CDI 5 – TECHNICAL ENGLISH 1

(INVESTIGATIVE REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION)

CHAPTER IV

TYPES AND FORMATS OF POLICE REPORT

POLICE BLOTTER
Police Blotter is a 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.

A. Contents of Entry
The entry in the police blotter should answer the following cardinal elements of a
police record, to wit: who; what; why; where; how and disposition of the case.

B. Incidents to be recorded
1. All violations of laws and ordinances reported and discovered;
2. All calls in which any member of the police force is dispatched or has taken an
official action;
3. All legal papers handled such as warrants, subpoenas, summonses, citations and
the like;
4. All fire alarms, reports and information received by the stations;
5. Movement of prisoners with corresponding notations on the authority
for such movements;
6. Cases of missing and found persons, animals and properties;
7. Vehicular and other types of accidents which require police actions;
8. All personal injuries, bodies found and suicides;
9. Damage to property;
10. All cases in which a police member is involved;
11. All arrests and returns made; and
12. Miscellaneous cases, general and special orders, violations of rules and
regulations and any other reportable incident that the Chief of Police desires to be
recorded.

C. Procedure in Making Entries

1. All entries in the police blotter shall be handwritten in a clear, concise and simple
manner but answering as far as practicable the 5Ws and 1H. Clarity should not be
sacrificed for brevity.
2. Only facts, not opinions are entered in the blotter.
3. No erasures shall be made on the entries. Corrections are made by drawing one
horizontal line over such word or phrases and the actual entry initiated by the
police officer making the correction.
4. A ball pen or pen with blue, black or blue-black ink is used for making the entries.
 5. Misrepresentation in the blotter or any attempt to suppress any information therein
are punishable criminally and administratively.
6. The entries must be legibly written in long hand and consecutively numbered.
7. Every page of the blotter shall be consecutively or chronologically filled-up. No line
of space shall be left blank between any two entries.
8. Any development of a case to be reflected in the blotter should be a new entry at
the time and day it was reported. A reference to the previous entry number of the
case, however, should be made.
9. In every shift, the Duty Sergeant, under the supervision of the Duty Officer or
Complaint Desk Officer, shall make the actual entries in the blotter and at the end
of his tour of duty, both the Duty Sergeant and Duty Complaint Desk Officer shall
sign the blotter.

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 difficult to be machine-copied due to its
size (bigger than the ordinary document), a certification of its contents is the only way to have
it. In copying the contents of a blotter entry, it should be copied verbatim, meaning, it should be
copied word for word and no correction in the grammar or any mistake should be made in the
entry.

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 maybe general in application, requiring compliance by or information of a majority
of all the officers and members of the police organization.

A. Tones of Memorandum – in accordance with the person or persons reading it.

a. Chief of Police to his subordinates – Impersonal (i.e., “For guidance
and strict compliance”)
b. Writer sending memorandum to somebody of equal rank – Casually
Personal (i.e., “The undersigned noticed changes in...”)
c. Subordinate Police Officer writing memorandum to a higher police officer – Formal
Tone (i.e., “For info and request acknowledge.”)
d. “MEMORANDUM FOR:” – is written above the addressee if sent to a superior
officer
e. “MEMORANDUM TO:” – if sent to subordinate officer or to same rank and position

B. Parts of a Memorandum

1. THE HEADING – All the materials above the first line of the body comprise the
Heading.
a. Letterhead – Printed Letterhead stationery is normally used for the first
page. If not available, a typed letterhead may be used.

Example:

Republic of the Philippines

Department of Interior and Local Government
Philippine Public Safety College
NATIONAL FORENSIC SCIENCE TRAINING INSTITUTE
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Tel No. 8812722 (loc 112)

b. File Reference or Office Symbol – It is placed at the left margin, usually

two (2) spaces below the letterhead. Each part of the reference
has a meaning. File references are also used as identifying information
on the second and subsequent pages.

Example: NFSTI-Admin

c. Addressee – The title of the addressee is entered after the

“MEMORANDUM FOR” if sent to superior office, “MEMORANDUM TO” if
sent to subordinates.

