Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
REVIEWING REPORTS Make sure all paperwork completed by your subordinates meets your agency's standards before you sign your name to it. THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE of any law enforcement agency The fourth and final area to check for is how the crime revolves around the quality of its paperwork. As a supervi- scene was treated. This is where you check to see if your sor you must set high standards early on to ensure success. agency's policy was followed and that your officers actuEverything you approve will have your name on it, and thus ally did what they wrote. Lazy officers tend to write, "The your subordinates' reports become yours. You must check scene was processed with negative results." Left alone, that their work for content, your agency's format, and Standard statement creates more questions than it answers. What English (grammar, vocabulary, and spelling). There are four was processed and where was it processed? Much better is areas to check before you sign any report. having the officer write something like this: "I processed The first area is the easiest, as it involves the agency forms the kitchen cabinet, refrigerator, and countertops for latent themselves. You need to confirm that the incident/case prints and was not able to lift any." This is a much stronger numbers, date, and page numbers are listed on every page. sentence and leaves no new questions in its wake. Also check for statute numbers, signatures, and that any Another issue is that officers think processing a scene just necessary attachments are included. If there are any wit- means checking for latent prints. You know as a supervisor it ness statements, you must take the time to read them and means looking for any kind of physical evidence: blood, broverify their completeness. You'd be surprised how many of- ken glass, boot marks, and the like. It also means that when ficers forget how important they are. you do find and submit evidence, docREAD ALL YOUR Witness statements are considered umenting the chain of custody propREPORTS. FAILURE TO DO erly is very important. evidence and they must receive the attention they deserve. SO WILL BRING NEGATIVE The last bit of advice I have for The second area revolves around ATTENTION TO YOU AND checking information in reports I call the elements of the crime. Your narthe phone number analogy. I use this YOUR SUBORDINATE. rative must support your heading and as my guide for answering all types of statute number. Make sure that each questions, not merely the ones on preelement is listed as a bullet point or printed forms. Using this model, there included in a sentence. For example, in Florida the offense are only three possible answers when asked, "Do you have of battery (F.S.S 784.03(1) (a)1) states "The offense of battery a phone number?" The person either has one, doesn't have occurs when a person actually and intentionally touches or one, or doesn't have the number now but can get it to you strikes another person against the will of the other." If you later. It works the same way for any question. The person has were writing a battery report, you could outline the ele- the answer, the answer is no or none, or the person doesn't ments of battery by writing the facts this way: "Upon arrival know the answer when asked but can get you the informaI met with the victim, who advised that someone without tion later. Following this format will help mitigate the numconsent hit him twice in the face with a closed fist." ber of N/A answers or blank spaces on your forms. The third area you need to check for is the journalistic My final recommendation is that you read all your reapproach to writing. This is nothing more than the writer ports. Failure to do so will probably result in some form of trying to answer who, what, when, where, why, and how. rejection or tasking that will bring negative attention to you Your job as supervisor is to make sure your subordinate has and your subordinate. Remember, once you put your name answered as many of these questions as possible. If the of- to it, you're saying the paperwork is to standard. If it's not, ficer doesn't have an answer, have him or her state why. For then you just placed yourself in the "it's your fault" loop. This example, if you have no witness information, stating "The is one of the few times in your career you might want to be victim could not provide any witness information," answers kept out of the loop. the question nicely. If the officer did a neighborhood canvass, writing "After checking with the surrounding neigh- Amaury Murgado is a special operations lieutenant with the bors at 214, 216, and 218 Broadmoor Street, I could not locate Osceola County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office who has over 28 years of any witness information," works equally as well. law enforcement experience.
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POLICE MAY 2015