Writing a Police Report

Objective
Unit 7:
The Police
Station

Using the facts and statements given to them, students The Ele
ments
will write crime reports which include one-paragraph In writin
g a crime
report,of Rep
or ting
police
officers
must inc
lude the

summaries of a crime. following

:

1. The
“Elem
ents of
It must the Cr
be evide ime” (e
nt that vidence
somethi )
Example ng again
Brown’s : So methi st the law
bike wa ng has been has be

Materials s taken tak en done

2. A De from his en from a pe .
scriptio front ya rso
n of th rd witho n against his
The pla e Crim ut his pe wi
ce in wh e Scen
e rmission ll. Jimmy
ich a cri .
Example me too
k place
family : The crime too must be
describ
• transparencies of pages 3–7 and 10 3. Stat
Exactly
homes.
ements
(Include k place in a

by Witn
esses
addres
s, cross
residen
tial
streets, neighborhood
etc.)
ed.

of single
what ha -
descrip s been sa
tions of
the peop id by people

• reproduced copies of pages 5–11 Example

seen tak : Witnesses sa
4. A Su
ing the y
le involv

bicycle. a boy of abou

ed must be
who sa

t 14 wi
w what
written. happened an
d their
mmary th shag
of the gy, brow
The su Crime n hair wa
mmary s
• overhead projector and marker chrono

Example
logical
must tel
order— l a story of wh
that is, at
the orde happened.
It
neighbo : Jimmy left his r in wh
ich it ha must be in
r saw an bik e on pp ened.
the hous oth
e, he sa er boy ride the lawn while
w his bik off he went
5. The e was on the bike. inside
Purpos gone. W
How a e of th He calle hen Jimmy the house. A
Crime e Re d the po came ou
Happen port—To Te
Preparation A crime
verbs.
It
report
specula is shor t and
te.
does no
ed
t enter
tai
to the po n and is wr
ll Who
, What,

itten
When,
lice.

Where
, Why,
t of

and
int. a cri
me repo with mostly no
rt is fac uns an
tual an d
1. Make transparencies of pages 3–7 and 10. © Teach
Unit 7: Police Station
d does
not

er Crea
ted Ma
terials,
Inc.
Crime Report
2. Make copies of pages 5–11. 71
#2344
Create-
a-Town
Simula
tion
City of _________________________________________Date _________________

3. Arrange for use of an overhead projector. Victim _________________________________________Date of Birth ___________

Witness #1
Name _________________________________________Age __________________
Address _____________________________________________________________

Witness #2

Procedure Name _________________________________________Age __________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

Involved Vehicle Make ___________________________License # _____________

1. Tell the students they are going to write Color __________________________________________

Suspect Description:

reports such as the ones police officers write Name ___________________________________________

Approximate Age _______Height ________Weight _______

and that this will include writing summaries. Hair Color __________________Eye Color _____________

Distinguishing Characteristics ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
Tell them that while students usually think of Case Summary
__________________________________________________________
police officers as doing the glamorous job of __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
catching the bad guys and looking cool, they __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

actually spend much of their time writing __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

reports. These reports must be very clear and Reporting Officer ______________________Approved by ______________________

Station
Police
follow certain guidelines.
#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation 78 © Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Unit 7:

t
hecklis
me Repor t C
2. Distribute copies of The Elements of Cri
Reporting (page 3). Tell the students these e the fol
lowing
checkli
st to

port, us everything.
crime re
are the items which a police officer must Before
determi
su bm itting a ur report cove
ne wheth
er yo
oken?
rs

been br crime?
the law e of the
include in his or her crime report. Discuss the ❏ Has

❏ Have
you de
scribed
the scen
en ts from the
witness
es?

the crime
?
en statem olved in
you tak was inv
items to ensure that the students understand ❏ Have

❏ Do es yo ur summ
ar y tell who

tell what
ha pp ened?
mmary ened?
your su e it happ
each one. ❏ Does

❏ Does
your su
mmary
tell wher

tel l wh en it happ
ened?
mmary ed?
your su happen
❏ Does y tel l how it and ve
rbs?
mmar nouns
your su mostly
3. Show the students both pages of the crime ❏ Does