Example:
MEMORANDUM:
FOR: The Director, HPG
MEMORANDUM:
TO: The Director, CIDG

d. Addressor – The title of the addressor (sender) is entered after

“FROM” Authorized abbreviations are used.

Example: FROM: The Director, HPG

e. Channels – Correspondence can be routed THRU channels, through a

lower Chief or Supervisor expected to exercise control, taken action or to
be concerned and normally placed two (2) spaces after the addressee.

Example: THRU: _________________

 f. Attention Address – To speed routing, correspondence may be
addressed to the attention of an individual or head of a subdivision or by
the use of an office symbol.

Example: Addressed to the Attention of an individual

MEMORANDUM:
TO: Regional Director, PRO CALABARZON
Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang, Laguna
ATTN: PSINSP JUAN B DELA CRUZ

g. Subject – The subject line should contain not exceeding ten (10) words. It
starts two (2) spaces below the addressor. The capitalization rules may be
used.

Example: SUBJECT: Request for Optional Retirement of

PSINSP JUAN B DELA CRUZ

h. Date – This refers to the date of signature and it is placed at the left portion
of the page on the last line below the subject.

Example: DATE:March 15, 2020

2. THE BODY – The body of the letter is the message itself. It is the substance of the
typed letter as distinct from the formal beginning and ending. This part of the letter
is single- spaced. The use of the third person, such as “the undersigned”, “this unit”
or “this office”, is prescribed to achieve objectivity.

a. Paragraphing – When a letter consists of only one paragraph, the

paragraph will not be numbered, although its sub-paragraph will be lettered,
if there are two or more. When there are two (2) or more
paragraphs, they will be numbered consecutively. The second
succeeding lines will begin at the left margin.

b. Abbreviations – They are usually written without spacing or

periods except geographical locations which can be written with or without
periods. If the full name is used, the abbreviated rank is permissible, if
family name only, the rank is spelled out.

c. References – References to publication must be specific and fully

identified. References will not be made to a publication or document which
is not available to the addresses of the correspondence.
 d. Page Numbering – The first page should not be numbered (silent
pagination). Subsequent pages, including those on which endorsements are
prepared, will be numbered consecutively beginning with the second page
as 2.

e. Dividing a Paragraph – Three (3) or fewer lines will not be

divided between pages. At least two (2) lines of a divided paragraph will
appear on each page. In dividing a sentence between pages, at least
two (2) words will appear on each page.

3. COMPLEMENTARY ENDING – This refers to the material found below the last
paragraph of the body. It consists of the Authority Line (if used), signature, list of
enclosures and list of copies.

a. Authority Line – an authority line will be shown when the

correspondence is signed for the Chief or Head of Office by an individual
authorized to do so.

b. Signature – contains the name of the Officer, signed in ink (black or blue-
black, never blue or any other color); the name being typed, stamped or
printed capital letters identical with the written name, the officer’s
rank or service and title or designation.

c. Enclosures – are supplementary documents which are sent with

communications to provide additional information.

RADIO MESSAGE FORM

The radio message form is that one used when preparing radiographic messages
intended for transmission throughout the Philippine National Police (PNP).
1. Message – is any idea expressed in plain languages prepared in a form
suitable for transmission by any means of communications.
a. Single – a message which has only one addressee
b. Book – a message which has two or more addressees and is of such nature that
the originator considers that no addressee need be informed of the identity of other
addresses.
c. Multiple – a message which has two or more addressees and is of such nature
that the originator considers that each addressee must be aware of all the
addressees to whom the message was addressed.
2. Originator – is the authority in whose message is sent, or is the police officer and/or unit
in whose name a message is sent, or is the police office and/or unit under the correct
control of the authority approving a message for transmission.

3. Drafter – is a person who actually composes a message for release by the originator or
the releasing officer.

4. Releasing Officer – is a person who may authorize the transmission of a message for
and in the name of the originator.

