MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE Policy & Procedure Joseph M.

Arpaio Sheriff
Subject
Policy Number

GF-4

OFFICE REPORTS
Related Information Supersedes

Effective Date

03-24-06
GF-4 (10-09-92)
PURPOSE This Policy establishes procedures regarding the recording, reviewing, and distribution of reported incidents. POLICY The Office establishes guidelines to ensure the proper collecting, processing, and reporting of comprehensive information into standardized formats to ensure that the Office is in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. DEFINITIONS

None
PROCEDURES 1. Submission of Written Reports: Office personnel will complete appropriate Office forms and reports in an accurate, concise, and thorough manner. All written reports will be submitted in a timely manner, and will be neat and legible. Reports will be typed or written in black ink. All official reports shall include the legible name and serial number of the individual writing the report. A. B. 2. Incident Reports (IRs), Disciplinary Action Reports (DARs), Arrest/Booking Records, and traffic citations shall be completed in accordance with office report writing guidelines. Traffic Accident Reports shall be completed to comply with the State of Arizona Traffic Accident Report Instructional Manual and Glossary.

Common Types of Written Reports: Written reports include, but are not limited to, the following: A. B. C. D. E. Arrest/Booking Records. DARs. Deputys Individual Activity Sheets. IRs and supplements. Field Interview Cards.

Policy GF-4, Office Reports

F. G. H. I. J. 3. Property Invoices. Traffic Accident Reports. Traffic or Criminal Citations. Warning and Repair Orders. Warrant or Civil Worksheets.

Situations Requiring a Written Report: A written report will be initiated, or supplemented, when one or more of the following activities or actions occur: A. B. A crime is reported. A complaint is made which necessitates action being taken by law enforcement personnel. Complaints which involve employee misconduct shall be handled in accordance with Policy GH-2, Internal Investigations. A detective, or other employee, is assigned follow-up investigative responsibilities, or is required to take some action at a later time. An officer determines that circumstances warrant a report being initiated after a request for assistance. An officer observes an activity which requires that a record be initiated and maintained for future use or reference. When an arrest is made without a warrant, or a criminal citation is issued. Whenever a record is necessary for the transfer of information concerning the management, administration, or internal operations of the Office.

C. D. E. F. G. 4.

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System: The CAD system is capable of providing the Office with a variety of information, including, but not limited to, the following: A. B. An IR number, generated by the CAD system, which shall be assigned upon the request of an employee. This computer generation ensures that all cases receive a unique, sequential number. A call (complaint) control number, generated by the CAD system, which shall be used to identify and record each incident including, but not limited to calls for service, officer on-view activity, incidents adjudicated or referred to other agencies by Communications, and IRs taken by telephone. This number will serve as the basis for filing and retrieving subsequent reports of the incident, thereby providing a means for auditing the system. A separate and unique report numbering system can be used to identify each agency and each case number for other law enforcement agencies dispatched by Communications. This number system is also generated by the CAD system. The CAD system automatically records and logs statistical information including, but not limited to, indexes of incidents by location and type. Management reports, as well as officer activity and incident history, can be obtained from the CAD system upon request.

C.

D.

Effective Date 03-24-06

5. Requirements for All Written Reports: All reports initiated by employees or volunteers associated with the Office shall contain, if applicable, the following information: A. B. The date and time of the initial reporting. The names, home and business addresses, and telephone numbers of individuals requesting the service, reporting the incident, or being a party to the incident. This information should also include dates of birth, drivers license numbers, social security numbers, and distinguishable physical characteristics. The nature of the service request or incident reported. The date, time, and nature of the action taken, and the disposition assigned by the employee taking the information. Although Communications records much of the aforementioned information into the CAD system, this information is basic to any report writing endeavor, and shall be recorded on all applicable reports. Any report referred to the Juvenile Court Center for prosecution, or incarceration, will have attached a notarized affidavit attesting to the reports truthfulness. The affidavit will be signed by the officer who wrote the report, or has personal knowledge of the investigation. A liaison officer cannot be used.

C. D. E.

F.

6.

Written Instruction for Completion of Reports: Office report forms used to record criminal or noncriminal activity, and procedures to be followed in completing these forms, are outlined in office report writing guidelines and Office Policy. Employees should consult with supervisory personnel when a question arises concerning the use of special forms that deal with special circumstances, such as personnel grievance procedures, or on-the-job accidents. Supervisory Review: All reports initiated by Office employees or volunteers which are used to record incidents of crime, suspected criminal activity, traffic-related offenses or accidents, or other reportable activity, shall be reviewed by supervisory personnel. Supervisors reviewing an Office report will ensure the following: A. B. Reports are submitted in a timely manner and reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and clarity. Reports found to be substandard, or containing numerous spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or other major deficiencies are rejected, and personnel found to be lacking in report writing skills are provided with the necessary guidance or training. Supervisors shall legibly sign or print their name, rank, and serial number to the report indicating that they have reviewed and approved the report.

