Police Reports

Pages 15-20

Keep in Mind

A good investigation

is the key to

a successful prosecution!

Law Enforcement’s Role in Prosecution

Work with prosecutor

Thorough investigation/report

Multiple charges

Testifying at trial

Building a Case Without the Victim

Done in murder investigations

Victim will not be available for trial

Treat victim like a witness

Evidence-based Prosecution (1)Law Enforcement Section, pages 15-20

How to Write Reports & Collect Evidence

Evidence-based Prosecution (2)

911 Tape

Torn Clothing

Written Statements

Evidence-based Prosecution (3)

Caller ID

Damaged Property

Medical Records Cell

Phone

Multiple Readings and Uses of a Police Report

Used by different groups for different reasons

Importance of a Well-Written Report

Provides Vital Information

Documentation

Permanent Record

What Should Be Included In Reports?

1. Injuries and “Context”

2. Damages to Property

3. Demeanor of Victim & Suspect

4. Interview of Children

5. Anticipate Manipulation

Reports Should Include (1)

Reports Should Include (2)

6. Excited Utterances

7. Document Weapons

8. History of Abuse

Characteristics of a Well-Written Report

Factual

Objective

Complete and clear

Supplemental documents

Protects confidentiality of the victim’s address.

Reports Should Be Factual

• Includes exact statements• Excited utterances in quotes• Demeanor of those present at the

scene• Correct identification of all parties

present• Detailed descriptions of weapons• Injuries documented

Reports Should Be Objective

• Descriptive language

• Include all accounts, even if they are conflicting

• Detailed statement of suspect

Report Should Be Complete

• Contains who, what, where, when and how

• And why, if done in an objective manner

• Arrest/request for warrant

Keep in Mind

Write the report in such a way

that someone who wasn’t at the scene

could read the report and feel

as if they had actually responded

Example of an Adequate Report

• Who

• What

• When

• Where

• How

• Why – based on the facts

Example of a Good Report

What do we know from this report?• Who - names, relationships

• What - context, history

• When

• Where

• How

• Why – based on the facts

Supplemental Documents/Forms

Supplemental Form with Body Chart

Medical Records Release Form

Victims’ Rights Form

Evidence Log Photo Log Officer’s Card & Case Number

Medical Records Release Form

Authorization For Release of Information

To:_____________________________________________________________________________ (Doctor or Hospital/Clinic)

________________________________________________________________________________ (Address)

I hereby authorize and request you to release to:_____________________________

________________________________________________________________________________ The complete medical records in your possession, concerning my injury or treatment during the period from:

_____________________________ to ____________________________________

_____________________________ to __________________________________

Use the form provided by your local medical center

Victims’ Rights Form

• Illinois Attorney General’s Tear-off Sheet

• How to obtain an order of protection or civil no contact order

• Available community services

Evidence Log

• Case file, name, address and phone number

• Type of evidence, source and description

Photo Log

• Photo identification• Date• Time• Subject• Location• Comment• Source

LITCHFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT

CHIEF OF POLICE

B.J. WILKINSONID # XX-XXX

Phone (217) 324-5991 Fax (217) 324-0470 Cell (217) 246-4535

Incident #

120 East RyderLitchfield, IL 62056Email: polchief@litchfieldil.com

Case History of Violence (1)

A good police report should contain the characteristics of the case history of violence

Case History of Violence (2)

• Known criminal history

• History of dispatched calls to scene

• Domestic violence history

• Protection order/condition of release history

• Medical treatment history

Use of a Synopsis• Concise

• Witness information

• Physical evidence

Report Writing

Include Dispatch Information

and Get a Copy of 911 Tape

Additional Points for Officers to Remember

Visible InjuriesFollow-Up PhotographsDocument StrangulationSuspect’s Demeanor

Additional Evidence to Gather

Contact Information for Victim, WitnessesSpecial Communication NeedsVisible DisabilitiesLength of Relationship Prior Residences

What is Hearsay?

“Out-of-court statement offered in evidence to prove the truth of

the matter asserted.”

Exceptions to Hearsay

Excited Utterances

Present-sense Impressions

Statement for Medical Diagnosis

Statement as to Physical Condition

Statement as to Mental Condition

Excited Utterances (1)

Statements made while the person is “excited” (while “under the stress of excitement caused by the event”) are less likely to be fabricated

Excited Utterances (2) Indicate the Excited Utterance by writing it

in quotation marks to indicate they are the victim’s exact words

The Judge is more likely to admit the statement if the officer has it in “quotation marks” in the report

Present-Tense Impressions

Statements made while a person is perceiving an event or condition, or immediately thereafter

Statements for Medical Diagnosis

Statements made to:

Medics

Emergency room/hospital staff

A Witness

Statements as to Physical Condition

Example: “My stomach hurts so much where he kicked me!”

Statements as to Mental Condition

Example: “I’m so terrified of him that I can’t breathe right.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those

Individuals and agencies who have assisted us in the

development of this presentation:

Mark Wynn, Wynn Consulting - www.markwynn.com

4th Judicial Circuit FVCC Law Enforcement Committee

OVW Rural Grant Committee, 4th Judicial Circuit

This project was supported by Grant #2011-WE-AX-0055, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, through the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority.

The original project was supported by Grant # 2008-WR-AX-0016, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

Points of view, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations contained within this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, or the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.