Just the Facts: Investigative Report Writing (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Michael Biggs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131123831 | ISBN-13: 978-0131123830 | Publication Date: May 16, 2003 | Edition: 2

A basic text for a Law Enforcement Report Writing Class, Academy Training, or Advanced Officer Training Programs. Also appropriate as a supplementary text for courses in Investigation. This training tool and text combines the basics of two disciplines: investigation and report writing; and bridges the gap between them. Not designed to teach students how to write, but to instruct them on how to write a police report. Fundamental guidelines for investigative reports are established through a set of rules that are easy to understand and apply in any type of report-writing scenario, and provides numerous examples of how these principles work.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Being a good investigator is only half the battle; you must be able to tell your story in writing. Using this text will help you become a better report writer.

Just The Facts: Investigative Report Writing, Second Edition is designed to perfectly match the needs of your student. This workbook now has perforated pages that can be easily torn out and turned into the instructor for grading.

Each chapter is devoted to a major component of the report writing process and builds on the knowledge gained in the preceding chapter.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I am glad I have friends and colleagues who care as much about helping investigators develop and improve their report writing skills as I do. Shortly after the first edition was published in 2001, I started receiving feedback about the text, not only kind words and support, but also a lot of ideas to make it better. These suggestions not only covered a wide variety of areas but also supported the basic premise of the first edition—that there is a need for an entry-level report writing guide that combines some of the basics of investigation with how to write about them.

The second edition of Just the Facts brings together the good points of the first edition with several new pieces of information that were developed based on the feedback of many people. More than two decades of practice with the rules of writing and exercises—with continual feedback from students, police officers who have attended the class and put these techniques into practice, and other report writing instructors—have convinced me that this system works.

This workbook is an attempt to meet the needs of report writing students by establishing fundamental guidelines for investigative reports through a set of rules that are easy to understand and apply in any situation. By following these rules, each major component of investigative report writing can be broken down to its simplest form and examined for weaknesses. These weak points can then be corrected, with immediate improvements made.

Each chapter is devoted to a major component of the report writing process and builds on the previous learnings. The chapters provide an overview of what will be discussed and then offer a list of key terms that will be covered in the text. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the chapter, followed by a short review, a set of exercises to build on the material that was covered, and a ten-question quiz. The exercises are designed to build confidence and reinforce the topics just covered. This edition includes some expanded chapters and a reorganization.

Chapter 1 covers the basics of investigation, including key definitions, the goal of an investigation, and what steps to take in initiating an investigation. The chapter also offers a list of qualities that superior investigators demonstrate, and provides the reader with the opportunity to compare their traits to them.

Chapter 2 is all about note taking, field notebooks, and what the desired outcome is of note taking opportunities. The discussion of notebook types and which one is right for each investigator should prove helpful to those new to the business.

Chapter 3 provides the framework for writing good investigative narratives and how to overcome spelling problems. This chapter will give any investigator the skills to write effective reports.

Chapter 4 clearly defines the players in a report, including the reporting party, victim, suspect, and witnesses. The chapter not only identifies the people in a report but it also provides some basic guidelines for describing suspects and property.

Chapter 5 covers the purpose and uses of crime reports and how to effectively complete the face sheet and a complete narrative.

Chapter 6 addresses when an arrest report is needed and how to complete one. It offers suggestions for completing a report when no set format is available.

Chapter 7 provides the fundamentals of writing search warrants and begins with an understanding of the parts of a search warrant and the process to be followed in obtaining one.

Chapter 8 discusses automated report writing from two perspectives. It reviews the use of computers and technology in police report writing and then addresses the use of dictation. The pros and cons of both systems are discussed.

Chapter 9 acts as a summary and brings to the forefront several report writing problems and how to solve them.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 2 edition (May 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131123831
• ISBN-13: 978-0131123830
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Facts, February 11, 2003

By 

Mises (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just the Facts: Investigative Report Writing (Paperback)

I am a Field Training Officer for a large Southern California law enforcement agency and the most difficult part to teach new officers is how to write a proper report.I have trained over 30 law enforcement officers with various educational backgrounds and all of them have had problems with police report writing. I consider this book to be an excellent reference to improve your report writing skills. I have encouraged every new officer that I have trained to purchase this book.

The book explained the basics of investigation, note taking, rules of narrative writing, describing persons and property,and issues in writing. The book also explained how to write a search warrant and how to dictate your reports.

The overall content of the book was excellent and my only complaint was that the book should have provided sample narrative reports from several different agencies. The law enforcement agency that I work for uses headings(Assignment, Victim Interview, Suspect Statement, etc.)for the narrative portion of the report while other agencies do not. Hopefully, the author will include some sample burglary,theft,vandalism, robbery and other criminal reports in a future edition that will show reports with and without headings.

In closing, if you are a rookie or veteran law enforcement officer that wants to write quality police reports without the traditional police lingo then buy this book and follow the advice in it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent textbook!, November 8, 2007

By 

David Hall (Steilacoom, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Just the Facts: Investigative Report Writing (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

I teach report writing for one of our state universities, and am a recently-retired cop myself. I adopted this book for this quarter's class, and my students have given it very favorable reviews. I use this book as the foundation reading for my lecture and practical exercises, and so my students are "dialed in" much more quickly. I rate this book as the best of the available choices for introducing this essential skill to current and prospective criminal justice employees.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's ok, January 30, 2010

By 

TN Colby (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Just the Facts: Investigative Report Writing (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

It has some useful information in it but I think the author could have put it all in two chapters.