Chapter 6: Field Notes and Reporting
Swanson: Criminal Investigation, 13e
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Chapter 6
Field Notes and Reporting
Learning Objectives
1. Define field notes.
2. State four examples of the importance of field notes.
3. Explain why NIBRS may be the future incident report form.
4. Define transgender and gender expression.
5. Explain why issuing a suspect BOLO must be done quickly.
Introduction
Taking field notes, writing reports, and conducting follow-up investigations are crucial skills for
law enforcement officers. Admittedly, these duties are not ordinarily considered a pleasurable
part of the job. In addition to other reasons why taking field notes and writing reports are
important is that it is a way to develop a reputation as a conscientious officer. Many other
Lecture Notes
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I. The Importance of Field Notes
Field notes are the shorthand written record made by a police officer from the time he or she
arrives at the scene until the assignment is completed. Field notes are more reliable than an
Field notes serve several important purposes. Some of them are given below:
• They are the foundation for writing the incident report because field notes are its primary
source of information.
o An incident report is the permanent record of what a police officer learns through
his or her senses and does from the time of arrival to the time of departure from a
A. Guidelines for Note-Taking
Regardless of how an officer makes notes, the following are some important guidelines:
• Separate witnesses from each other to avoid contamination of recall and interview them
individually.
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II. Note-taking and Incident Reports: Body-Worn Cameras, Audio Recorders, and Public
Online Reporting Systems
Police officers wearing audio recorders is an accepted practice. Although there are many calls for
A. Body-Worn Cameras
A 2015 report showed that in large cities and counties only 19% had fully implemented BWC
B. Audio Recorders
Digital audio recorders (DARs) using flash technology are at the cutting edge of this
technology. For departments that don’t presently make any type of recording, can’t afford
III. Six Basic Investigative Questions
To gather needed information, first-responding officers and follow-up investigators should
phrase all questions beginning with the six interrogatories—who, what, where, when, how, and
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IV. Incident Reports
Despite the fact that incident/offense reports are a crucial source of investigative information,
A. Formats for Incident Reports
Although the exact layout for incident reports varies from one jurisdiction to another, all
incident report forms have a “face” with blank spaces that must be filled and boxes that need
B. NIBRS
By the 1980s, agencies and researchers were asking for more detailed crime data. In response,
during 1985, a FBI report provided the blueprint for a redesign of the UCR Program. This led
C. Generating Reports
Some 93% of local police officers have computer access in their cars, giving them the
capability to write incident reports in their cars. Because the majority of police officers work
D. Common Elements of Incident Reports
Incident-report contents vary, ranging from the essential data in a basic incident report to the
more extensive information in an NIBRS-compliant report.
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The telephone numbers of an individual should always be obtained, including area code,
residence number, business number, and any extension number. If the victim or a witness can
provide a description of the suspect, there is an imperative to get it and have a preliminary
pickup order or BOLO broadcast as soon as possible because it may prevent an officer from
unknowingly approaching a dangerous subject.
Elements useful in describing property are make, model, serial number, color, and type of
material from which constructed. The occupation of a person may be of some importance to
an investigation. The value of property stolen may determine whether the offense is a felony
or misdemeanor.
V. Writing Effective Reports: The Narrative
A. The Narrative
Almost always, there is more information to document than can fit on the face of an incident
report. The additional information is entered in narrative style. If incidents reports are to
serve the many uses to which they can be put, they must meet certain standards. Among the
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• Write the report in the first person, using “I arrived at the scene at 1645 hours” as
opposed to “Officer Morales arrived at the scene at 1645 hours.”
• Avoid unnecessary technical or legalistic jargon such as “hereinafter,” “point of fact,”
or “thereof,” because officers may convey a meaning that they do not intend or do not
fully understand.
VI. Supervisory Review and Disposition of Incident Reports
A. Supervisory Reviews as a Quality Control Measure
Supervisory review of subordinates’ incident reports is an essential component of quality
control but not the only one. As an example, in the Minneapolis, MN, Police Department
(MPD), an officer who turns in five substandard reports in a 12-month period or a sergeant
B. Supervisory Review of Incident Reports
Supervisory reviews of incident reports are more alike than different across law enforcement
agencies. In an automated system there is a key difference in the reporting process. The
officer initiating the incident report electronically may mark a disposition or the computer will
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C. Supervisory Disposition of Incident Reports
In both handwritten and electronic systems, supervisors may make any of the following
dispositions of incident reports:
• The case is retained for further investigation by uniformed officers.
• The case is “unfounded,” meaning the complaint is false.
D. Supplemental Reports and Follow-up Investigations
The purpose of a supplemental report is to augment the information contained in the incident
report. Department policies vary as to when a follow-up investigator shall write a
supplemental report, the purpose of which is to augment the incident report. Illustrations of
this variation include the following excerpts from actual policies:
• Supplemental reports shall be written as new information is discovered.