54623389 (3).pdf

\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nSEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NUMBER: G-67 GENERAL ORDER RESCINDS: E-22 SUBJECT: Report Writing and Distribution EFFECTIVE: April 14, 1995 REVISED: March 8, 2022 Table of Contents: I. Purpose II. Scope III. Field Reporting and Management IV. Report Submission and Review V. Report Distribution I PURPOSE: This directive establishes guidelines for the use and submission of reports and records. II. SCOPE: A. Report quality cannot be over-emphasized. Reports documenting criminal activity, investigations and arrests must be accurate, clear and as concise as possible. B. Report writing skills and use of various reports are taught to probationary employees during field training. C. Supervisors will constantly monitor and reinforce report writing skills of employees. III. FIELD REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT: A. The Sheriff's Office uses computerized forms in its Café system to standardize field reporting. B. A tutorial manual describing procedures for completing reports is maintained in the Café system. Employees are directed to refer to the manual as needed. C. Guidelines to Report Taking: 1. Reports must be made of specific incidents or after specific actions are taken by employees in response to calls for service or after self-initiated activity. Reports are required when: a. A crime is reported by a member of the community, b. A complaint is made on an employee, GENERAL ORDER Report Writing and Distribution G-67 PAGE 1 OF 7\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nc. An incident has involved injury of an inmate, d. An employee is assigned to a complaint that requires written documentation, including documentation necessary for later follow-up, e. A criminal or non-criminal case is initiated by an employee, f. An incident involves an arrest or a Notice to Appear, g. A vehicle is towed or impounded, or h. After any incident that by its very nature demands a record of law enforcement response. 2. Deputies may use discretion in documenting non-criminal incidents. However, reports are completed if requested by a complainant or when there is any question if a report is necessary. 3. Deputies shall use their best ability in documenting arrests. Arrest report narratives shall describe the probable cause that led to the arrest. Fingerprints and photographs will be taken of each prisoner at the correctional facility (adults) or at the Juvenile Assessment Center (juveniles). 4. All Seminole County and out-of-county warrants and judicial pick-up orders will be issued a warrant case number. D. Forms Used in Field Reporting: 1. Report forms used by employees are described in the Café tutorial. These forms include: a. Offense Report, b. Arrest Report, c. Property Report, and d. CJIS Report. 2. Other documents that supplement the above reports include: a. Notice to Appear, b. Tow Sheet, c. Chain of Custody, d. Laboratory Analysis, e. Domestic Violence, f. Traffic Crash, g. Traffic Citation, and h. Witness Statement. E. Required Report Information: 1. Case or control number, 2. Date and time of the initial reporting, 3. Court dates or other court appearance information, 4. “Juvenile” is noted on the report if a juvenile is involved, 5. Establishment of probable cause, if appropriate, 6. The submitting employee's name clearly imprinted, 7. The name (if available) of the person requesting service, and/or victim information, GENERAL ORDER Report Writing and Distribution G-67 PAGE 2 OF 7\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\n8. Nature of the incident (title and narrative information), and 9. The nature, date and time of action taken (if any) by enforcement personnel. IV. REPORT SUBMISSION AND REVIEW: A. Supervisory review is required of all reports generated by Deputies, Field Service Officers, Code Enforcement Officers or other personnel. Supervisors (or their designees) will review all reports and other documents completed by their subordinates. This is necessary to ensure original reports (and follow-up reports) are filed in Café in timely manner. B. Supervisors may require reports to be corrected by employees before approving them. Supervisors will inspect each report to ensure assignments have been satisfactorily completed in compliance with Sheriff’s Office directives. Supervisors approve reports by completing the “Reviewed by” field. C. Employees will ensure reports are correct in form and content before submitting them to Supervisors for approval. Reports will be completed in clear, concise language. D. Reports are completed and submitted for Supervisory approval before the end of each shift, unless a Supervisor approves a delay. E. Non-computerized documentation such as affidavits and handwritten statements will be turned into the reviewing Supervisor before the end of shift, unless a Supervisor approves a delay. F. All documentation submitted to reviewing Supervisors shall meet the following standards: 1. Correct spelling, 2. Correctly assigned case or tracking numbers, 3. Correct date and times of the initial reporting of the incident, 4. Correct court dates or other court appearance information, 5. The nature of the incident (both as title to the report, and fully described within the narrative), 6. Clarity of narrative language, including a description of any action taken by the employee, 7. If juveniles are involved, the appropriate field denoting “Juvenile” has been entered, 8. The establishment of probable cause, if appropriate, 9. All victims, witnesses or other persons that requested service are reported, 10. Dates and times of any employee action if it took place in addition to the original report, and 11. The submitting employee’s name. G. Revising Reports: 1. If a report’s narrative must be revised after it has been approved by a Supervisor, a supplemental narrative must be used. 2. Revising a report’s original narrative is not permitted. 3. Incorrect information such as vehicle license numbers or suspect descriptors may be made to original reports, but this action must be documented in a supplemental narrative to explain exactly what information has been changed. 4. Revisions to Offense Reports may only be made by the originating employee using his/her password. NOTE: If an Arrest Report or Capias Request is revised, copies of these reports must be sent to the State Attorney’s Office by the employee making the revision. GENERAL ORDER Report Writing and Distribution G-67 PAGE 3 OF 7\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nH. The Criminal Records Section distributes copies of reports. Complainants or other parties will be given the case number and directed to the Criminal Records Section during normal business hours. Excluded from this requirement are Short Form Crash Reports, traffic citations, Notices to Appear or other forms from which copies of the original are used as receipts to the involved parties. I. If requested, reports or statements (or copies of same) may be submitted to criminal detectives at a crime scene. V. REPORT DISTRIBUTION: A. Offense Reports: When approving reports, Supervisors will assign them to the appropriate employee/division. Reports are normally distributed by one of four means: 1. The report was taken for information purposes only and requires no investigative follow-up, 2. The report (which includes Field Contact Reports) might be useful in preventing or researching potential criminal activity, 3. The report involves an incident to be forwarded to Criminal Investigations Division for follow-up investigation, 4. The report requires region level follow-up investigation, and is assigned to a Deputy or Detective as determined by the Supervisor, and 5. The complaint (report) is disposed of by arrest of the offender, or the Deputy is capable of reaching a disposition at the time of the report. This report may require minimal or no follow-up investigation. B. Arrest Reports: Following physical custody arrests of adults or juveniles, copies of the Arrest Report are made at the correctional facility or Juvenile Assessment Center by the Deputy and distributed as follow