Side Margaret Cartyin 31 Discussion Teamwork
Teamwork is vital in the criminal justice profession, and that does not change when it comes to the completeness of a report.
For this discussion, determine two positive and two negative aspects of having other members of your organization assist you with a report.
The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.”
—Margaret Carty
In simple terms, the supplemental report is an addendum or an attachment to the original report. Although simple in terms, these additional reports serve vital roles in criminal justice organizations. Supplements serve multiple purposes and can be completed by any member of the reporting agency.
At its most basic, the supplemental report illustrates the follow-up that is conducted for an incident report or an investigation. Once the initial report is completed, all other documentation that is added to the report is done in the form of supplements. Supplements will generally include the date the follow-up was conducted and the person who conducted it. In the majority of criminal justice agencies, it is the responsibility of the officer, agent, or case worker who took the initial report to conduct follow-up, or see the initial report to its end. Follow-up is done by acting on information received during the initial investigation; contacting possible suspects, witnesses, or other persons who may be able to provide information; and seeking evidence that may not be readily apparent or available.
Like initial reports, supplemental reports are driven in great part by field notes. As previously noted, field notes help form the outline of the report, and the same goes for the additional information you obtain, whether you are revisiting the scene of the incident, interviewing people at other locations, or documenting newly discovered evidence. The same rules apply for supplemental reports as initial reports. Document what you observe and what you are told so that you can recreate it when you sit down later to type it up.
Beyond the follow-up conducted by the originating officer, supplemental reports represent the coordination and culmination of a team effort within an agency. Major reports or investigations typically require numerous people from an agency to work together to reach a conclusion. One individual will be given responsibility for the initial report and all other personnel that assist will be responsible for documenting their own actions and observations.
Many times, this means collecting statements from witnesses at the scene of the incident. When taking witness statements, it is important to first let the person give you their account of the incident before you have them write it down. This gives you the opportunity to take field notes to document points of interest or importance. You would then have the person complete a written statement and you would check that against your notes to make sure that they have included everything you need them to. It is also important that you do not coach the person with their statement; you want to keep it as genuine as possible. When you have your statement (or statements), it is now up to you to document what you did. Your supplemental report should include the people from whom you obtained statements and a brief synopsis of the information they provided. Although their statements will be attached to it, your supplement and the information it provides allows the reader to get an idea of what the statements contain without having to read through the entire document. There will be plenty of time later for prosecutors and other agency heads to critique the entirety of the statement. Your supplement ends when you have no further information to give. You do not want to duplicate work by including information that the primary officer will be putting in his or her initial report.
Detectives who have been assigned to a case, evidence technicians, and other agency members in specialized roles will frequently be responsible for supplemental reports to document their functions in an investigation. In larger agencies, detectives may conduct the follow-up for every report that needs it; their role is similar to the single officers who are responsible for their own work. The collection of evidence requires very detailed supplements, which agency members who have been specifically trained in crime scene processing usually complete. The supplements that they submit will detail the evidence that was observed and the methods used to collect it. These supplements have the potential to be highly scrutinized by defense attorneys so attention to detail is paramount.
The same rules apply to all agency members who take an active role in an investigation. Whether you have been assigned to assist, or if you volunteered to help another member of your agency, your documentation, or lack thereof, can impact the end result. Failure to document your actions can lead to embarrassing moments in a courtroom when information that is brought to light appears to have no source. If you cannot go on the stand and testify to your actions and observations, the credibility of the report can take a significant hit, and in some instances could let a guilty person go free.
When you become a member of a criminal justice agency, you become a member of a team, and in many instances, the member of a family. When you work with others, and others work with you, the process is not yours alone. You want your actions and your reports to reflect positively on your agency. You will take pride in your reports because they reflect directly on you. Your supplemental reports are no different. Although they are a small part of someone else’s report, they reflect your role and your competence as a professional.