Review on Technical Report Writing

Legal Forms

 is a prototype of an instrument to be employed in a legal transaction or a judicial

proceeding that includes the primary essential matters, the appropriate technical phrases
or terms, and any additional material required to render it officially accurate, arranged in
suitable and systematic order, and conducive to adaptation to the circumstances of the
particular case.

 These could be in the forms of Acknowledgement and Jurat, Affidavits, Sales of Realty,
Sales of Personal Property, Mortgages, Powers of Attorney, Special Contracts and
Agreement, Gratuitous Contracts and Dispositions, Partnerships and Corporation, and
Complaints in Criminal Cases. Official notices may also be considered as legal forms
such as Summons, Appearance Notice, Subpoena, Warrant of Arrest, and Search Warrant
( Bajado Nano & Pioquinto, 2014 )

Importance of Legal Forms

The memory of people is short. Parties to a verbal agreement often disagree asto what they have
agreed several months or years after they have entered a verbal agreement. To avoid such
situation and in order to have a clear guide and evidence ofthe terms they have agreed, lawyers,
or even the parties themselves, request a written agreement for their contract or legal transaction.
Moreover, form is important when the law requires a document or other special form. And when
the law requires that a contract be in some form in order that it may be valid or enforceable, or
that a contract be proved in a certain way, that requirement is absolute and indispensable. In the
same way, judicial proceedings make use of forms as documentary requirements and evidence
for these proceedings, containing therein legally binding information.

legal forms used in law enforcement. These are:

1. Sworn Statements
2. Affidavits
3. Complaints in Criminal Cases
4. Inquest Forms
5. Information
6. Deposition of Witness
7. Motion for Reconsideration

Report

 defined as an account of any occurrence prepared after a thorough study or investigation.

It could also be an account or statement describing in detail of an event, situation or it is a
result of observation or inquiry.

 defined as an objective statement of the findings of an investigator; this is an official

record of the information that is relevant to an investigation. Hence, a good report plays
an important role in the success of any investigation

Police Report

 deals with story of action performed by police personnel. It is a chronological or step-by-

step account of an incident that transpired in a given time, at a given place. It is also
defined as an account of some subjects specifically investigated, or an official statement
of facts. A police report is a result from the fact that someone has asked for them and
needs them for immediate or future use. In any event, police report writing has become
one of the most significant processes in modern police operations.

 A police officer, after rendering his/her duty must render a report. His immediate
supervisor must be aware of the things an investigator had done in the field during their
tour of duty, and submitting this report is the only way to do it.
Police Report Writing

 is considered technical writing. It is the backbone of criminal investigation and

prosecution.

Qualities of a Good Police Report

1. Accurate

 This means that the police report is in exact conformity to fact (errorless). A fact is
something that has been objectively verified. Facts must be reported correctly and
without error.

 If it’s a criminal incident report, the elements of the crime are a must for accuracy. One
must restrict his/her report to the facts of the incident as one saw it or as victim/s and
witness/es reported them. One must accurately report the conditions of the scene as
he/she found them.

2. Clear

 The language and format in one’s police report must be simple and direct to the point.
Clear means plain or evident to the mind of the reader. The writer should use simple
words so the reader will know exactly what the reader needs to know. Avoid using words
that have double meanings, slang, jargon and unnecessary abbreviations.

3. Complete

 A report must answer the “who”, what, when, where, why and how questions (5W’s and
1H). It must also contain the elements of the offense. Proper note-taking techniques can
assure one to write complete reports.

4. Concise

 This means that the police report says much with a few words as possible. Conciseness
relates to the elimination of unnecessary words and does not mean short. Writing
concise reports includes using active voice, avoiding wordiness, eliminating unnecessary
words, prepositional phrases, and using ordinary and commonly understood words. Most
sentences in police reports consists of 12 to 15 words.

5. Factual

 A report must be factual. A fact is something that has been objectively verified and is
presented objectively. One must report the facts correctly and without error.

 Avoid reporting opinions, inferences (drawing conclusions), suppositions (assumptions of

truth), or hearsay as though they were facts.

6. Objective.

 One must remember that there are always two sides to every story and both sides have the
right to be told. The investigation must not be influenced by emotion, personal prejudice
or opinion. The investigator must collect and report the facts in an objective and
professional manner.

7. Prompt

 A report must be completed in a timely manner and submitted at the soonest possible
time. One’s credibility may be open to speculation if this quality of police report is not
followed.

Types and Formats of Police Reports

1. Police Blotter

 It is record of daily events occurring within the territories/jurisdiction of a given police

unit or command. It contains material detail concerning the event for legal and statistical
purposes.

