Criminal Justice 2011
Class Name,Instructor Name
Date, Semester
Chapter 1:Why We Write Police Reports
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Why We Write Police Reports
• Background• Police reports document the history of law enforcement• Records Management Systems• Uniform Crime Reporting Program• National Incident Based Reporting System• New York State Incident-Based Reporting Program
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
The Mechanics of Writing
• Fill in the blanks• Check the boxes• Bubble in System• Optical Character Recognition• Narrative
3
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Report Writing Technology
Two primary types:
1. Computers
2. Dictation using recording devices
4
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Computers
What is out there…
• Fixed Terminals vs. Lap Tops
• Special Features
Templates
Forced Choices
Pull Down Menus
Grammar Check
Spell Check
Touch Screen
5
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Optical Character Recognition
G. Tauschek in 1929
• Translates scanned images of handwritten or typewritten words into computer editable text
• Useful and effective in entering data into Records Management Systems
• Better developed tor typewritten text and reports
• Not so much for printed or cursive handwriting
6
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Dictation
Two components:
1. Dictating• Voice Dictation
• Person To Person Dictating
2. Transcribing
7
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Dictation
Benefits of Dictating
• Saves time
• Final product is usually neater more user friendly
• Use with Automated Reporting Systems
8
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Dictation
Problems with Dictation
• Poorly maintained equipment
• Loss of power or weak batteries
• Background noise
• Lack of framework for the report
• Poor cadence and speech by the dictator
9
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Automated Reporting Systems
Department Synergies
• Rarely Stand Alone
• Connect to Dispatch
• Connect to Automated Records Management
• Cost Effective
• Training required for effectiveness
10
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Approval Process
Approval Systems
• Hand written reports to supervisor
• On-line systems accessed electronically
Centralized Approval
• Specially trained group of officers and supervisors
• Rapid and direct training when needed
• Cadre of experts
• Frees up other supervisors
11
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Need for Effective Writing
• Not all programs get the job done
• Not all students are created equal
• Negative reinforcement of training
• Report writing genealogy
• Lack of consistency among supervisors
• Law enforcement free agency
• Trial by fire
12
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
The International Association of Chiefs of Police established the Uniform Crime Reporting System in
1929
The FBI is charged with managing the collection of crime statistics for the eight Part I Crimes
The National Incident Based Reporting System is an attempt to expand the value of the uniform crime reports by including detailed information on an
expanded set of crimes
It takes two or more people to have an effective dictation process
CHAPTER SUMMARY
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
© 2012 by Pearson Higher Education, IncUpper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
Automated reporting systems almost always depend on supporting systems such as computer aided dispatch and automated records management
A solid report review and correction process is key to a successful report writing program
Knowing how to write is key to learning how to write a police report
A customized spelling cheat sheet is a better option than a dictionary.
CHAPTER SUMMARY