❏ Ha ve you us
ed sim ple lan
guage,

the or de r in wh
ich the
crime ha
ppened
?

ar y told in

report on pages 4–5. Tell them this is an ❏ Is yo

ur summ

actual report such as the ones used by police

departments in California. They are not going
to write reports as complicated as this one, but a-Town
Simula
tion
Create-
#2344

they will be interested in seeing a real one. terials,

Inc.
79

ted Ma
er Crea
© Teach

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 1 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation

 Writing a Police Report (cont.)
Procedure (cont.)
4. The students are now ready to follow the steps a
police officer follows when writing a crime
report. The first step is to take notes on a portable
pad. Distribute Officer’s Notes (page 6). The
information may not come in this particular order,
but it is important to get all the information.
5. Read The Elements of Reporting (page 3)
together and discuss the information as needed.
Tell the students they are now going to take the
information from the facts on the Writing
Summaries sheet (page 7) and put the correct
information on the Officer’s Notes (page 6).
Discuss why each entry goes into the part of the
notes where it appears.
6. Read the summary on page 7. Note that the
officer uses mostly nouns and verbs, includes
only what happened, and writes everything in
chronological order, meaning exactly in the order
in which it happened. This is the way students
must write their own summaries.
7. Together, write a summary for the crime described on page 8. Remind the students that they are
not going to include all the information given. They are only going to include exactly what
happened and in the order in which it happened. This activity may require an entire class period
to complete. Take your time to get it correct because the skill of writing this descriptive summary
is a crucial one.
8. When the group summary has been completed and the students fully understand how to do it,
divide the class into cooperative learning groups and distribute Summary Practice (page 9).
Instruct them to write summaries for each of the crimes.
9. Together as a class, display Crime Report (page 10) and use one of the summaries, officer’s notes,
and sets of facts on page 9 to write a crime report. Distribute copies of blank crime reports and
instruct the students to each write a crime report based on the facts of one of the crimes described
on page 9. Provide each student with a Crime Report Checklist on page 11 for them to use in
self-correcting their reports before turning them in to you. Each student is to sign as the
Reporting Officer, and when it is correct, the teacher will initial “Approved by . . . .”

#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation 2 © Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 The Elements of Reporting
In writing a crime report, police officers must include the following:

1. The “Elements of the Crime” (evidence)

It must be evident that something against the law has been done.

Example: Something has been taken from a person against his will.
Johnny Jones’ bike was taken from his front yard without his permission.

2. A Description of the Crime Scene

The place in which a crime took place must be described.

Example: The crime took place in a residential neighborhood of single-

family homes. (Include address, cross streets, etc.)

3. Statements by Witnesses
Exactly what has been said by people who saw what happened and their
descriptions of the people involved must be written.

Example: Witnesses say a boy of about 14 with shaggy, brown hair was
seen taking the bicycle.

4. A Summary of the Crime

The summary must tell a story of what happened. It must be in
chronological order—that is, the order in which it happened.

Example: Johnny left his bike on the lawn while he went inside the house.
A neighbor saw another boy ride off on the bike. When Johnny came out of
the house, he saw his bike was gone. He called the police.

5. The Purpose of the Report—To Tell Who, What, When, Where, Why,
and How a Crime Happened
A crime report does not entertain and is written with mostly nouns and
verbs. It is short and to the point. A crime report is factual and does not
speculate.

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 3 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation

 CITY OF FAIRFIELD
POLICE DEPARTMENT
AGENCY CASE NUMBER
CA 04803
CRIME REPORT
COPY DA PROB D.O.J. INV. Y.S.B. S.O.D. RO PRESS JUV. HALL OTHER PAGE NUMBER
TO

PRIMARY CRIME CODE SECONDARY CRIME CODES CLASS CODE INDEXED BY

DATE & TIME OCCURRED DATE & TIME REPORTED LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE

