonpronouns.Firstpersonpronounsareusedwhenreferringtotheofficerwriting

thereports.SomeexamplesareI/me/mine/myandwe/our/ours/us(whenridingwitha

beatpartner).Firstpersonpronounscanalsobeusedwithinquotestorefertotheperson

speaking(Wilsontoldme,“IranasfastasIcould.”).Officersshouldalwaysusefirstperson

pronounswhenreferringtothemselves,because

bydoingso,thereaderhasaclear

understandingoftheofficersactions.

 Thirdpersonpronouns.Thirdpersonpronounsrefertotheperson,placeorthingbeing

writtenabout.Examplesarehe/his/him,it/itsandthey/their/them.Thirdpersonpronouns

mustalwaysagreeandclearlyrefertothenounorpropernounthatisdirectlybeforeit.



Tense

Sincemostinvestigativereportsarewrittenaboutthingsthathavealreadyhappened,thewords

thatareusedshouldclearlyindicatetheeventsoccurredinthepas t.Thisisexpressedthrough

thetenseoftheactionwords(orverbs)inthereport.Tensecanbeeitherpresentorpasttense.

 Presenttense.Presenttenseverbsexpressanactioncurrentlytakingplace.Forexample,

thephrase“Iamreadingthismanual”iswritteninthepresenttense. 

 Pasttense.PasttenseverbsexpressactionscompletedinthepastForexample,thephrase

“Ireadthismanuallastweek”iswritteninthepasttense.



Voice

Theterm“voice,”whenusedtodescribeatypeofverb,referstowhethertheverbisactiveor

passive.Reportsshouldbealwaysbewrittenintheactivevoice,asmostreadersfindsentences

writtenintheactivevoiceeasiertofollowandunderstand.

 Activevoice.Averbis

intheactivevoicewhenthesubjectofthesentenceistheindividual

orthingthatisdoingorperformingtheaction.Anexamplewouldbe“Igavethereport

formtothevictim.”

 Passivevoice.Averbisinthepassivevoicewhenthesubjectofthesentenceissomeoneor

somethingotherthantheperformeroftheactioninthesentence.Acommonindicatorof

passivevoiceistheword“by”inthesentence.Anexamplewouldbe“Thevictimwasgiven

thereportformbyme.”



WRITINGCLEARLYANDLOGICALLY

Aspreviouslydiscussed,effective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.



Paragraphs

Paragraphsarethestructuralunitsforgroupinginformation.Regardlessofwhetheranarrative

styleformatoracategoryformatisusedfortheinvestigativereport,allparagraphswithinthe

reportmustbeclearandeasytounderstand.



Whenwritinganinvestigativereport,thefirstsentence(lead‐insentence)ofeachparagraph



shouldclearlystatetheprimarytopicorsubjectoftheparagraph.Thesentencesthatfollow

withintheparagraphshouldpresentfacts,ideas,reasons,orexamplesthataredirectlyrelated

totheprimarytopic.

Thefollowingtablepresentsexamplesofpoorlyorganizedandwellorganizedparagraphs.



PoorlyOrganized WellOrganized

Whenwearrived,thehusbandletusintothe

house.Wewererespondingtoa9‐1‐1call.My

partnerandIhadbeendispatchedtoan

incidentofdomesticviolence.Awomancalled

forhelptokeepherhusbandfrombeatingher.



MypartnerandIweredispatchedto

a

domesticviolenceincidentafterawoman

dialed9‐1‐1.Thewomancalledforhelp

becauseshewasafraidherhusbandwould

beather.Whenwearrived,thehusbandletus

intothehouse.



MarieParkersaidherhusbandrefusedto

answerthedooratfirstwhenheheardthe

manontheothersidebegintoshout.Itook

herstatementapproximately45minutesafter

theassaulttookplace.Shewassittinginthe

ItookMarieParker’sstatementapproximately

45minutesafterthe

assaulttookplace.Parker

saidshewassittinginthefamilyroomwhen

herhusbandwenttoseewhowasatthedoor.

Initiallyherhusbandrefusedtoanswerthe

familyroomwhenherhusbandwenttosee

whowasatthedoor.

doorwhenheheardthemanontheotherside

begintoshout.



Transitions

Transitionsarewordsorphrasesthatshowrelationshipsbetweenthoughts,sentences,or

paragraphs.Byselectingappropriatetransitionalwords,officerscanhelpreadersmove

smoothlyandlogicallyfromdetailtodetailandsentencetosentencewithinthereport.



Thefollowingtablesuggestsafewofthepossibletransitionalwordsandphrases

officersmay

usewithintheirreports.



TypeofTransition Words/Phrases Examples

Time

 Immediately

 Inthemeantime

 Atthesametime

 When

 Before

 Priorto



Castersaidhenoticedthe

doorwasnotcompletelyshut,

sohedecidedtofindoutwhy.



Immediatelyafterentering

theroom,hesawthewindow

wasbroken.

Place

 Near

 Beyond

 Nextto

 Under

 Behind

 Around



Castersaidhesawbroken

glassonthefloorunderthe

window.



Neartheglass,hesawalarge

brick.



Order

 Finally

 Inaddition

 Lastly

 First

 Then

 Further



Inaddition,Castersawhis

laptopcomputerwasnoton

thedeskwhereheleftitthe

nightbefore.



ConcretevsAbstractWords

Reportsshouldbewrittenusingsimple,common,andconcretelanguagewheneverpossible.

Theuseofsimplelanguagecanhelpkeepreportsconciseandbrief,andaddressesrelevant

informationquicklyandclearly.



Thefollowingtablepresentsexamplesofabstractwordsandphrases,alongwithmoreconcrete

alternatives.



AbstractWords ConcreteWords

Anumberof… Seven…

Atahighrateofspeed… 75MPH…

Appearedintoxicated… Breathsmelledofanalcoholicbeverage…

AbstractWords ConcreteWords

Hostilebehavior… Repeatedlystruckatofficers…

Physicalconfrontation… Fight…

Verbalaltercation… Argument…

Extensiverecord… SixDUIoffensesovertwoyears…

Employed… Used…

Dispute… Argument…

Inquired… Asked…

Inthevicinityof… Near…

Articulated… Said,told…

Hit… Punched,slappedorclubbed…



Homonyms

Homonymsarewordsthatsoundthesame,buthavedifferentmeanings.Thereareanumber

offrequentlyusedwordsthatsoundalike,buthavecompletely differentspellingsand

meanings.Whenwritingreports,officersshouldensurethattheyareusingthecorrectword

forwhattheyaretryingtoexpress.



Thefollowing

tableidentifiesthemostcommonlyconfusedsound‐alikewords.



Words Definitions Examples

Accept Totakewithapproval,oragreeto Iacceptedthemedalwithpride

Except Toomitorexclude;preposition

meaning‘but’

Wedideverythingexceptinterview

thewitnesses.



Access Anapproach,admittance,or

route

Thereisanaccessroadrunningeast

towestinfrontofthedrugstore.

Excess Surplus;anamountgreaterthan

wanted

Theamountofcocainefoundwasin

excessofwhathadbeeninitially

reported.



Advice Worthysuggestionorinformation;

noun

Mysergeantgavemeadviceonhow

tohandlethesituation.

Advise Togivesuggestions,dataorcounsel;

verb

Mysergeantadvisedmeonhowto

handlethesituation.



Affect Toactuponorproducechangeor

influence;verb

Thesuspectwasaffectedbythe

pepperspray.

Effect Resultofcause;belongings;noun Dilatedpupilsareaphysicaleffectof

thedrug.

Thecoronerremovedthepersonal

effectsfromthevictim.



Allude Makereferenceto Thewitnessalludedtothesuspect’s

collectionofguns.

Elude Toescapeorevade Thesuspecteludedarrestbygoing

intoastore.

Words Definitions Examples



Assure Toofferassurances Theofficerassuredthevictimthat

thebattererwouldbejailed.

Ensure Tomakecertain Theofficerensuredthesuspectwas

correctlyhandcuffed.

Insure Tomakesecureorcertain(aswith

ensure);ortoguaranteelifeor

propertyagainstrisk.

Themaninsuredhishouseagainst

fireandfloods.

Brake Tostopavehicle Hercar’sbrakesfailed,andsheran

intothetruckinfrontofher.

Break Toburglarizeahomeorother

structure;forciblyenteringorexiting

ahouseorstructure;todamage.