5. Text – is that part of a message which contains the idea that the originator desires to
communicate.

6. Message Instructions – normally reserved for communication center use by

the originator to indicate the desired method of delivery of a message, e.g., radio,
landline, visual, mail, by hand or convey any other appropriate instructions.

7. From – In this block is entered the designation of the originator. Police abbreviations
should not be used if addressees outside the police service are included.

8. To and Attn or Info – Addressees may be designated as either action or information.

Again, police abbreviations should not be used if addressees outside police service are
included.

9. Security Classification – Messages are to be classified as Top Secret,

Secret, Confidential or Restricted whenever their content falls within the definition
set forth in appropriate regulations.

10. Cite Number – This is to be filled-up by the originator with the office, unit or originator’s
cite number for the message.

11. Text – To save transmission and circuit time required for, normally the message text
should be prepared in block form, i.e., without paragraph numbering, indenting.

12. Reference Message – If the message refers to another message, appropriate identifying
data of the reference message will be inserted in the block.

13. Classified – If the reference message id classified, the YES block will be marked, and if
unclassified, the NO block will be marked.

14. Page Number and Number of Pages – This block will be filled according to the number
of messages from pages used to complete the message.
 15. Drafter’s Name Title and Phone Number – Data identifying the drafter is entered in this
block.

16. Releasing Officer’s Name, Title and Signature – Data identifying the individual
authorities to release the message is to be entered in this block.

17. PNP Addressees

a. The title and location or unit designation of the signing authority will be indicated
b. ZIP Codes of Post Office Numbers or another coded distribution lists will not be
used as originator’s address as part of an address.
c. Messages to a police addressee will be addressed to the chief of an installation or
head of an agency
d. Geographical location of an installation or agency will be included.

18. Purely Civilian Addressees

a. The originator’s designation will consist of the full title of the chief or head in those
messages addressed to another line agency in the government.
b. When a message is for another line agency addressee or is to be delivered by a
commercial carrier, handling instructions will be included in the address portion of
the message form.

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 man-
made 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.

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.
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.

PROGRESS REPORT
Progress Report is being submitted if there is new finding or development in the case.
For example, the unidentified assailant reported in 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.
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.

A. Purposes of Investigation Report

1. Record – the report provides permanent official record of relevant information
obtained in the course of the investigation.
2. Leads – the report provides other investigators with information
necessary to further advance their own investigation.
3. Prosecution Action – the report is a statement of facts on which designated
authorities may base a criminal, corrective or disciplinary action.

B. Criteria of Good Investigation Officer

1. It must be grammatically correct
2. Abbreviation must be used appropriately and correctly
3. The report should avoid slang, colloquialism or unnecessary technical terms

C. Requisites of Good Investigation Report

1. Accuracy – the report should be a true representation of the facts to the best of
the investigator’s ability. Information both favorable and unfavorable to the
suspect should be included.
2. Completeness – the questions WHEN, EHERE, WHAT, WHY, WHO and
HOW should be answered. The elements of crime should be established and
the additional facts developed should tend to prove these elements.
3. Brevity – Irrelevant or unnecessary materials should be omitted.
4. Fairness – The investigator should take the facts as he/she finds them, and if
ever he/she has theories, it must be consistent with these facts.
5. Form and Style – The arrangement of the materials presented should be in a
manner which will make the report easy to read.
6. Prompt – The report must be completed in a timely manner. Your credibility
may be opened to speculation if this requisite is not followed.

D. Characteristics of Report Writers

1. Those who write without thinking
2. Those who write and think at the same time
3. Those who think first and write afterwards

E. How the Investigators are Rated on Report Writing

1. Points to be considered
a. Conciseness
b. Clarity
 c. Organization
d. Thoroughness
e. Accuracy
f. Adequacy
g. Pertinence of leads

2. Errors of Form
a. Grammar and syntax errors
b. Misspelling
c. Typographical errors
d. Wrong File Number
e. Wrong Block
f. Others of the same nature