VICTIMS & WITNESSES ONLY

DESIGNATOR CODES: V=VICTIM W=WITNESS

CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROP 115 QUALIFIED VICTIM OF VIOLENT CRIME VICTIM RESPONSE - 293 P.C. NUMBER OF VICTIMS OVER 60 NUMBER OF OFFICERS INJURED
❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
REPORTING OFFICER I.D. NUMBER SUSPECT NEIGHBORS CONTACTED
❑ KNOWN ❑ UNKNOWN ❑ YES ❑ NO
APPROVED BY I.D. NUMBER CRIME SCENE PROCESSED:
❑ LATENT PRINTS ❑ SKETCH
FOLLOW-UP ASSIGNED TO I.D. NUMBER ❑ PHOTOGRAPHED
❑ OTHER EVIDENCE ______________________________
CASE STATUS: RELATED CASES
❑ PENDING ❑ CLOSED ❑ SUSPENDED ❑ UNFOUNDED

#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation 4 © Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 INVOLVED VEHICLES/BOATS CASE #

DESIGNATOR CODES: V=VICTIM S=SUSPECT

CODE LICENSE/REG. NUMBER STATE YEAR MAKE MODEL BODY/HULL STYLE

COLOR OTHER CHARACTERISTICS DISPOSITION OF VEHICLE

CODE LICENSE/REG. NUMBER STATE YEAR MAKE MODEL BODY/HULL STYLE

COLOR OTHER CHARACTERISTICS DISPOSITION OF VEHICLE

SUSPECT DESCRIPTION
CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTION

CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTION

CODE NAME—FIRM NAME IF BUSINESS D.O.B. RACE SEX HAIR EYES HEIGHT WEIGHT

RESIDENCE ADDRESS RESIDENCE PHONE DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER STATE

BUSINESS ADDRESS—SCHOOL IF JUVENILE BUSINESS PHONE CONTACTED STATEMENT

❑ YES ❑ NO ❑ YES ❑ NO
ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTION

CASE SUMMARY

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 5 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation

 Officer’s Notes
Date Date

Elements of Crime Elements of Crime

#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation

Description of Crime Scene Description of Crime Scene

Witness #1 Statement Witness #1 Statement

6
Witness #2 Statement Witness #2 Statement

Summary Summary

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Writing Summaries
Using these facts gathered at the scene of a crime by a police officer, write a summary of the
crime. First, make sure the elements of a crime are present:
• Was a crime committed, such as stealing?
• Next tell exactly what happened. Describe where the crime happened. What does it
look like? What did witnesses say? Tell what happened in the correct order in which it
happened. Write only the facts.

Information: A bike was stolen from a front yard in a neighborhood of small, clean
homes with green trees and lawns.

Witness #1 said this has been happening a lot lately. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into
these kids lately. They’re sure doing a lot of bad things.

Witness #2 said Johnny Jones shouldn’t have left his bike out on the lawn; he was just
asking for trouble. This is what the witness saw happen. He was cooking his dinner and
looked out the window. A boy about 14 years old was walking by, saw the bike, jumped
on it, and rode off. The boy was about average height and had scraggly, brown hair. The
witness couldn’t see his eyes.

A boy called the police station to report his bike missing. He left it in the front yard while
he went in the house to get some cookies. When he came back out, the bike was gone.
He doesn’t know anyone who would steal his bike. He’s really upset. He bought that
bike two weeks ago. He earned the money raking leaves and mowing lawns. He doesn’t
think it’s fair. His name is Johnny Jones, and he lives at 221 James Court. He was born
November 27, 1988.

Summary
The victim reported his bike stolen after he left it
____________________________________________________________________________________

on the lawn for a few minutes. Neighbors across

____________________________________________________________________________________

the street saw another boy approximately 14 years

____________________________________________________________________________________

old walking by the house. This boy jumped on the

____________________________________________________________________________________

bike and rode away. The neighborhood is a clean

____________________________________________________________________________________

street with small, well-kept houses and lawns.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Another neighbor said there have been a lot of

____________________________________________________________________________________

bikes stolen lately.

____________________________________________________________________________________
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 7 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation
 Writing Summaries (cont.)
Using these facts gathered at the scene of a crime by a police officer, write a summary of the
crime. First, make sure the elements of a crime are present:

• Was a crime committed, such as stealing?