Theofficerwatchedthesuspect

breakintothestore.



Cite Refertoanofficialdocumentorrule

asproof;verb

Thedistrictattorneycitedthepenal

code.

Site Placeorsettingofanevent;noun Theofficersreturnedtothesiteof

thecrimetogathermoreevidence. 

Sight Abilitytosee Thecontrabandlayonthetablein

plainsight.



Elicit Todrawoutorforth;evoke Theofficerwasabletoelicita

confessionfromthesuspect.

Illicit Somethingnotpermittedbylaw Thesuspecthadcommittedanillicit

act.



Formally Somethingdoneceremoniouslyorin

aregular,methodicalfashion

Thesuspectwasformallyindictedin

forthecrime.

Formerly Somethingthathappenedinthepast Hewasformerlyadetective.



Hear Toperceivesound Theofficerscouldhearthe

argumentthroughthedoor.

Here Placeorlocation Iaskedthevictimtocomehereand

answersomequestions.



Its Adjectiveshowingpossession Thecarlostitsrearhubcapwhen

theofficerdroveoverthecurb.

It’s Contractionof‘itis’or‘ithas’ It’sbeensixyearssincetheofficer

washired.



Know Tobecognizantoforbeacquainted

with

Thevictimclaimedthatshedidnot

knowthesuspect.

No Negative Thesuspectsaid,“No.”



Pain Strongsenseofhurt Thevictimscreamedinpainafter

beingTasered.

Words Definitions Examples

Pane Windowglasssetinaframe Theburglarhadbrokenthepaneto

gainaccesstothehouse.



Passed Tomoveforwardoraround;to

circulate

Aswepursuedthesuspect,we

passedfourothervehiclesonthe

freeway.

Past History;endedoraccomplished,

beyond

Thesuspecthadanumberofpast

convictions.

Personal Belongingtosomeone Thesuspect’spersonaleffectswere

bookedintoproperty.

Personnel Company’semployees Thedepartmenthadapersonnel 

meeting.



Precede Togobeforeintime,placeorrank Theburglaryprecededtherape.

Proceed Toadvance,gotoward Theburglarythenproceededtothe

bedroom.



Pride Self‐esteem Theofficertookgreatprideinhis

work.

Pried Toraise,move,orforcewithalever

(pasttenseofpry)

Theburglarpriedthewindowopen

withascrewdriver.



Principal Chiefofficial;chiefactoror

perpetratorpresentattimeofcrime

GaryMorenowastheprincipal

personinvolvedintheburglary.

Principle Ruleofconduct;lawofnatureor

scientificfact

Policeofficersareexpectedto

upholdhighmoralprinciples.



Quiet Stillorsilent Whenwearrivedatthedispute,the

housewasquiet.

Quite Toagreatdegree;completely Thesuspectwasquiteagitatedand

begansweating.



Scene Locationofanevent Theofficerssecuredthecrime

scene.

Seen Pasttenseof“tosee”(sight) Thesuspectwasseenrunningfrom

thehouse.



Steal Totakewithoutpermission Robberyandtheftareformsof

stealing.

Steel Strongalloyofiron Thepipewasmadeofsteel.



Than Introducescomparativeclauses Thesuspectwastallerthanme.

Then Designatestime(next) Thesuspectsthenfledfromthe

bankonfoot.



There Atorinthatplace;to,toward,orinto Morezwentthereaftershetalked

Words Definitions Examples

 thatplace withtheofficer.

They’re Shortformof‘theyare’ Thewomansaid,“They’regoingto

shoothim.”

Their Possessionofthem,bythem Thebrotherswentbytheirhomeon

theirwaytothecorner.



Threw



Pasttenseof“throw” Shethrewthevaseatherhusband.

Through Motionfromsidetosideor

endtoendwithinsomething

Thesuspectranthroughthe

malltoevadearrest.



To Movementtowardaplace,person,or

thing



Thevictimstatedhewasgoingto

thegrocerystorewhenhewas

stopped.

Too Also,besides,inexcessivedegree Thereportingpartystatedthatthe

noisewastooloudforhertohear

thepersontalking

Two Thenumbertwo(2) Thebuildinghadtwoentrances

Waist



Partofthebodybetweentheribs

andthehips

Thesuspectgrabbedthevictim

aroundthewaistandwrestledher

totheground.

Waste Toconsume,weaken,orsquander Shewastedwaterbywashingher

cartwiceeveryday.

Weak Notstrong Hisuseofheroinlefthimveryweak.

Week Sevendays’duration Thesuspectstalkedhisvictimfor

threeweeks.

Your



Belongstoaspecificyouoraspecific

person

YoungheardJohnsonsay,“Yourdog

isonmypropertyagain.”

You’re Shortformof‘youare’ Theofficersaidyou’reunderarrest.

Wave Tosignal Shewavedtoherneighbor.

Waive Tosurrenderorrelinquish ShewaivedherMirandarights.



PROOFREADING

Proofreadingmayseemtime‐consuming,tedious,anddifficult,butwhenwritingreportswhere

accuracy,clarity,andcompletenessareimportant,proofreadingiscritical.Itisadifficultskillto

master,yetonethatcannotbeoverlooked.



Whenproofreadingareport,specialattentionshouldbedevotedtoensurethatthefollowing

basic

questionsareanswered:



 Arethecorrectcrimescitedinthereport?  Istheinformationintheproperorder?

 Areallcrimeelementsarticulated?

 Arethefactsofthecasecorrect(basedon

theofficer’sfieldnotes)?

 Isthereportwellorganized?

 Isallnecessaryinformationincluded?



 Arethingssaidefficientlyortoowordy?

 Areallconclusionssupportedbyfacts?

 Arethereanygapsinlogic?

 Arethenamesspelledcorrectly?



ProofreadingMechanics

Areport’seffectivenessandanofficer’scredibilitycanbedamagedbyareportwithtoo many

mechanicalerrors.Whenproofreadingthereportstheyhavewritten,officersshouldlookfor:



 Inappropriateuseofnouns,pronouns

verbs,etc.

 Vagueorconfusinglanguage

 Incorrectorinappropriateuseofwords



Gapsinlogicornarrativeflow

 Spellingerrors

 Inappropriatepunctuation

 Incorrectuseofpolice,fireorEMS

abbreviations

 Overuseofwords,suchas“that”



Oneofthemosteffectivemethodsforproofreadingthecontentandmechanicsofanyreportis

toslowlyreadthecompletedreport

aloud.Whensentencesareheard,itisofteneasierto

identifymechanicalerrors,gapsinlogicalflow,skewedtimesequences,incorrectverbtenses

andcumbersomephrasing.



SACRAMENTOSTATEPOLICEDEPARTMENT

REPORTWRITINGMANUAL



PARTII

INSTRUCTIONSFOR

REPORTFORMCOMPLETION

COMPLETIONOFTHEREPORTDISTRICTATTORNEYCOVERSHEET

Thedistrictattorneycoversheetshallbecompletedforallreportsthataretobesubmittedto

theSacramentoCountyDistrictAttorneyforprosecution.



NOTE:TheresponsibilityfordeliveryofdepartmentreportstotheDistrictAttorney’sofficeina

timelymannerrests

withthedayshiftsupervisororofficer incharge,andthedepartment

detectives’office.



Thedistrictattorneycoversheetshallbecompletedaccordingtothefollowinginstructions.



DISTRICTATTORNEYCOVERSHEETINSTRUCTIONS

Offense.Entertheapplicablenumericalcodesectionandsourceforthecrimebeingreported.

Ifmultiplecrimesarebeingcharged,thisfieldshallcontainthemostseriousoffense.

ReportNumber.EntertheCSUSPoliceDepartmentreportnumber,precededbythetwodigit

year.

InCustodyCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthe

caseinvolvesanin‐custodyarrest.

Cite&ReleaseCheck box.Checkthisboxifthecaseinvolvesaciteandrelease.

WarrantRequestCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecaseisawarrantrequest.

Attn:Enter“IntakeDistrictAttorney”.

Date/TimeofOffense.Enterthedateandtimetheoffensebeing

chargedwascommitted.

Date/TimeofArrest.Enterthedateandtimethesuspectwasarrested.Iftherequestisa

warrantrequest,leaveblank.

Victim#1.Enterthelastname,firstname,andmiddlenameoftheprimaryvictim.

