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Course Overview:
"From the Crime Scene to the Courtoom"
On average detectives spend more time writing police reports and documenting incidents than any other task assigned. It is clearly one of the most important skills a detective must possess – it is the essence of what they do each day. The inability to write good reports will often be a major failing no matter how good their skills may be in other areas. Because of the nature of the work, the reports written are required to be the most detailed and comprehensive documents prepared by anyone in the agency. From the very start, detectives must accurately and clearly articulate the elements of the crime, the crime scene, the statements of the victims, witnesses, and suspects, leads and information coming into the investigation, the discovery of evidence, its relevance, the proper handling and chain-of-custody of items seized, how suspects were identified and, if an arrest is made, the specific details of the probable cause and arrest.
The report is a historical record that documents all aspects of the incident and investigation and becomes a critical decision-making tool for prosecutors when deciding whether to proceed with criminal prosecutions and when appropriate prepare for trials. Agency supervisors and command staff personnel often use reports to evaluate personnel or to identify crime trends, agency response to incidents, personnel deployments, policy needs, and even identify future training needs of the agency. Agency attorneys may use reports when evaluating potential legal liabilities or to defend officer actions in the event of a lawsuit.
This two-hour webinar is designed for detectives and criminal investigators to develop proficiencies using an easy-to-follow four-step method – from comprehensive and thorough information gathering to organizing, the writing stage, and finalizing the document through evaluation and revision.
A section of this training is also dedicated to properly organizing and documenting major incidents. Agency leadership often relies on detectives to record, document and memorialize the response and investigation into major incidents that strike communities, such as mass shootings, officers killed or severely injured, bombings, homicides, felonious assaults, child abductions, hostage situations, and suspected terrorist events. Good report writers have the unique ability to transform chaos into understanding.
Schedule of Topics
Introduction and Preliminary Matters
The Four Primary Uses of Police Reports
The Four Basic Steps for Writing Police Reports
The Comprehensive Information Gathering Step
The Organizational Step
The Commence Writing Step
The Evaluation and Revision Step
Sequencing the Report
Formatting – Tips for Making the Report Easy to Read and Understandable
Properly Identifying Persons
Items - Evidence
Vehicles
The Use of Proper Grammar and Punctuation
The Issue of Brevity and Conciseness vs. Comprehensive and Thoroughness
Exculpatory Information – Evidence
Response to Major Incidents
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