 The Police Blotter is therefore an informational record book that is utilized for
evidentiary or referral purposes (Circular Number 05, issued by the General
Headquarters, Philippine National Police, dated December 10, 1992, is the rule
“Prescribing a Uniform Police Blotter for the Philippine National Police.” This rule shall
be followed by the different police officers and units throughout the country in making
an entry of events and incidents on the police blotter).

2. Certification of Police Blotter Excerpt

 For whatever legal purpose, interested persons always seek a copy of a police blotter.
Since the entry in the police blotter is a difficult to be machine-copied due to its size
(bigger than the ordinary document), a certification on its contents of a blotter entry, it
should be copied verbatimly, meaning, it should be copied word for word and not
correction in the grammar or in any mistake should be made in the entry.

 Obviously mistakes in the entry should be consulted to the Desk Officer who made the
entry and he is the only person authorized to correct it based on the procedures previously
discussed.

3. Memorandum

 Common practices of inter office communication in the police service is the

memorandum. Interpreted the simplest way, a memorandum is “a note to help the
memory.” A memorandum is maybe general in application, requiring compliance by, or
information of a majority of all the officers and members of the police organization. It
may be also of a limited application, such as those directed to, or group of individuals,
within a particular police unit, directorate, service, region, province, station or section.

 Police executives may issue administrative instructions in the form of a

MEMORANDUM. Subordinate officials may use this form, only on matters advisory or
informative in nature. Routine MEMORANDUM is presently resorting to a “bottom line”
technique to enable the police executives to know right away what had been done about
the problem at hand.

4. RADIO MESSAGE FORM

 The radio message form is that one used when preparing radiographic messages intended
for transmission throughout the Philippine National Police (PNP). This is patterned after
the form used in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and subscribes to the
procedures based on the AFPRG 421-141, dated November 26, 1968.

5. SPOT REPORT

 Spot Report refers to an immediate initial investigative or incident report addressed to

Higher Headquarters pertaining to the commission of the crime, occurrence of natural or
manmade disaster or unusual incidents involving loss of lives and damage of properties.

 Such incidents must be acted upon and reported to higher police office whether verbal or
written, within twenty four hours. The idea is to inform an immediate chief, which is a
standard operating procedure, considering the fact that whatever happens in the area is a
command responsibility, or that one from higher police office must be informed regarding
the details relative to a particular occurrence.
  A spot report may use a radiographic message form, especially if the reporting unit is far
from the addressee or receiving higher police office concerned. Information contained
therein must be complete, answering the 5Ws and 1H.

6. INCIDENT REPORT

 An Incident Report is a written account of an event or occurrence. The purpose of this

report is to document the exact details of the occurrence as basis for further actions of
concerned public safety officers, incident reports are the jump-off points of
investigations designed to ferret out the facts and recommend solutions.

7. INITIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT

 Initial investigation is the first action to be undertaken when there is a reported or

discovered incident. The conduct of initial investigation is one of the standard operating
procedures in all police stations. This is where the spot report will be relied on. In the
first phase of investigation, the investigator tries to seek the answer of the six cardinal
questions (5Ws and 1H), but it does not necessarily mean that an unanswered cardinal
question will not be included in the report. If the assailant is still unknown, cardinal
question “Who is the perpetrator” could be answered with “unidentified person”. If the
value of the stolen property had not been determined yet, the question pertaining to this
could be answered with “undetermined amount of properties”.

8. PROGRESS REPORT

 Progress Report is being submitted if there is new finding or development in the case.
For example, the unidentified assailant reported the initial investigation report had
already been identified after follow- up operations, or if the total amount of the stolen
properties had already been computed or recovered.
 Progress reports should be numbered consecutively according to the sequence of the
developments in the case. In the given example above, if you will submit report that the
assailant had already been identified, the subject title of the report should be: “Progress
report No. 1, re-Dela Cruz Case”. In the subsequent developments, subject should be:
“Progress Report No. 2 or No. 3 and so forth and so on, until you had completed all the
information necessary in order to submit the Final Investigation Report.

9. FINAL INVESTIGATION REPORT

 An investigation Report is an objective statement of the investigator’s findings. It is an

official record of information relevant to the investigation which the investigator
submits to his superior. The effectiveness of an investigator is judged to a large extent by
his/her reports of investigation. The reputation of an investigator is measured to a large
extent by the kind of report he/she submits. The report on finished cases provides the
vehicle for higher headquarters to act on the matter.

10. AFTER OPERATIONS REPORT

 After major operations, a report must be submitted and this is the After Operation
Report. This informative report detailing every action performed by personnel during
police operations. This is being done no matter what the result of operations was. This
would be the basis also of staff officers for administrative actions whether the
participating personnel deserve awards or whether there was lapse on their part which is
tantamount for administrative sanction.