Victim#2.Enterthelastname,firstname,andmiddlename

ofthesecondaryvictim.Ifthereis

nosecondaryvictim,leaveblank.

Suspect.Enterthelastname,firstnam e,andmiddlenameofthesuspect.

Age.Entertheageofthesuspect.

Charge.Enterallchargesandsourceforthecrimeorcrimesbeingreported.Enteronecharge

perline.

CII

#.EntertheCIInumberforthesuspect,ifthesuspecthasone.

XREF#.EntertheSacramentoCountyXREFnumber.AnXREFmustbecreatedforthesuspect

beforethecasecanbetakentotheSacramentoCountyDistrictAttorney’sOffice.ContactCSUS

PolicedispatchforcreationofanXREF

number,ifthesuspectdoesnothaveone.

RapInfoEncCheckbox.CheckthisboxiftheNCICcriminalhistoryinformationisenclosedwith

thereport.NCICcriminalhistoryinformationisrequiredbeforethecasecanbetakentothe

SacramentoCountyDistrictAttorney’sOffice.

RapInfoOrderedCheckbox.Obsolete.

Donotuse.

RapInfoNoRecCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthesuspectdoesnothaveanycriminalhistory.

CaseSummary.Enterashortdescriptionthataccuratelydescribesthecaseandoutlinesall

chargedsections.

SubmittingOfficer.Enterthefirstinitial,lastname,andbadgenumberofthesubmitting

officer.



Detail.Enter“Patrol”orothercurrentassignment.

Phone.Enterthetendigitdepartmenttelephonenumber.

ReviewingOfficer.Enterthefirstinitial,lastname,andbadgenumberofthereviewingofficer.

Date/TimeSubmitted.Enterthedateandtimethereportwasreviewedbythereviewing

officer.

COMPLETIONOFTHEREPORTFACEPAGE

Thereportfacepageshallbecompletedforallprimaryinvestigativeorincidentreports,butis

notrequiredonsupplementalreports.



Thefacepagecontainssevenblocksofdata,withformfields.Eachofthefields shallbe

completedaccordingtothefollowinginstructions. 



BlockA–ReportHeaderBlock(ReportInformation)

JuvenileInvolvedCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportinvolvesajuvenileunder18yearsof

age.

ConfidentialCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecrimeinvolves§220,§236.1,§261,§261.5,§262,

§264,§264.1,§265,§266,§266a,§266b,§266c,§266e,§266f,§266j,§267,§269,§273a,§273d,

§273.5,§285,§286,§288,§288a,§288.2,

§288.3,§288.3,§288.5,§288.7,§289,§422.6,§422.7,

§422.75,§646.9,or§647.6oftheCaliforniaPenalCode,andthevictimhaselectedtoexercise

theirrighttoconfidentiality.

Property/EvidenceBookingCheckbox.Checkthisboxifpropertyorevidencewasbookedin

associationtothereport.

PhotosCheckbox.Checkthisboxif

photographsweretaken.

Photographsmustbeprintedonaseparatesheetofpaper,andlabeledasanattachmenttothe

report.Multiplephotographsmaybeprintedonthesamepaper,aslongaseachphotograph

printedisindividuallylabeled.

Eachphotographshallbelabeledas“Photograph#1,Photograph#2,Photograph#3”,

andso

forth,foreaseofreferencewithinthereportnarrative.

Photographsshallnotbeincorporatedintothereportnarrative.

PrintsCheckbox.Checkthisboxiflatentfingerprintsweresuccessfullyliftedinassociationto

thereport.

AlcoholRelatedCheckbox.Checkthisboxifalcoholwasinvolvedintheincidentor

crime.

CRCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportisacrimereport.Acri mereportisdefinedasany

occurrenceinwhichacriminalviolationoccurred,evenifthevictimdoesnotwantprosecution,

oronlywantsthereportfor“documentationpurposes.”

IRCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthe

reportisanincidentreport,withnocrimeinvolved.

CASCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportinvolvesacasualty.Acasualtyisdefinedasany

injuryorcomplaintofpainthatoccurstoacitizen,regardlessofthemodeormethodofinjury.

Areportisacasualtyreporteven

ifthecitizendoesnotrequestmedicalaid,refusesmedicalaid

ortransport,orstatestheywillvisittheirpersonalphysician.

AllcasualtyreportsmustbeforwardedtotheSacramentoStateRiskManagementOffice.

MPCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportifthereportinvolvesamissingperson.

W&I

Checkbox.CheckthisboxifthereportinvolvesaviolationofanysectionoftheWelfare

andInstitutionscode.

WACheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportinvolvesawarrantarrest,withoutanyfreshcharges

added.

Date/TimeofCall.Enterthedateandtimeofcall.

LocationofOccurrence.Enterthe

locationwherethecrimeorincidentoccurred,whenever

possible.Ifthecrimeorincidentlocationisnotknown,enter“Unknown”intothefield.

Forknownlocations,enterthecompleteaddressforthelocation,toincludethestreet,city,

stateandfivedigitzipcode.

ForlocationsthatareontheSacramentoStatecampus,ifthereportorincidentbeingreported

occurredinaroomorbuilding,includethebuildingandroomnumber,inadditiontothe

completeaddress.

ReportNumber.EntertheSacramentoStatePoliceDepartmentreportnumber.

CrimeDefinition.Enterthecommonnameof

themostseriouschargearticulatedinthereport.

CodeSection.Entertheapplicablenumericalcodesectionforthecrimebeingreported.The

codesectionshallmatchthecrimedefinitionfield.

Source.Entertheappropriatecodesourceforthecodesectionbeingreported.

EventNumber.EntertheSacramentoStatePoliceDepartment

CADidentificationnumberfor

thecallbeingreported.

ConnectedReports.Enterthereportnumber(s)foranyreportsthatareconnectedtothe

currentreports.ReportsthatareconnectedarethoseassociatedbyMO,suspect,victim,

reportingparty,orlocation.

Iftheincidentbeingreportedinvolvesanoutsideagencyassist,enterthe

outsideagencyreport

number.

Iftherearenoconnectedreports,leavethefieldblank.

Agency.Entertheoriginatingagencyforthereportwrittenintheconnectedreportsfield.If

therearenoreportnumbersenteredintheconnectedreportsfield,leaveblank.

OccurredOn/Between.Enterthedateonwhichthe

incidentbeingreportedoccurred.Ifadate

range,enterthebeginningandendingdatesforthedaterange.

DayofWeek.Enterthedayofweekonwhichtheincidentbeingreportedoccurred.Ifadate

range,enterthebeginningandendingdaysforthedaterange.Daysareabbreviated.

Time

Occurred.Enterthedateonwhichtheincidentbeingreportedoccurred.If adaterange,

enterthebeginningandendingdatesforthedaterange.Datesareenteredinthemmddyyyy

format.

Latitude/Longitud e.Enterthelatitudeandlongitudeforthelocationwherethecrimeor

incidenttookplace.



BlockB,C&D–InvolvedPartyInformationBlock

#Box.Entertheinvolvedpartynumber,innumericalorder,bypartytype.

VictCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisavictim.Victimsshallalwaysbelistedfirstonthe

facepage,beforesuspects,witnesses,reportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.Ifthe

universityisthevictim,enter“CaliforniaState

University,Sacramento”.

SuspCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisasuspect.Suspectsshallalwaysbelistedafter

victims,butbeforewitnesses,reportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.

WitnCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisawitness.Witnessesshallalwaysbelistedafter

victimsandsuspects,but

beforereportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.

RPCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisareportingparty.Reportingpartiesshallalwaysbe

listedaftervictims,suspects,andwitnesses,butbeforeotherinvolvedparties.

OthCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartydoesnotfitintoanyoftheother

categories.Other

involvedpartiesshallalwaysbelistedlastonreports.

LastName/FirstName/Middle.Enterthelastname,firstname,andmiddlenameofthe

involvedparty.

Ifthepartyisabusinessorentity,enterthebusinessorentityname.

Age.Entertheageoftheinvolvedparty.Calculated

fromtheDOBfield.

DOB.Enterthedateofbirthoftheinvolvedparty.Ifthedateofbirthisnotknownornot

applicable,leaveblank.

XREF.EntertheinvolvedpartycountyXREFnumber,ifknown.Ifnotknown,leaveblank.

UnivAssoc.Entertheinvolvedparty’sassociationtotheuniversity.SelectionsareFaculty,

Staff,StudentorNone.

