AN example of an actual police report taken by 'me'

[KamaroZ'91]

I posted this in the lounge for another reason, but since i took the time to type it i want to show it off. :)



"R/O RESPONDED TO A SUSPICIOUS PERSON CALL WHOM WAS PROBABILY INTOXICATED. UPON R/Os ARRIVAL SUBJECT WAS INFRONT LOBBY AND WAS POINTED OUT BY THE COMPLAINANT. SUBJECT HAD A STRONG ALCOHOLIC ODER ABOUT HIS PERSON, BLOOD SHOT EYES, AND VOMITING. SUBJECT STATED HE "HAD TO MUCH TO DRINK AND HAD SMOKED POT EARLIER". SUBJECT WAS ARRESTED FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT. DURING SEARCH INCIDENT TO ARREST R/O FOUND A SMALL BAG OF A GREEN LEAFY LIKE SUBSTANCE BELIEVED TO BE MARIJUANA SUBJECTS RIGHT FRONT POCKET. SUBJECT ISSUED TICKETS NUMBERS 19154BR AND AND 19155BR. SET FOR COURT ON 03/11/02 INFRONT OF JUDGE AGUSTUS. SUBJECT WAS TRANSPORTED TO RCDC. EVIDENCE SECURED IN LOCKER #1103B.


Its pretty straight forward:) But thats what the report reads, the only follow up i have to do before court is take the green shit of what i think is weed to get tested and proven to be infact cigi-weed. Of course the guys name is included in the heading of the report as well as the charges, thats why some info isnt in the narritave. This is considered public information which is why i posted it. I charged him with disorderly conduct and simple poss. of marijuana. He also had some pills in a subscription container that were not what was labeled on the bottle. Which was a felony and i could have charged him with that..

[Squeezer]

So why didn't you charge him for having the bottle of pills?

[KamaroZ'91]

I still can, but i didnt know it was illegal until after i had already dropped him off. I couldnt find the statue either.

[TC]

Just a little tip, be careful with the acronyms on county charge reports. Stuff like R/O, R/P, A/P confuse juries and the DA will get on you if you have tight assed DA's like the ones here in Dallas.

[gray88_5.7]

TC is right. SPELL out everything in your reports. dont use abbreviations or "cop talk". i was taught you have to write a report so the AVERAGE person/citizen could read it. doesn't your department have any drug field test kits? at least for the pot ?

[TC]

His department might be like mine. They don't give us the Becton Dickenson <sp?> kits in the field. Our narcs have to test it all. I guess they don't want us wasting the kits.

[GK]

GK: The below message was from Blue_Chameleon, but I left my account logged in at his place. :)

Don't wanna burst your bubble, but spelling and punctuation are essential as well. Afterall, you will be known by how you write.

[Newsance]

Yeah, nothing like flashing a police report with 3rd grade grammar in front of a jury to aid an air (or should we say ODER) or incompetence....

I thought on police reports that unless you had positively tested for pot, that you were only supposed to refer to it as a green leafy substance? Thats what all the cops I know are told, even if they put "possibly marijuinana" (sp) it opens the door to present a case that the officer was speculating without proper evidence....

[Blue_Chameleon]

If I was an FTO, which I'm not, the phrase "GREEN LEAFY LIKE SUBSTANCE BELIEVED TO BE MARIJUANA" can be argued as to who's belief that was. Was the belief of marijuana the judges? Jury? The man down the street?

Newsance: I personally would have put something to the effect of "Based on my training and experience, I believe that the green leafy substance contained inside the small bag to be marijuana." The term "based on my training and experience..." can be argued in court, but if you truly have the training and experience under your belt, then the argument is minimal, esp. if you've gone to a narcotics education course, or work with narcotics on a continual basis along side of a narcotics officer/expert.

And if you are recognized by the court as being an expert in a field, such as narcotics, that specific officer does not have to identify marijuana as "a green leafy substance", but can just say the word "marijuana." Even newer officers get creamed on the stand when they use the term "marijuana pipe" because they don't have the expertise to call it that. Instead, they must go through describing that pipe as a long cylindrical hollow tube, where one end of the tube contains residue of an unknown substance, etc...

Although I only have a year and a half experience, I still write everything the long way, describing things in detail, just so that there is no dispute in court. Until the court deemed me as an expert in a specific field, everything I write will be in detail...as it should be to being with.

Just my two cents...

[firecop]

A green leafy substance, was found….. that in this officer’s training and experience appeared to be marijuana.

Also, never state odor of alcohol, it's an odor of an alcoholic beverage. There is no law against smelling like rubbing alcohol!

[KamaroZ'91]

A green leafy like substance which i believed to be marijuana is exactly what i found, i had it tested later on so i can prove it in court.