• Next tell exactly what happened. Describe where the crime happened. What does it
look like? What did witnesses say? Tell what happened in the correct order in which it
happened. Write only the facts.

Information: A bike was stolen from a front yard in a neighborhood of small, clean
homes with green trees and lawns.

Witness #1 said this has been happening a lot lately. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into
these kids lately. They’re sure doing a lot of bad things.

Witness #2 said Johnny Jones shouldn’t have left his bike out on the lawn; he was just
asking for trouble. This is what the witness saw happen. He was cooking his dinner and
looked out the window. A boy about 14 years old was walking by, saw the bike, jumped
on it, and rode off. The boy was about average height and had scraggly, brown hair. The
witness couldn’t see his eyes.

A boy called the police station to report his bike missing. He left it in the front yard while
he went in the house to get some cookies. When he came back out, the bike was gone.
He doesn’t know anyone who would steal his bike. He’s really upset. He bought that
bike two weeks ago. He earned the money raking leaves and mowing lawns. He doesn’t
think it’s fair. His name is Johnny Jones, and he lives at 221 James Court. He was born
November 27, 1988.

Summary
____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation 8 © Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Summary Practice
Write summaries of the following crimes.

1. INFORMATION: The principal of Davis School is going to press charges.

Over the weekend someone sprayed graffiti on the side of the school building.
This is the third time this year graffiti has been found.
The school building is beige with brown trim. The graffiti is hot pink and orange.
The school is in a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes and apartments.
The custodian reported the graffiti. He was really mad. He doesn’t like to clean it off.
No one saw who did it, but the teachers of two eighth-grade boys have seen them
writing “graffiti-type drawings” in their school binders. The boys’ names are Jimmy
Worth and Buddy Boice.

2. INFORMATION: The girls are ages 13 and 14. They both have blond hair and blue
eyes.
A saleslady saw the two girls slip earrings into their coat pockets in the JCPenney
store.
The girls have never been in trouble before. They both were crying.
The earrings were costume jewelry—imitation gold with blue stones in one set and red
stones in the other.
The girls’ names are Janey Jones and Carol Crumb.
The saleslady reported the incident to the security patrol. The security guard arrested
the girls and detained them until their parents came to pick them up.
The parents were very unhappy about it.

3. INFORMATION: Someone has been riding a bicycle onto the front lawn of the school.
There has been a lot of rain the past several weeks, so the lawn is very wet and very
soft. The bicycle tires make big gouges in the lawn and will cost 300 dollars to repair.
A neighbor across the street saw two boys doing wheelies on the lawn with their bikes.
The principal got to school early this morning and saw Chunky Cheddar riding his bike
away from the school. The tires of the bike were covered with mud. He detained
Chunky and called the police.
Chunky’s mother says she knows Chunky couldn’t do something as bad as ruin the
lawn because he’s always good, and everybody knows he’s always good. The
neighbor says Chunky isn’t always good and that he was one of the boys doing
wheelies.

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 9 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation

 Crime Report

City of _________________________________________Date _________________

Victim _________________________________________Date of Birth ___________

Witness #1
Name _________________________________________Age __________________
Address _____________________________________________________________

Witness #2
Name _________________________________________Age __________________
Address _____________________________________________________________

Involved Vehicle Make ___________________________License # _____________

Color __________________________________________
Suspect Description:

Name _______________________________________________________________
Approximate Age______________Height______________Weight______________
Hair Color______________Eye Color______________

Distinguishing Characteristics ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Case Summary
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Reporting Officer ______________________Approved by ______________________

#2344 Create-a-Town Simulation 10 © Teacher Created Resources, Inc.

 Crime Report Checklist

Before submitting a crime report, use the following checklist to

determine whether your report covers everything.

❏ Has the law been broken?

❏ Have you described the scene of the crime?

❏ Have you taken statements from the witnesses?

❏ Does your summary tell who was involved in the crime?

❏ Does your summary tell what happened?

❏ Does your summary tell where it happened?

❏ Does your summary tell when it happened?

❏ Does your summary tell how it happened?

❏ Have you used simple language, mostly nouns and verbs?

❏ Is your summary told in the order in which the crime happened?

© Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 11 #2344 Create-a-Town Simulation