Address/PermAddress.Enterthecurrentmailingaddressoftheinvolvedparty,whichisnota

postofficebox.Ifitisapermanentaddress,checkthe‘Y’checkbox,andifitisnot

apermanent

mailingaddress,checkthe‘N’box.

Iftheinvolvedpartyisabusinessorentity,enterthebusinessorentitymailingaddress.Ifany

college,departmentordivisionattheUniversityistheinvolvedparty,enterthemailingaddress

oftheUniversity.

PRIPhone.Entertheinvolvedparties’primary

telephonenumberwheretheycanbereached

themajorityofthetime,andensurethenumberisavalidworkingnumber.Iftheyhaveno

telephonenumber,leaveblank.

SECPhone.Enteransecondarytelephonenumberfortheinvolvedpartywheretheymaybe

contacted,andensurethenumberis

avalidworkingnumber.

Sex.Enterthesexoftheinvolvedparty.Dropdownlist.

Race.Entertheraceoftheinvolvedparty.Dropdownlist.

DriversLicense‐State.Entertheinvolvedparty’sdriver’slicensenumberandabbreviationfor

thestateofissue.Iftheinvolvedpartyonlyhasastate‐issuedidentification

card,enterthe

identificationcardnumberandstateabbreviation.Iftheinvolvedpartyhasnodriver’slicense

oridentificationcard,leaveblank.

Ht.Enterthe involvedpar t y’s height.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,leave

blank.

Wt.Entertheinvolvedparty’sweight.Ifadescriptionwas

providedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.

Hair.Entertheinvolvedparty’shaircolor.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Build.Entertheinvolvedparty’sbuild.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Eyes.

Entertheinvolvedparty’seyecolor.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Comp.Entertheinvolvedparty’scomplexion.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimor

witness,leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

VehiclePlate–State.Entertheinvolvedparty’svehiclelicenseplate

numberandstateofissue,

ifitisrelevanttothecrimeorincidentbeingreported.Ifthevehiclewasnotissuedaplate,

entertheVIN.Ifthevehicleisnotrelevanttotheincident,leaveblank.

VehicleYear/Make/Model/Color/Other.Entertheyear,make,model,andcolorforthe

party’vehicle,

ifitisrelevanttothecrimeorincidentbeingreported.Inthe‘Other’field,enter

thevehicletype,suchassportutility(SU),passengercar(PS),pickup(PK),cargovan(CV)or

motorcycle(MC).Alsoindicatethenumberofdoorsonthevehicle,ifapplicable.Ifthevehicleis

not

relevanttotheincident,leaveblank.

MOCheckbox.Checkthebox,andentertheactionsusedbytheindividual(s)toexecutethe

crime,preventitsdetectionand/orfacilitateescape,andenterthemethodofoperationinthe

freeformtextboxbelowthecheckboxiftheinformationisapplicableto

thecrimebeing

reported.Ifnotknown,leaveblank.

PointofEntryCheckbox.Checktheboxifthecrimeisaburglaryortrespassandthepointof

entryisknown.Enterthepointofentryinthefreeformtextboxbelowthecheckbox.Ifnot

knownornotrelevant,

leaveblank.

MethodUsedCheckbox.Checktheboxiftheinstrumentalityofthecrimeisknown.Enterthe

instrumentality(hammer,screwdriver,boltcutter,saw,ninjarock,etc)inthefreeformtextbox

belowthecheckbox.Ifnotknownornotrelevant,leaveblank.

WeaponsCheckbox.Checkthisbox,andenteranyweapons

usedbytheparty.Ifnotknown,

leaveblank.

Scars/Marks/TattoosCheckbox.Checkthisbox,andenteranyrecognizablescars,marks,or

tattoosontheparty.Ifnotknownornotrelevant,leaveblank.

OtherInformation.Checkthisbox,andenterotherpertinentinformationabouttheinvolved

party.Informationthatcan

beenteredinthisfieldcanbe(butisnotlimitedto)theparty’s

emailaddressoradditionalcontactinformation,whetherthepartyisafacultymember,staff

memberorstudent,oriftheyresideinaresidencehall.



BLOCKE–CASESUMMARYBLOCK

Enterabriefsummaryofthecaseintothis blockthataccuratelydescribesthecaseandoutlines

allchargedsections.



BLOCKF–CASEINFOBLOCK

ClearedCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecaseisclearedbyarrestorothermeans,andspecify

thereasonforthestatusinthefieldbelowthecheckbox.SeeClearedCasesintheCaseStatus

Information,below.

ClosedCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecaseisclosed,andspe cifythereason

forthestatusinthe

fieldbelowthecheckbox.SeeClosedCasesintheCaseStatusInformation,below.

PendingCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecaseispendingfollow‐up,andspecifythereasonfor

thestatusinthefieldbelowthecheckbox.SeePendingCasesintheCaseStatus

Information,

below.

UnfoundedCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecaseisunfounded,andspecifythereasonforthe

statusinthefieldbelowthecheckbox.SeeUnfoundedCasesintheCaseStatusInformation,

below.

OtherCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthecasehasastatusnotalreadycovered,andspecifythe



statusinthefieldbelowthecheckbox.

NotificationTo/DACheckbox.CheckthisboxifthereportistobeforwardedtotheSacramento

CountyDistrictAttorney’sOffice,andspecifythereasonforthenotification.

NotificationTo/DetectivesCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportistobeforwardedtothe

CSUS

investigationsofficeandspecifythereasonforthenotification

NotificationTo/OutsideAgencyCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportistobeforwardedtoan

outsideagency,andspecifytheagencyandreasonforthenotification.

NotificationTo/OtherCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthereportistobeforwardedtoanother



agencyordepartmentnotalreadyspecified,andspe cifythereasonforthenotification.

Marsy’sCard/NACheckbox.CheckthisboxifaMarsy’sCardwasnotrequiredtobeprovided

asaresultofthecurrentreport.

Marsy’sCard/ProvidedCheckbox.CheckthisboxifaMarsy’sCardwasprovided

asaresultof

thecurrentreport.

Marsy’sCard/MailedCheckbox.CheckthisboxifaMarsy’sCardwasprovidedbymailasa

resultofthecurrentreport.

RecordsPropertyEntry/Initials.Leaveblank.Thisfieldisfordispatch/recordsuseonly.

RecordsPropertyEntry/EnteredCheckbox.Leaveblank.Thisfieldis

fordispatch/recordsuse

only.

RecordsPropertyEntry/ModifiedCheckbox.Leaveblank.Thisfieldisfordispatch/records use

only.

RecordsPropertyEntry/TakenAmt.Enterthetotalvalueofallpropertytaken,lost,missing,or

stolen,whereapplicable.

RecordsPropertyEntry/RecoveryAmt.Enterthetotalamountofallpropertyrecoveredor

found,whereapplicable.

RecordsPropertyEntry/Est.Dam.

Amt.Enterthetotalamountofestimateddamage,where

applicable.



BLOCKG–OFFICER/SUPERVISORSIGNATUREBLOCK

ReportingOfficers/Badge.Enterthefirstinitial,lastnameandbadgenumberofthereporting

officers.

DateSubmitted.Enterthedatethereportwassubmittedforapproval.

ApprovedBy/Badge.Enterthefirstinitial,lastnameandbadgenumberoftheapproving

supervisor.

DateApproved.Enterthedate thereportwasapproved.



IndexedBy.Leaveblank,CSUSRecordsuseonly.



CASESTATUSINFORMATION

ClearedCases.Acaseisclassifiedasclearedwhenatleastonepersonisarrested,chargedwith

thecommissionoftheoffense,andturnedovertothecourtforprosecution(whetherfollowing

arrest,courtsummons,orpolicenotice).Additionally,anoffenseisclearedwhentheoffender

isapersonless

than18yearsofageandiscitedtoappearinjuvenilecourtorbeforeother

juvenileauthorities.



Acasecanalsobeclassifiedasclearedwhensomeelementbeyondlawenforcementcontrol

preventsfilingofformalchargesagainsttheoffender.Areportcanbeclassifiedasclearedifall

thefollowingquestionscanbeansweredintheaffirmative.(1)Hastheinvestigation

definitelyestablishedtheidentityoftheoffender?(2)Isthereeno ughinformationtosupportan

arrest,charge,andturningovertothecourtforprosecution?(3)Istheexactlocationofthe

offenderknownsothatthe

subjectcouldbetakenintocustodynow?(4)Istheresomereason

outsidelawenforcementcontrolthatprecludesarresting,charging,andprosecutingthe

offender(forexample,suicide, deathbedconfession,doublemurder,etc.)?Examplesofsuch

clearancesare:



1. Suicideoftheoffender.(Thepersonwhocommittedtheoffenseisdead.)

Doublemurder.(Twopersonskilleachother.)

