A crime report is a written account of a given incident compiled by law enforcement officials. It is used by police departments and prosecutors to track and analyze crime trends throughout a city or state.
Police Departments across the country use a system called the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program to track and report information about criminal activity to federal and local law enforcement agencies. UCR uses standard offense definitions to determine which crimes are reported, so that state and local police can quickly gauge if crime is up or down in their area.
According to a study by the Coro Foundation, the quality of police reports has improved in recent years, but remains one of the reasons why cases turned down for prosecution by District Attorneys are so high. Report-writing deficiencies are also a factor in the SFPD’s low arrest rate.
In addition to documenting the steps of an investigation, a good Police report should also record the officer’s personal observations and other details of the incident; obtain written statements from all parties involved (when possible); and attempt to locate and identify potential witnesses. The officer should also document whether a suspect was identified or not and if he/she was arrested.
Additionally, the Police report should include a detailed discussion of all evidence obtained to date and any known possible motives. Lastly, the Police report should provide a clear and complete description of what occurred including all relevant details, such as the names and addresses of the victims, offenders and their relationships, the time and location of each offense, and the type of crime.