11. AFTER ENCOUNTER REPORT

 After encounter report is a report on special mission or combat operations involving

lawless elements and subversive terrorist or rebels. This report also includes salient
supporting documents such as sketch of the encounter scene, list of participating troops,
 summary of ammunition expended, summary of ammunition stock status,
recommendation for an award for troop members for exhibiting superior combat skills
and bravery in the face of danger and the proposed citation.

12. POLICE OPERATIONAL PLAN

 The police parlance, this is commonly known as OPLAN. Every Police operation should
have its corresponding operational plan in order to have systematic deployment of
personnel and economical use of resources. In this OPLAN, the concept of operations
based on the mission is clearly stated, the tasks of every personnel are in line as well and
the resources needed are properly accounted.
 Aside from daily police activities, special occasions should have also their
corresponding Operational Plans such as fiesta, New Year, Summer Vacation, Labor Day
celebration, School Opening, All Saints Day, Christmas Season and other occasion
needing the preparation of OPLAN.
 In the preparation of police operational plan, the planner must always consider the
proper and economical utilization of personnel and material resources, at the same time
the police operational plan must be suitable, acceptable, feasible and flexible. Flexibility
is an important requirement for changes and contingencies.

13. SWORN STATEMENT AND AFFIDAVIT

 The sworn statement refers to a written statement voluntary executed under oath by any
person, a suspect or a witness, which may be taken in a “question and answer format” or
in a “narrative format (affidavit)”. (April 2023 Board Exam Question)
 The sworn Statement and affidavit shall state only facts or direct personal knowledge of
the affiants which are admissible in evidence and shall show their competence to testify
the matters stated therein. Everyone can give statements but not anyone can lay claim to
know the technique and rudiments of statement-taking. In investigation, statement-taking
is a necessary and inherent for the documentation of the narrated facts.

Types of Written Statement

 Question and Answer type. It is preferable to narrative. It is easier to developed or prove

the essential elements of an offense through questions and answers. However, leading
and misleading questions should be avoided in the Question and Answer Type.
 Leading Question- suggests to the witness, affiant, informant, respondent or complaint
the answer which the investigator desires.

 Misleading Questions – is one which assumes a true fact not yet testified to by the
witness or suspect or contrary to that which he/she has previously stated whereby may be
induced to give an answer which appears to say more than he/she means.

 Narrative Type (Affidavit). It is hard for the judge to believe that in a narrative type of
confession/statement, the subject voluntary dictated all that is in the confession/statement.
Affidavit is a form of sworn statement made in a narrative style. It is usually started with
a “SCILICET” which is usually abbreviated as “S.S.” (April 2023 Board Exam Question)

14. COMPLETE STAFF WORK

 A complete staff work is a format communication which contains a brief and exact
analysis of a situation, resulting from a thorough research made by its author because
there is a specific problem or a specific problem area. This study provides the chief an
official report on such analysis which helps him in making a decision on complex or
controversial questions.

15. ENDORSEMENT
  An endorsement is a reply or a forwarding statement usually added to a letter. Among
men and women, in uniform a basic communication may not just be a letter; it can be a
message; it can be a memorandum from higher office. It is a communication within a
communication. It becomes an integral part of the correspondence and is not withdrawn
from the basic communication to which it is appended.
16. CASE OPERATIONAL PLAN (COPLAN)

 Case Operational Plan (COPLAN) refers to a preparatory plan on how to carry out a
case operation. Case operations refer to a definite target specific activity conducted in
relation to an intelligence project under which it is affected. Several case operations may
fall under one (1) intelligence project. Case operation is the last report measures to
pursue intelligence objectives when normal police operations fail.

17. SUMMARY OF INFORMATION (SOI)

 Summary of information (SOI) is an intelligence report rendered regarding any illegal

activity or violation of laws being observed by intelligence operatives within a given
area of responsibility. This is the usual basis of case operations hence information
received should be cared, validated, counter-checked, analysed and evaluated.

18. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION REPORT

 This intelligence report is very important in rendering the result of a background

investigation on any newly designated or appointed or assigned personnel of a
uniformed unit. Background investigation essentially involves records check and
neighbourhood check regarding the personnel background, present activities, previous
criminal records or administrative records and behaviour of the subject in the
community especially in the place where he/she resides.

19. ROUTING SLIP

 The Routing Slip is primarily aimed in transmitting papers from office to office within
the Headquarters, or from branch, within an office. It is never used to forward papers to
an agency outside of a Headquarters. It is used to speed up transmittal or correspondence
direct to action section without using brief a, DF or an endorsement.