3. Errors of Substance
a. Delay in investigation
b. Delay in Reporting
c. Omission in the investigation whether intentional or not
d. Misstatement of facts
e. Incomplete description
f. Neglect to state that the subject is dangerous or has homicidal tendencies
g. Failure to cover previous leads
h. Inadequate interviews
i. Lack of imagination in solving the case
j. Improper handling of evidence
k. Failure to include essential facts which shows jurisdiction, prosecutive
action taken and basis for investigative steps taken
l. Failure to include essential facts which were undoubtedly available and
known to the investigator

F. Supervision of Reports
1. Assure good reports
2. Protect Reputation of the Department and its Officers

G. Methods of Supervision
1. Tickler System – the supervisory official keeps a “3x5” index cards on each
case showing the basic data, dates, etc. and to whom it was assigned.
2. Assignment Record – this should show the cases assigned to each officer and
should include a record or reports submitted
3. All reports should be read and signed by the supervisory official.

H. Approved SOP in the Investigation of Cases

 1. Upon receipt of the case, the duty PNCO/Desk Officer enters it in the Complaint
Logbook/Blotter and then, refer it to the OIC/Chief of the Investigation Unit.
2. The OIC/Chief of the Investigation Unit assigns the case to an investigator. The
Chief Investigator should maintain a Logbook of all cases referred to him either
in person or through communications, recording therein the nature of the case,
name of complainant, name of investigator and the date it was assigned.
3. If the nature of the case so warrants, the Officer-On-Case should
immediately respond to the crime, conduct an ocular investigation/inspection
and interview the complainant, witnesses and all persons who could shed light
on the case.
4. Based on the initial investigation, the Officer-On-Case should prepare any of
the following police reports:
a. Alarm Report – for theft and robbery cases
b. Advance Information Report – for the crimes against persons
c. Crime Report – for all other cases
d. Information Report – for some cases initially taken cognizance by a
police station but later turned over to or found out to be
handled by special operating units.
5. The investigator should then take the sworn statements of the
complainants/s,witness/es, and if possible, suspect/s. At this stage, the
investigator should exert all efforts to unearth and gather all evidence relevant
to the case
6. Invitation for suspect/s to appear before any investigating unit/group
should be signed by the Chief of Unit/Group and duly accorded in a logbook
intended for this purpose.
7. A Progress report should be submitted by the investigator regarding
the apprehension of the suspect/s, recovery of evidence and all other
development on the case.
8. Once the suspect/s has been apprehended and duly investigated, the
investigator should prepare the corresponding referral to the inquest prosecutor
for appropriate recommendation.
9. Before the investigator file the case with Prosecutor’s office, the case should be
first endorsed, through channel, to the Legal Division for appraisal,
evaluation, recommendation or legal advice and such other legal
measures as may be necessary.
10. Final Investigation Report should be prepared by the Investigator in
all cases involving high government officials, wherein the complainant
is a government agency or entity.

AFTER OPERATIONS REPORT

 After major operations, a report must be submitted and this is the After Operations
Report. This is an informative report detailing every action performed by personnel during police
operations. This is being done no matter what the result of operation was.

AFTER ENCOUNTER REPORT

After encounter report is a report on special missions or combat operations involving
lawless elements and subversive terrorists 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 proposed citation.

POLICE OPERATIONAL PLAN

In Police parlance, this is commonly known as OPLAN. Every police operation should
have its corresponding operational plan in order to have systematic development or personnel
and economical use of resources.
A. Parts of Police Operational Plan

1. The Heading – is in the right-most part of the document containing the number of
copies of the OPLAN, the originating office and the date.
2. Title – it is the subject of the operational plan. A code number or code name may
be used. What is important is that it must be reflective on the mission
and execution of the operational plan.
3. Situation – this portion tackles the rationale why this OPLAN is being adopted. It
also presents the current situation in the area by describing the peace and order
situation as well as the current trend of the criminality.
4. Mission – this will cover what the plan is all about and what it intends to do, in
general terms. The mission is sub-divided into purpose, goals and objectives.
5. Execution – the concept of the project will be outlined and explained. This will
explain how the operational plan will be carried out using the various aids to police
organization, the human and material resources.
6. Administrative and Logistics – involves the listing of logistical
requirements. The supplies and materials needed to implement the project will
likewise be enumerated as an annex
7. Command and Signal – is the last portion and this pertains to the
channels of communication needed when implementing the operational plan until
in full operation.
8. Signatures – only the original copy of the OPLAN should be signed by the Chief of
Police or the Chief of the Police Unit. Succeeding copies are to be signed by the
Operations Officer.
SWORN STATEMENT AND AFFIDAVIT

