Why do criminal justice personnel have to document events so completely? Why is accuracy so important? Provide at least two examples of what could happen if incorrect information is included in a report.
“Nearly half of a police officers work involves writing, and because of this, the best arrests will go unprosecuted if the reporting officers do not have the necessary writing skills to record their actions in a case clearly, concisely, and accurately, with sufficient detail. An officer’s report must document every incident in a complete, clear, and concise manner. Any arrest, follow up investigation, prosecution, or administrative action that is to be taken as a result of the report must be initiated, supported, or justified by the information contained solely within the body of the report. Consequently, every police report must be able to withstand critical review and legal scrutiny, and must be truthful, unbiased, and unprejudiced. Moreover, police officers have a moral and legal obligation to investigate all crimes that are reported to them.” (California State University, 2014)
Accuracy in police reporting is extremely important and if there is information in these reports that is not accurate it could have damaging consequences if it falls into the wrong hands and completely destroy the officers credibility. Another consequence if inaccurate information is included in a report is that it could cause an officer to lose a case altogether.
Reference:
California State University. 2014. https://www.csus.edu/campus-safety/police-department/_internal/_documents/rwm.pdf
