This training module is based off the information obtained in the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) - Campus Protection Officer Training Program – Second Edition. Create a standardized training program for Higher Education, non-commissioned campus safety and/or security officers in the Pierce County Region. • Discuss the importance of effective written communication skills. • Identify four tips from Report Writing checklist. • Officer Safety. • Possessing good written communication skills in our profession is critical to preparing effective investigation reports, written statements and internal department memorandums. • Developing good written communication skills begins with recognizing that these skills are an essential element of effective investigative work. • The quality of documentation reflects on both officer and department credibility. If the documentation is vague, incomplete, inaccurate and poorly prepared, it may reflect poorly on the officer’s credibility to audiences who will review the documentation. • The investigative report is the primary basis for accurately recalling the circumstances of the reported incident at a later time. • The report is the primary source of information for people who have not been at the scene. The most difficult task of police investigative report writing is being able to give a clear and accurate understanding of the events to the reader who has not been at the scene. • Officers who write investigative reports usually have been at the scene of the incident and were the first to arrive – sometimes referred to as the “primary officer.” They have first hand knowledge of the incident and have direct information about facts and people involved. • When documenting the incident, officers make assumptions that a reader of a report, who was not at the scene, will have the perception and understanding of the officer who viewed the scene. This assumption may create confusion for the reader. • Writing a report that allows the reader to grasp the entire incident without having been at the scene is more of an art than a science. This takes great commitment to accurate reporting on the part of the officer. • Officers should write the report as if writing to a stranger. Do not assume the reader knows you or any of the parties involved. • Based solely on officer documentation, readers form opinions about the officer and the agency to include: • An officer’s overall ability and level of proficiency to perform required tasks. • An officer’s overall level of competence as a public safety/security officer. • An officer’s level of commitment to performing the job duties and responsibilities. • The officer’s overall level of performance and aptitude. • A reader may question the accuracy and reliability of information contained in the report if the report seems like poor quality work in general. • Impressions about the credibility of the report can come from neatness, spelling, punctuation, and grammar. • The follow-up actions of persons who review investigation reports will be based on how they perceive the information contained in the original report. Officers have a obligation to provide accurate, specific, and detailed information to help assist in good decisions about what subsequent action should be. • The ability of the officers to effectively record and document their actions and conduct is critical to minimizing liability to themselves and their employers. • The ability of the officers to effectively record and document their actions and conduct is critical to minimizing liability to themselves and their employers. • The written report the officer prepared will become the basis for recalling events, which may have happened a substantial period of time previous to their proceedings. • The ability of the officers to effectively record and document their actions and conduct is critical to minimizing liability to themselves and their employers. • The ability of the officers to effectively record and document their actions and conduct is critical to minimizing liability to themselves and their employers. • The written report the officer prepared will become the basis for recalling events, which may have happened a substantial period of time previous to their proceedings. •More often than not, the officer’s ability to recall and reconstruct the events will depend on the quality of the documentation. • Officers should know that when testifying, they will have a difficult time attempting to testify about events that should have been, but were not included, in the officer’s original documentation. • At the time of any investigation, it is a difficult task to determine exactly what evidence and information may or may not be considered relevant in a future proceeding. The best rule is when in doubt , write it down. • Good note keeping is critical to good report writing and investigations. (Washington included) • Many courts have rules that the officer’s notes can be subpoenaed by the defense at a trial or proceeding. • Officers should me mindful of this. Keep all hand written notes professional in nature • If an officer keeps notes and failed to include a certain piece of information in his or her report, the officer’s notes might still be allowed as credible information at a proceeding. • Notes would have credibility because they were prepared during the course of the investigation, and not a significant time after. (If it is not written in your report it did not happen). • Court rulings on admissibility of notes can benefit not only the defense but the prosecution (police/security). • • • The initial or preliminary police investigation report is often used as the basis for determining what, if any, follow-up action will occur. This initial report is usually written by the uniformed safety/security officer. The accuracy of the information and the ability to establish a strong case can be the determining factor in prosecution. • • • If the officer writing the preliminary report does not articulate facts and information accurately, then assignments made concerning follow-up actions may be inappropriate. Witnesses who have already been interviewed may be interviewed again, unnecessarily wasting time and effort. Valuable physical evidence may not be processed or follow-up that should occur may not take place. • Your reports may be the basis for determining crime trends and patterns and provide for more efficient and effective use of resources. • The report may be the basis for problem-oriented policing initiatives. (Crime Map) • Report the facts - not conclusions or opinions. Facts can be proven, but opinions are open to interpretation. • Avoid police/security jargon. • Write in your own words. • Write accurately, clearly, and concise. • Write to the trier of facts. • Write chronologically. • Write in first person ( I responded to the scene and contacted the parties involved). • Clearly identify your sources of information (Witness Jones stated he punched Victim John because he was mad). • Use first names if more than one person has the same last name. • Use spell check or a dictionary. • Type or write your report so your reader can actually read it! • Proofread or have someone else proofread your work… • Learn from other proficient report writers. •Practice. • Place closely related information into the same paragraph. • Create a new paragraph when you change to a different thought, topic, source of information, or subject. • Space your paragraphs. • Avoid statements about the future. • Avoid concluding statements: • A person’s mental or emotional state • A person’s level of intoxication • Assumptions about what other people saw, heard, perceived or felt. The following is an example: “The officer attempted to arrest the suspect operating a stolen vehicle. The suspect resisted the officer, broke free, and drove off in his vehicle.” What is the statement saying? The above paragraph actually says the suspect drove off in the officer’s vehicle, which is not accurate. Using names or rewriting this paragraph will help clarify, for example: “The officer attempted to arrest the suspect for operating a stolen vehicle. The suspect resisted the officer, broke free, and drove off in the stolen vehicle.” OR “I attempted to arrest Suspect Jones for operating a stolen vehicle. Suspect Jones resisted me, broke free, and drove off in the stolen vehicle.”  Read Scenario and Perform Exercise Questions?