3. Deathbedconfession.(Thepersonwhocommittedtheoffensediesaftermakingthe

confession.)

4. Offenderkilledbypoliceorcitizen.

5. Confessionbyanoffenderwhoisalreadyinlawenforcementcustody orservingasentence.

(Thisisactuallyavariationof

atrueclearancebyarrest—theoffenderwouldnotbe

“apprehended”butinmostsituationswouldbeprosecutedonthenewcharge.)

6. Offenderisprosecutedbystateorlocalauthoritiesinanother cityforadifferentoffenseoris

prosecutedinanothercityorstatebythefederalgovernmentforan

offensewhichmaybe

thesame.(Lawenforcementmakesanattempttoreturntheoffenderforprosecution,but

theotherjurisdictionwillnotallowtherelease.)

7. Extraditiondenied.

8. Victimrefusestocooperateintheprosecution.

9. Warrantisoutstandingforfelonbutbeforebeingarrestedtheoffenderdies.(Themethodof

deathis

irrelevant.)

10. Thehandlingofajuvenileoffendereitherorallyorbywrittennoticetoparentsininstances

involvingminoroffensessuchaspettylarceny.Noreferralismadetojuvenilecourtasa

matterofpubliclyacceptedlawenforcementpolicy

ClosedCases.Acasecanbeclassifiedasclosed

whenallinvestigationiscomplete,andno

additionalfollow‐upinvestigationcanbeconducted,however,suspect id entificationor

prosecutionisdeemedtoberemoteorunlikely.Inclosedcases,allserializedproperty

informationmustbeknown.

PendingCases.Acasecanbeclassifiedaspendingwhenfollowupinvestigationisgoing

tobe

conductedbytheindividualofficerordetectives.

UnfoundedCases.Acaseisclassifiedasunfoundedwhenitisdeterminedthatthefactsofthe

caseareproventobefalse.

OtherCases.Casesareclassifiedas‘other’whentheyareoutsideagencyassists,orincident

reports.

COMPLETIONOFTHEADDITIONALPARTIESPAGE

Theadditionalpartiespagecontainsblocksforsixadditionalinvolvedparties,withtheindividual

beingidentifiedasavictim,suspect,witness,reportingparty,orotherpartyforeachforthesix

blocks.

Thepageshouldbeusediftherearemorethanthreeinvolvedpartiesinthecurrentreport.The

page

shouldbecompletedaccordingwiththefollowing instructions.



AdditionalPartiesInformationBlocks

#Box.Entertheinvolvedpartynumber,innumericalorder,bypartytype.

VictCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisavictim.Victimsshallalwaysbelistedfirstonthe

facepage,beforesuspects,witnesses,reportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.Ifthe

universityisthevictim,enter“CaliforniaState

University,Sacramento”.

SuspCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisasuspect.Suspectsshallalwaysbelistedafter

victims,butbeforewitnesses,reportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.

WitnCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisawitness.Witnessesshallalwaysbelistedafter

victimsandsuspects,but

beforereportingparties,orotherinvolvedparties.

RPCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartyisareportingparty.Reportingpartiesshallalwaysbe

listedaftervictims,suspects,andwitnesses,butbeforeotherinvolvedparties.

OthCheckbox.Checkthisboxifthepartydoesnotfitintoanyoftheother

categories.Other

involvedpartiesshallalwaysbelistedlastonreports.

LastName/FirstName/Middle.Enterthelastname,firstname,andmiddlenameofthe

involvedparty.

Ifthepartyisabusinessorentity,enterthebusinessorentityname.

Age.Entertheageoftheinvolvedparty.Calculated

fromtheDOBfield.

DOB.Enterthedateofbirthoftheinvolvedparty.Ifthedateofbirthisnotknownornot

applicable,leaveblank.

XREF.EntertheinvolvedpartycountyXREFnumber,ifknown.Ifnotknown,leaveblank.

UnivAssoc.Entertheinvolvedparty’sassociationto

theuniversity.SelectionsareFaculty,

Staff,StudentorNone.

Address/PermAddress.Enterthecurrentmailingaddressoftheinvolvedparty,whichisnota

postofficebox.Ifitisapermanentaddress,checkthe‘Y’checkbox,andifitisnotapermanent

mailingaddress,checkthe‘N’box.

Iftheinvolvedpartyisabusinessorentity,enterthebusinessorentitymailingaddress.Ifany

college,departmentordivisionattheUniversityistheinvolvedparty,enterthemailingaddress

oftheUniversity.

PRIPhone.Entertheinvolvedparties’primarytelephonenumberwheretheycanbereached

the

majorityofthetime,andensurethenumberisavalidworkingnumber.Iftheyhaveno

telephonenumber,leaveblank.

SECPhone.Enteransecondarytelephonenumberfortheinvolvedpartywheretheymaybe

contacted,andensurethenumberisavalidworkingnumb er.

Sex.Enterthesex

oftheinvolvedparty.Dropdownlist.

Race.Entertheraceoftheinvolvedparty.Dropdownlist.

DriversLicense‐State.Entertheinvolvedparty’sdriver’slicensenumberandabbreviationfor

thestateofissue.Iftheinvolvedpartyonlyhasastate‐issuedidentificationcard,enterthe

identificationcardnumberandstate

abbreviation.Iftheinvolvedpartyhasnodriver’slicense

oridentificationcard,leaveblank.

Ht.Enterthe involvedpar t y’s height.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,leave

blank.

Wt.Entertheinvolvedparty’sweight.Ifadescriptionwasprovided byavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.

Hair.Entertheinvolvedparty’shaircolor.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictim

orwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Build.Entertheinvolvedparty’sbuild.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Eyes.Entertheinvolvedparty’seyecolor.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimorwitness,

leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

Comp.Enterthe

involvedparty’scomplexion.Ifadescriptionwasprovidedbyavictimor

witness,leaveblank.Dropdownlist.

VehiclePlate–State.Entertheinvolvedparty’svehiclelicenseplatenumberandstateofissue,

ifitisrelevanttothecrimeorincidentbeingreported.Ifthevehiclewasnotissued

aplate,

entertheVIN.Ifthevehicleisnotrelevanttotheincident,leaveblank.

VehicleYear/Make/Model/Color/Other.Entertheyear,make,model,andcolorforthe

party’vehicle,ifitisrelevanttothecrimeorincidentbeingreported.Inthe‘Other’field,enter

thevehicletype,suchassportutility

(SU),passengercar(PS),pickup(PK),cargovan(CV)or

motorcycle(MC).Alsoindicatethenumberofdoorsonthevehicle,ifapplicable.Ifthevehicleis

notrelevanttotheincident,leaveblank.

MOCheckbox.Checkthebox,andentertheactionsusedbytheindividual(s)toexecutethe

crime,preventitsdetectionand/orfacilitateescape,andenterthemethodofoperationinthe

freeformtextboxbelowthecheckboxiftheinformationisapplicabletothecrimebeing 

reported.Ifnotknown,leaveblank.

PointofEntryCheckbox.Checktheboxifthecrimeisaburglaryor

trespassandthepointof

entryisknown.Enterthepointofentryinthefreeformtextboxbelowthecheckbox.Ifnot

knownornotrelevant,leaveblank.

MethodUsedCheckbox.Checktheboxiftheinstrumentalityofthecrimeisknown.Enterthe

instrumentality(hammer,screwdriver,bolt

cutter,saw,ninjarock,etc)inthefreeformtextbox

belowthecheckbox.Ifnotknownornotrelevant,leaveblank.

WeaponsCheckbox.Checkthisbox,andenteranyweaponsusedbytheparty.Ifnotknown,

leaveblank.

Scars/Marks/TattoosCheckbox.Checkthisbox,andenteranyrecognizablescars,marks,

or

tattoosontheparty.Ifnotknownornotrelevant,leaveblank.

