Step 1: Deciding What to Do Next
Now that you have spoken to the witness and gathered information about the crime, you need to decide what to do with this information. Law enforcement officers have protocols that they must follow, but there is also an element of personal decision-making involved in this career. You may have heard of this described as “going with your gut.”
In this case, your department was already aware of the break-in as it had been reported by the owner of the shop. Your partner responded to the call and wrote a police report based on their interview of the shop owner and a walkthrough of the scene:
On Saturday, May 29, 2020, I was dispatched to 234 Lee St. to investigate a break-in at a coffee shop called in by the owner, Yasmine Langley. Upon arrival at the coffee shop, Cups 4 You, I noted a broken window to the left of the rear door. The individual(s) used this as a means of entry. Ms. Langley met with me at approximately 7:55 a.m., and we proceeded to walk through the establishment. There were a number of missing items including the cash from the cash register, two espresso machines, and approximately 25 lbs. of coffee beans. Ms. Langley professed to know no one who would be interested in harming her or her business. There are currently no suspects.
Luckily, your conversation with the witness on the phone provides additional information that was not previously known!
You will need to write up a formal addition to your partner’s police report. But first you must decide if you are ready to write the report or if you need to visit the scene of the crime, gather more information from additional witnesses, speak with the owner of the coffee shop again, or something else. Remember, it is your job to keep the community safe and build trust with the public. What would be the best way to do this?
In a word processing document, answer the following questions:
What information did you gather from the phone witness that is not included in your partner’s police report?
What would you recommend as next steps in this situation? Why?
How do these next steps help you achieve your goal of keeping the community safe and/or building trust with the public?
Step 2: Adding to the Police Report
Taking the information that you gathered from your phone witness, write an addition to your partner’s police report.
Remember, a well-written police report gives a thorough account of what happened and sticks to the facts. Your addition should do the same. Review your partner’s police report and ensure you know what pieces you need to add.
Using the same word processing document as in Step 1, write the addition to your partner’s police report. You do not need to include information that was already written in his report, but be sure the relevant who, what, where, when, and whys of the information as well as a description of how you received it are included.