7.

C. 8.

Further Review: The supervisor reviewing and approving a case report, or his designee, will forward a photocopy of the report to the appropriate district or division detective supervisor who will also review the report. A. Should the report contain inaccuracies as to procedural format, such as, a wrong criminal computer code, the appropriate corrections shall be made, and the information routed back to the first reviewing supervisor and reporting officer for training purposes.
3

Policy GF-4, Office Reports

B. When possible, corrections will be made in the original report prior to it being sent to the Departmental Report (DR) Section of the Records and AFIS Division. In any event, corrections to inaccurate reports shall be made on original reports as soon as possible. Such corrections may be made by preparing a supplement. After review by the detective supervisor, a determination will be made on assignment of the case for required follow-up. If the case is not assigned for follow-up, the detective assigned investigative responsibility for the area where the crime occurred, including other detectives having a probable interest in the case, will be provided a photocopy of the report. Appropriate sections will also maintain copies of case reports for reference and review at a later date. Supervisors shall ensure that Traffic Accident Reports are reviewed, and contain all the necessary information required by the State of Arizona Traffic Accident Report Instructional Manual and Glossary. In addition to first level supervisor review, hit and run accidents will be reviewed by an accident investigator for follow-up investigation.

C.

D.

9.

IR Distribution: Employees who initiate IRs shall pay particular attention to the row of blocks located on the upper portion of the IR form which indicates the case status of the report. This case status determines which Office components shall receive a copy of the report. A. B. C. Reviewing supervisors may also determine whether a report shall be forwarded to a particular area having an interest in, or an investigative responsibility for, the case. District or section administrative personnel will normally be responsible for photocopying reports, and the correct routing of reports. The release of reports or records to individuals or agencies, whether they are active participants within the Criminal Justice System or otherwise, is governed by strict Federal Regulations under Title 28 of the United States Code. Policy GF-3, Criminal History Record Information and Public Records, outlines the provisions under which records and reports can be released. Release of records or reports to the media will be authorized only through the Public Information Officers (PIOs) Office, and shall follow Policy regarding the release of Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) and case report information.

D.

10.

Internal Affairs Auditing: An annual evaluation of the complaint recording and field reporting process will be conducted by the Inspections Section of the Internal Affairs Division, who will audit the process to ensure that all Office components are complying with Policy. IR Tracking: maintenance. A. Tracking of IRs may be divided into two distinct areas: investigative status and IR

11.

An IR is in an investigative status after the report has been reviewed by a detective supervisor for prioritization and solvability, and assigned an administrative case status. The reports are then assigned by the detective supervisor to the appropriate investigator. Reports not assigned to a detective shall be given an administrative designation of suspended/inactive. 1. 2. The assigned detective will update the case status within the time limits prescribed in Policy GJ-6, Criminal Investigations Organization and Administration. If the case report was forwarded to the County Attorney for prosecution consideration, the case file shall be maintained in a pending/open status. Upon return of the case from the County Attorneys Office, the case will be assigned an administrative case status, in

Effective Date 03-24-06

accordance with the County Attorneys disposition, such as turndown, further, or complaint issued. 3. A supplement shall be written indicating the County Attorneys disposition of the case. The supplement will be included as a portion of the case file and maintained in the DR Section. The supplement will serve as a written record of the County Attorneys disposition. Each detective component shall maintain a log of all cases submitted to the County Attorneys Office for disposition. Regardless of assigned administrative case status, additional follow-up may be conducted, and supplements may be written at any time.

4. 5. B.

All IRs and supplements shall be maintained in the following manner: 1. All original IRs and supplements shall be forwarded to the DR Section within 10 calendar days of completion. The DR Section will ensure that written reports are received for all issued IR numbers. On a monthly basis, the DR Section will distribute a list of missing IRs to all appropriate commanders. Copies of IRs, traffic accident reports, and booking documentation shall be kept within an operational component for a minimum of six months. Law enforcement copies of citations shall be retained in the individual unit or district file for a period of at least one year. Each component commander may establish a longer retention period, if he deems it necessary, but not to exceed that which is allowed by the State of Arizona Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. All originals and copies of case files will be maintained in a secure manner, with access limited to authorized persons. IRs will be purged, and when appropriate, destroyed, in accordance with Office retention schedules maintained by the Records and AFIS Division. Before destruction, original IRs shall be microfilmed. IR file copies maintained at the division, section, or unit level will be purged by supervised shredding or burning at the discretion of the component commander, but in no case shall fewer than six months records be retained. Investigators may retain their case files, in a secure manner, for as long as necessary.

2.

3. 4.