OtherInformation.Checkthisbox,andenterotherpertinentinformationabouttheinvolved

party.Informationthatcanbeenteredinthisfieldcanbe(butisnotlimitedto)theparty’s

emailaddressoradditionalcontactinformation,

whetherthepartyisafacultymember,staff

memberorstudent,oriftheyresideinaresidencehall.



COMPLETIONOFTHEPROPERTYSHEETPAGE

Thepropertysheetpagecontainsblocksforlisting21itemsofpropertythatwaslost,stolen,

found,bookedasevidence,recovered,bookedassafekeeping,orbookedfordestruction.

Thepageshouldbeusedifanypropertyislost,stolen,found,bookedasevidence,bookedas

safekeepingorbookedfordestruction.The

pageshouldbecompletedaccordingwiththe

followinginstructions.



AdditionalPartiesInformationBlocks

Item.Enterthenumberoftheitemassociatedwiththereport.

Status.Enterthepropertystatus.Dropdownlist.

Description.Enterthepropertydescrip tion,andincludecolor,make,model,serialnumber,and

anyotherpertinentdetailstoidentify theproperty.

Value.Enterthefairmarketvalueoftheproperty,and

transferthecumulativetotaltotheface

pageofthereport.

COMPLETIONOFTHEREPORTNARRATIVE

Thepurposeofthissectionofthemanualistoprovideastandardguidelineforthecompletion

ofallreportnarrativeswrittenbySacramentoStatePoliceDepartmentpoliceofficers.



NARRATIVEFORMAT

Thenarrativeformatusedbythedepartmentforallreportswillbeachronologicalnarrative,

withcategoricalreportheadings.



Categoricalheadingswillbeincapitalletters,andinboldfacefont.Reportheadingsarelimited

tothoseinthetablebelow,exceptincasesofdrivingundertheinfluencereports.



Drivingundertheinfluence reportheadingswillincludedate,time,notification,andofficer

actions/observationsheadings,aheadingtodocumenttheanswerstotheDUIquestionnaire,

andheadingsforeachofthefieldsobrietytestsadministered,aswellasasummaryofthe

reasonsforarrest,andarecommendationsheading.See

thesampleDUIreportforanexample

ofheadingsused.



HEADING

DESCRIPTION

Date Thedatethereportiswrittenorotheractionwastakenbythe

reportingofficer.



Time Thetimethereportiswritten,in24‐hourformat.



Notification Ashortsummaryofthecircumstanceswhichcausedtheofficer

toarriveatthesceneofthecall.

OfficerActions/Observations Theactions

andobservationstakenandnotedbytheofficer

writingthereport.



Thisheadingcanincludebriefstatementsoranswersgivenbya

victim,suspect,witness,reportingparty,orotherparty

involvedinthereport.



VictimStatement Adetailedsummaryofthevictim’sstatementtotheofficer

writingthereport.



Thevictim’slastnamewillbewritteninparenthesisafterthe

heading.Incasesinwhichtherearemultipleinvolvedparties

withthesamelastname,boththefirstandlastnamewillbe

used.



SuspectStatement Adetailedsummaryofthesuspect’sstatementtotheofficer

writingthereport.



Thesuspect’slastnamewillbewritteninparenthesisafterthe

heading.Incasesinwhichtherearemultipleinvolvedparties

withthesamelastname,boththefirstandlastnamewillbe

used.



WitnessStatement Adetailedsummaryofthewitness’sstatementtotheofficer

writingthereport.



Thewitness’slastnamewillbewritteninparenthesisafterthe

heading.Incasesinwhichtherearemultipleinvolvedparties

withthesamelastname,boththefirstandlastnamewillbe

used.



ReportingPartyStatement Adetailedsummaryofthereportingparty’sstatementtothe

officerwritingthereport.



Thereportingparty’slastnamewillbewritteninparenthesis

aftertheheading.Incasesinwhichtherearemultipleinvolved

partieswiththesamelastname,boththefirstandlastname



willbeused.



OtherPartyStatement Adetailedsummaryoftheanyadditionalparty’sstatementto

theofficerwritingthereport.



Theadditionalparty’slastnamewillbewritteninparenthesis

aftertheheading.Incasesinwhichtherearemultipleinvolved

partieswiththesamelastname,boththe

firstandlastname

willbeused.



Recommendations Abriefsummaryoffollowuprequired,oractionstobetaken

withthereport,withabriefexplanation.Iffurtherfollowupis

required,theexplanationshoulddetailwhoisgoingtoconduct

thefollowup(eg,theofficerwritingthe

report,detectives,

othernamedofficer).



FONTTYPE/SIZE

Thefonttypeforreportswillbea12point,mixed‐caseArielfont.Thisfonttypeandsize

providesthebestcompromisebetweenreadabilityandpaperusage.Reportswillnotbewritten

inallcapitalorlowercaseletters.



SACRAMENTOSTATEPOLICEDEPARTMENT

REPORTWRITINGMANUAL



PARTIII

SPECIFICREPORTINFORMATION

Differentreports,suchastheftreports,burglaryreports,useofforcereportsanddrivingunder

theinfluencereports,shouldanswerparticularquestionsandspecificdetails,basedupon the

reporttype.



Specificquestionstobeansweredorconsideredfordifferentreporttypesarelistedbelow.



Casualty/MedicalAidReports

While

casualtyreportsaretypicallynothingmorethananincidentreport,theirimportance

cannotbeunderestimated.Thepotentialforcivilliabilityfromincidentsinwhichaninvolved

partyisinjuredcanbequitehigh,dependinguponthecircumstances.Asaresult,theneedto

carefullydocumenttheincidentisofan

utmostnecessity.Thefollowingareelementsthatneed

tobeaddressedinamedicalaidorcasualtyreport.



1. Describethescene.Beasthoroughaspossible,andincludeanybrokenconcrete,improper

lighting,incorrectsignage,orotherconditionsobserved.

2. Establishthetimeframeoftheincident.Thisinformation

iscriticaltoimpeachand

rehabilitatethestatementsofinvolvedparties.

3. Takeacompletestatementfromallpartiesinvolved.Includestatementsdetailingthe

victim’sinjuries,andbesuretospeakwiththevictim.Beascompleteandthoroughas

possible,andifsomethingdoesn’tmakesense,getclarificationimmediately,

becauseitmay

betheonlytimethepartyiscontac ted.

4. Getcompletecontactinformationforallparties.Besuretogetalternatetelephone

numbersandemailaddresses,wheneverpossible.

5. Canvasstheareaforpossiblewitnesses.Don’thesitatetoknockondoors,ifnecessary.

6. Describeanyinjuries

orotherpreexistingmedicalconditionsdescribedbyinvolved

parties.Athoroughdescriptioncontemporaneoustotheincidentwillpreventpossible

statementchangeslater.

7. Takephotographsofthescene,andofallinvolvedparties.Onceagain,apictureiswortha

thousandwords.

8. Determineifthereisvideoofthe

incident.Ifthereisvideo,obtainacopy,andbookitas

evidence.

9. Getmedicalreleasestatements,ifnecessary.Havingaccesstomedicalrecordsfromthe

outsetcansometimespreventexcessiveclaimsatalatertime.

10. Documentthefireandmedicalunitsonscene.Iftheinvolvedpartyrefuses

medicalaid,

documentthereason.

11. Obtainthehospitalinformation,iftheinvolvedpartyistransported.Be suretoinclude

thisinformationinthereport.

Theft/Burglary/OtherPropertyCrimeReports 

Theft,burglaryandotherpropertycrimereportsshouldanswerquestionsregardingmodus

operandi,pointsofentry,itemstaken,timeframe,andevidentiaryinformationinorderto

enableinvestigatorstolinkspecificincidentstogether.Thefollowingareelementsthatshould

beaddressedbyaneffectivepropertycrimereport.



1. Describethescene.

Alwaysdescribethesceneasitwaswhenthevictimdiscoveredthe

crime,andalsohowthesceneappearedwhenyouarrived.

2. Establishwhatcrimeoccurred.Articulateallelementsofthecrimeinthereport.

3. Establishthetimeframeofthecrime.Thisinformationiscriticaltoimpeachand



rehabilitatethestatementsofsuspectsandvictims.

4. Takeacompletestatementfromallpartiesinvolved.Beascompleteandthoroughas

possible,andifsomethingdoesn’tmakesense,getclarificationimmediately,becauseitmay

betheonlytimethepartyiscontac ted.

