Essay on The Importance of Report Writing in Law Enforcment

Aaron Khamosh October 5, 2012 The Importance of Report Writing in Law Enforcement The popular notion nowadays regarding police work is that it is all about action and high-speed pursuits. However a less frequently mentioned aspect of police work is documentation in the form of police report writing but it serves as one of the most important tools that a police officer can utilize to help them do their jobs. Police report writing is important for a number of reasons, mainly because of the vast number of suspects that police officers deal with on a daily basis. So it is virtually impossible for any police officer to remember every detail of every case without making any notes. In some cases reports are subpoenaed even months down the†¦show more content†¦Police reports should be written immediately after debriefing to ensure that the details of what happened are accurate because as the saying goes: memory fades. The officer will also have to refer back to their reports if they are subpoenaed to a trial and will be cross-examined by the defense. The officer should be able to easily defend the facts that they inputted into the police report. A good police report serves as a great tool to determine innocence or guilt and can make or break a case, depending on how detailed or accurate it is or is not. Emphasis ought to be put into training officers on how to write effective and accurate reports so their hard work is not wasted when the suspects are brought to trial. Without a good report, police officers lose their effectiveness, because even if the suspect is brought in, they can be released later down the road if the police report lacked details, information, or accuracy. A police report is the starting point to any case. It helps to refresh an officer’s memory or to paint a picture of what happened at a crime scene if one was not there at the time. A police report can determine facts and can prove guilt or innocence. Police report writing is one of the most important parts of being an effective police officer. It is used as evidence and testimony in trials to help determine guilt or innocence. A good police report helps an officer be better at his