The Sworn Statement refers to a written statement voluntarily 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)”. It shall state only facts of direct personal knowledge of the affiants
which are admissible in evidence and shall show their competence to testify to the matters
stated therein.

A. Types of Written Statement

a. Question and Answer Type – it is preferable to the narrative. It is easier to
develop or prove the essential elements of an offense through questions and
answers.

i. Leading Question – suggests to the witness, affiant, informant, respondent

or complainant the answers which the investigator desires.
ii. Misleading Question – is one which assumes as true a fact not yet testified
to by the witness or suspect or contrary that which he/she has previously
stated

b. Narrative Type (Affidavit) – it is hard for the judge to believe that in a narrative
type of confession/statement, the subject voluntarily dictated all that is
in the confession/statement.

B. Basic Parts of the Sworn Statement

a. The title or identification of the statement containing the name and address of
the affiant, the name of the investigator as well as his rank, the witnesses to the
statement, information as to where and when the statement was taken.
b. The affiant shall be informed of hid Constitutional rights
c. The question revealing the personal circumstances of the affiant
d. The question asking the affiant if he/she knows why he/she is being questioned
e. The questions proving the individual elements of the suspected violation/crime
(WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY and HOW)
f. The affiant’s sworn statement should contain sufficient details as to the
commission of the offense/crime
g. The affiant shall be informed that the investigator has no more question to him/her
h. The sworn statement should contain errors or mistakes in every page
intentionally committed by the investigator
i. The signature of the affiant (if minor – to include the signature of
the parents/guardian).

COMPLETE STAFF WORK (CSW)

A complete staff work is a formal 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 of
such analysis which helps him in making a decision on complex or controversial questions.

ENDORSEMENT

An endorsement is a reply or a forwarding statement usually added to a

letter. 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.

A communication being sent by indorsement to a superior office is always

“RESPECTFULLY FORWARDED” or “RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED” and never “REFERRED”
or “TRANSMITTED”. If sent to an office at equal rank, it is “RESPECTFULLY TRANSMITTED”.

CASE OPERATION PLAN (COPLAN)

Case Operation Plan (COPLAN) refers to a preparatory plan on how to

carry out a case operation. It refers to a definite target specific activity conducted in relation to
an intelligence project under which it is effected. Several case operations may fall under one (1)
intelligence project. Case operation is the last resort measure to pursue intelligence objectives
when normal police operations fail.

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION

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, analyzed and evaluated.

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
neighborhood check regarding the personal background, present activities, previous
criminal records or administrative records and behavior of the subject in the community
especially in the place where he/she resides.

ROUTING SLIP
The Routing Slip is primarily aimed in transmitting papers from office to office within
the Headquarters, or from branch to 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 of correspondence
direct to action section without using a Brief, a DF or an Indorsement.

Some Instructions in Making Routing Slip

1. A routing slip shall be attached to every document which needs to be acted upon
2. The routing slip shall indicate the following information:
a. Control Number
b. Originating Unit/Office
c. Type of Document
d. Date of Document
e. Subject Matter (or particulars)
3. For purposes of tracking, each office/unit shall have its own documents control
number
4. Additional information shall indicate the DATE and TIME the document is acted
upon;
a. the name of the processor under the column FROM:
b. the name of the person to whom the document is referred to for further
processing under the column TO:
c. a check mark on the action taken from among those listed in the routing slip
5. The person to whom the document is release shall fill up the DATE RELEASED
and the RECEIVED BY entries.