5. Getcompletecontactinformationforall

parties.Besuretogetalternatetelephone

numbersandemailaddresses,wheneverpossible.Don’tlistastolen,lostormissing

telephoneastheonlycontactinformationinthecase.

6. Thoroughlydescribethepropertytaken,damaged,ormissing.Beasthoroughaspossible,

andfollowupwiththevictimor

responsibleifnecessarytoobtaintheinformation.Besure

toincludethecolor,make,model,value,andserialnumberofitems,whereavailable.Also

describeanyownerappliedmarkings,ifapplicable.Iftheitemisacell ulartelephone, 

obtaintheMEID/IMEInumbers,ifpossible.

7. Canvasstheareaforwitnesses.

Awitnesscanprovidesuspectinformation,orhelpconfirm

thetimeframe.

8. Lookforcameras,andobtainanyvideosurveillance.Determineifthereisanyvideo

surveillanceinthearea,anddocumentitinthereport.Obtaincopies,ifpossible,ofthe

videosurveillanceforthetimeframeofthecrime,and

bookasevidence.Ifthesurveillance

isonlyofentrancesandexits,obtainitanyway,

9. Describethepointofentry,pointofexit,andmodeoftheft,ifpossible.Criminalsare

creaturesofhabit,andwilltypicallyusethesamemethods tocommitcertaintypesof

crimes.

10. Ask

thevictimifanyotherpeoplehadaccessorpermissiontotaketheir property.This

cangiveastartingpoint,andalsomayhelpnarrowthetimeframeofthecrime.

11. Photographthescene,andaskthevictimiftheyhaveanypicturesoftheirproperty.A

pictureisworth

athousandwords,everytime.

12. Lookfor,obtain,andbookallevidence,orperceivedevidence.Lookfortheninjarocks

aroundavehicleburglarywithawindowsmash,orlookforthecutcablelockinthebushes.

Don’tforgettotrytoliftlatentfingerprints,regardlessofthe

valueofthestolenproperty.

Allittakesisoneprinttomakeacase.

13. Talktothevictimaboutfuturecrimepreventiontechniques,ifnecessary.MentionLoJack

forcomputers,engraving,andregistrationofbicycles,notleavingpropertyunattended…an

ounceofpreventionisworthapoundofcure.



UseofForceReports

Useofforcereportsoftenaresubjectedtoasignificantamountofscrutinybyboththecriminal

andcivilcourts.Forthisreason,specificquestionsandfactsshouldbeansweredbyauseof

forcereport.Thefollowingareelementsthatneedtobeaddressedinauseofforcereport.



1. Explaintheprobablecauseorreasonablesuspicionforthecontact.Clearlyarticulatethe

purposeofthestop.Besuretoincludeanaccurate,detailedsequenceofeventsleadingup

tothestoporcontact.

2. Stateyourfactsthenmaketheconclusions.Itisbettertoexplainthefacts

ofwhatisseen,

andthenexplainorpresentaconclusion.Forexample,don’tsay‘thesubjectappeared

angry’.Explainthesubject’sstance,visibleorexpressedemotions,thesubject’spresent

abilitytocompleteaperceivedthreat,andthewordsusedbythesubject.Afterexplaining

thisinformation,concludethedescriptionwith

‘thesubjectappearedangry.’

3. Pastexperiencesareimportantindicatorsofprobablefuturebehavior.Includepast

experiencesatthecalllocation,pastexperienceswiththesuspect,andknowledgerelayed

tobyotherofficersordispatch.Itiscommonforpeopletoactinaccordancewithrecent

pastbehavior,soa

violentsubjectcontactedataparticularlocation lastweek,islikelya

violentsubjectthisweek.

4. Explainanyobjectivesymptomsthatareobserved.Thisincludesobservedemotions,

aggressivebehaviororsymptomsofdrugandalcoholintoxication.Onceagain,besureto

layoutthefactsbeforedrawingtheconclusions.

Presentability.Explainthesuspects’pre sentabilitytodelay,obstruct,causeinjury,or

committheperceivedthreat.Whatistheirphysicalpresenceandwhatabilitydotheyhave

tocarryouttheirbehaviorsorthreats?Howfarawayarethey?Whatactionshavebeen

takenforofficersafety,suspectcontainment,

orscenecontrol?Ifthereissomedistance

betweentheofficerandsuspect,explainwhythedistanceisafactor.Manypeoplereading

auseofforcereportmaynotunderstandthatasuspectcanstillattackfromacrossthe

street.Also,don’tforgettocompareandcontrastsuspectsizeand

strengthwiththe

respondingofficers’sizeandstrength;bothareimportantfactorsthatneedtobeexplained

inordertodemonstratetheneedforandthetypeofforceused.

6. Describethephysicalstanceofthesuspect.Explainthesuspect’sbodylanguageby

describingthephysicalstance.Doesthe

bodylanguagetelegraphtheirintentionstothe

pointwhereitisobviouswhatiscomingnext?

7. Whatwordsarespokenbytheofficerandsuspect.Explainyourverbaleffortstogetthe

persontostopdoingwhattheyaredoingandexplaintheirverbalresponses.Inotherwords,

what

didyousayanddotopreventfurther problem.Whatdidtheysayanddotocontinue

tocreateobstructionsordelays.

8. Whatactionsweretakeninresponsetothesuspectswordsoractions.Also,explainany

useofforceandwhetheritwaseffectiveornoteffective.Ifthere

isanyphysicalviolence

whatsoever,regardlessofwhetherinjuriesappear,alwaystakephotographs.

9. Identifywhichforceoptionwasusedandwhyitwaschosenoverothers.Explainwhat

optionsareavailable,andclearlyexplainwhytheforceoptionusedwaschosen.

10. Estimatestrikesunlessfactsindicateyouknow

forsure.Thereisnoharminwatchingthe

videowhilewriting.

11. Alwayspresumeavideotapeisbeingmadeoftheevent.Withtheprevalenceofvideo

enabledtelephones,cameras,andothervideocapturedevi ces,videooftheeventishighly

likely.Forthisreason,takenoactionthat

isnotjustified,andneverneglecttodocumentall

aspectsofthearrestorincident.

12. Statewhenmedicalassistancewascalledandwhy.Remember,policecarsareusedto

transportprisoners,notpeopleinmedicalneed.Ifpossible, bringmedicalaidtoyou.Ifit

doesnotcometoyou,explainwhyitdidn’t.

13. Takepicturesofthesceneandthesuspect.Whenin

doubt,takemorepictures.Thereis

neverenough;onepictureisworthathousandwords.However,photographsshouldnotbe

usedinplaceofawrittendescriptionoftheinjuriesbythereportingofficer.

14. Contactallwitnessesanddocumentallcontactsandattempts.Contactingwitnesses

demonstratesprofessionalismandintegrity,

andalsoindicatesanattempttofullydocument

theincident,regardlesswhetherwitnessessupporttheuseofforceincidentornot.Don’t

forgettoattempttocanvasstheareaforwitnesses,ifpossible!

15. Documentthenumberofofficers,suspectsandbystandersatthescene.Providetheir

namesifpossible,

especiallyiftheyarehostiletowardslawenforcement.Didtheysayordo

anythingthataffectedthesituation?

16. Documenttheproximitytopotentialweapons.Apotentialweaponisanythingthatcanbe

usedtohurtorcauseinjury,suchasastick,knives,chairs,rocks,etc.

17. Documentanyspecial

training.Includedefensivetacticstrainingthatyouhavehad,orif

thesuspecthasaspecialunderstandingofdefensiveskills.

18. Documentthedu rationoftheincident.Wasanyoneexhaustedorinjuredduringthe

incident.

19. Discussanymentalillnessordrugusage.Mentalillnessordrugusagecan

explainpain

toleranceorirrationalresponses.

20. Describeanyenvironmentalfac torsthataffectedyourdecisionmakingprocess.Was

thereanyenvironmentalfactors,suchasrainordarknessthataffectedyourdecisiontouse

aparticularforceoption?

21. Documentthedangertothepubliccreatedbythisincident.Includeany

past,present,or

futuredangerthatyouconsideredastheincidentunfolded.Discusseachasknownatthe

timeoftheincident.

22. Proofreadthefinalreportwithyourbeatpartner.Describetheuseofforcesituationtoan

objectivelistener,andhavethepersonreviewthereport,andhave

thempointoutany

logic,grammatical,ormissingpointsthatmayhavebeenleftoutorinadequatelydescribed

inthereport.



SexualAssault/DomesticViolence/Battery/OtherCrimesAgainstPersons



Sexualassaults,domesticviolence,battery,andothercrimesagainstpersonsaresomeofthe

mostseriouscrimestowhichofficersrespond.Thefollowingareelements thatshouldbe

addressedbyaneffectivereportofasexualassault,domesticviolence,battery,orothercrime

againstpersons.



1. Describethescene.Always

describethesceneasitwaswhenthevictimdiscoveredthe

crime,andalsohowthesceneappearedwhenyouarrived.Includedistances,locations of

parties,lightingconditions…anythingthatmaybeconsidered relevanttotheincident.

2. Establishthetimeframeofthecrime.Thisinformationiscriticaltoimpeachand



rehabilitatethestatementsofsuspectsandvictims.

3. Takeacompletestatementfromallpartiesinvolved.Beascompleteandthoroughas

possible,andifsomethingdoesn’tmakesense,getclarificationimmediately,becauseitmay

betheonlytimethepartyiscontac ted.

4. Getcompletecontactinformationforall

parties.Besuretogetalternatetelephone

numbersandemailaddresses,wheneverpossible.Don’tlistastolen,lostormissing

telephoneastheonlycontactinformationinthecase.

5. Establishtherelationshipsbetweenallpartiesinvolved.Doingsoisimportant,becauseit

mayestablishspecificcrimes,motivations,andcircumstances

involvedintheincident.

6. Establishwhatcrimesoccurred.Doingsoestablishesprobablecauseforarrest.Always

ensureallelementsofthecrimeareclearlyarticulated.

7. Documentanyinjuries.Takephotographs,andobtainfollowupphotographs,ifnecessary.

Besuretoobtainamedicalreleasewaiver,whereverpossible. If

medicaltransportis

necessary,documentthehospital.

8. Collectanyclothingandbeddinginvolved,andbooktheitemsasevidence.Photograph

theitemsbeforebooking.

9. Documentallalcoholanddruginvolvementbyallparties.Includetheamounts,typesof

drugs,andfrequencyofingestionduringtheincident,anddetermine

pastalcoholanddrug

usagehistory.Alsodetermineifanyofthepartieshaveusedalcoholordrugstogether

before.Besuretodocumenttheapproximateintoxication levelofallinvolvedparties,

wherepossible.

10. Canvasstheareaforwitnesses.Checkotherrooms,orotherbusinessesnearby.

11. Determineif

thereisvideosurveillance.Ifso,obtaincopiesandbookintoevidence

immediately.Ifthevideosurveillanceisonlyoftheentranceorexitofabuilding,obtaina

copyanyway,evenifthecrimeisn’tvisibleonthevideo.

12. Considerapretexttelephonecallinallsexualassault

cases.Attempttodosopriorto

contactingthesuspectinthecase.BesuretocontactRobGold,Supervising DDAforthe

DA’sofficeSACAunitforpermissionpriortoconductingthecall.Goldcanbereachedat

916‐

956-0866 (cellular), 916-874-6543(work) or 916-451-2452(home). 

13. Offerconfidentialitytothevictim,andofferanadvocate,ifapplicable.Neverforgetthat

victimsofsexualassaultandothercrimesareeligibleforconfidentiality,andhavetheright

toanadvocate.

14. Ifthecrimeinvolvessexualassault,encouragethevictimtoundergoanevidentiaryexam.

Besure

toadequatelyexplainthepurposeoftheexam,andallowthevictimtomakethe

decision.

15. Recordinterviews,wheneverpossible.Recordinginterviewsisuptotheindividualofficer,

butrecordinginterviewstiesavictim,suspectorwitnesstoaspecificstatement,andlimits

laterredactionsorretractionsofstatements.

16. Considerthepossibledefensesthatcanbeusedbythesuspect.Whenapossibledefense

noted,trytoruleoutthedefensethoughphysicalevidence,orfollowupq uestioning.

17. Donotjumptoconclusionsregardingthetruthfulnessofthevictim,suspectorwitness.

Doingsowillbiastheinitialinvestigation.Alwaysassumethatthecrimehappened,unless

thereisstrongevidencethatindicatesotherwise.



DrivingUndertheInfluence(DUI)Reports

Drivingundertheinfluence reportsareoftensubjectedtosignificantscrutiny,duetothesocial

andfinancialimpactuponarresteesasaresultofaconviction.Thefollowingareelementsthat

shouldbeaddressedbyaneffectivedrivingundertheinfluencereport.

Note:CurrentDUIreportingstandardsencourageeachfieldsobriety

testbedocumentedinthe

reportnarrative,inadditiontousingDUIreportingsheets(ifaDUIreportingsheetisused).



1. Specifytheprobablecauseforthestop,andallobservationsmadepriortothetraffic

stop.Besuretonamespecificvehiclecodesections,andifpossible,name

multiple

violations.Doingsowilllimittheabilityforthedefensetochallengetheprobablecausefor

theinitialtrafficstop.Documentthetimeofthestopinthereport!

2. Identifyanypassengers,orotherpartiesinvolvedinthecase.Passengersorother

involvedpartiesarewitnesses,sobesure

todocumentandtreatthemassuch.

3. Describespecificobjectivesymptomsobserved.Ifthecaseendsinajurytrial,mostjurors

won’tunderstandwhatobjectivesymptomsofalcoholintoxicationarewithoutanadequate

description.Usetermssuchas‘red,glassyeyes’,‘thick,slurredspeech’,and‘odorofan



alcoholicbeverage’.

4. Listeachstandardizedfieldsobrietytestunderitsownheading.Describethe

administrationofthetest,andtheresults,documentinganyobservederrorswherethe

subjectdidnotperformthetestasdemonstrated.

5. Besuretodemonstrateeachstandardizedfieldsobrietytestpriortoadministration.

Document

thedemonstration,andifthesubjecthadanyquestions.

6. Don’tsaythesubjectfailedthestandardizedfieldsobrietytest.Alwayssaythesubjectdid

notperformthetestasdemonstrated.Standardizedfieldsobrietytestsarebasedonthe

numberandpercentagesoferrorsobservedtodeterminethelikelihoodofintoxication.



Thus,theyarenotapass/failtest.

7. Alwaysattemptperformatleastthreestandardizedfieldsobrietytests,notincludingthe

preliminaryalcoholscreeningdevice(PAS).Wheneverpossible,trytoperformatleast

threeofthefollowingtests(butpreferablyallfive):horizontalgazenystagmus,fingerto

nose,walkand

turn,onelegstandandRhomberginte rnalclock.Allfiveofthesetestsare

validatedandresearchedfieldsobrietytests.

8. ConductapreliminaryalcoholscreeningtestafterotherSFSTsareperformed..Don’tdoit

first,andensurethesubjecthasn’tvomited,burped,eaten,smoked,chewedgum,or

ingestedanythingprior

tothetest.Besuretoobservethesubjectfor15minutespriorto

conductingthePAStest.DocumentthePASserialnumber,thetemperature,andtimeof

administrationofbothtests.Makesurebothtestsarewithin0.02%agreement,anddon’t

forgettogivethePASadmonishmentper23612(i)

CVC.

9. Documentalladmonishments.BesuretoincludeTrombettaandthePASadmonishment,if

aPASscreeningwasgiven.

10. IncludetheresultsoftheDragertestinthereport.AttachtheDragerprintouttothe

report,inadditiontoincludingtheresultsinthenarrative.Includethetimethe

Dragerwas

administered.

11. Documentthephlebotomist’sactionsifabloodtestischosen.Besuretodocumentthe

phlebotomistcleaningthesubjectsarm,andthetypeofsolutionused(usuallypovidone 

iodine),andthedispositionofthevialsofblood.

12. Documentthestoragelocationallpropertyinthe

report.Besuretoincludepersonal

property,aswellasthevehicle.Provideapropertyreceipt,ifnecessary.

13. Documentthebookingtimeofthesubjectinthereport.Documentingthebookingtime

takesthereportfullcircle,fromthetimeofstop,untiltimeofbooking.

14. SendtheDMVacopyofthereportalongwiththeAdminPerSeform.Alsoincludeashort

summaryof

thestoponthebackoftheadminperseform.Administrativehearingofficers

attheDMVlikehavingboththesummaryandthefullreport;itmakestheirjobeasier.

