Posted: 9/2/2007 4:10:19 PM EDT
| I was working last night and had to read my partner's interview notes out of his notebook. Then I also had an occasion to thumb through another fellow officer's notebook as his hands were full and he wanted some info out of it. Anyhow, the three of us each set-up our notebooks differently. I was just wondering how you guys set yours up. Maybe this will help some of the newbies out there. |
+1, not to mention ranging from "kinda sloppy" to "flat out fucking illegible" due to writing while standing, trying to listen to your shoulder, and copying down ramblings from a fast talker (that is likely impaired or hysterical). |
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I guess what I really was wondering was do you have a system in place for your notebook. For example, my partner leaves the left side of the page for the case number, date and time of dispatch. He writes is vertically on the left side then draws a line and then writes on the lines for the rest of his notes. He then first only takes information of people on scene and denotes that by writing "info:" then each individuals information. Then he writes "interview:" then the subjects "name:" and the statements they give. Me, I write the date and time I start shift, draw two lines across the page above and below the date and time just so it is easier to thumb through and see where a new shift starts and ends. If I know I am going to pull a case number I leave a blank line before I statrt taking information or interview notes. If taking interview notes I write the name of the person and their info then thier statesments so all the info is together with the person who said what. The other officer I worked with simply starts at the top of the page and starts writing with no sytematic way of sorting it out. I am just curious. It is kind of like asking how officers set-up thier duty belts...everyone does it a little bit differently. |
not enough time here for such extensive note-taking/organizational procedures as YANKEEFAN and his partner.  i just write notes furiously and scribble the case number somewhere on the notes, then transfer all info into the report. i only save the notes for a week (or until the report is approved/finalized), then destroy. i maintain no discoverable field notes and have a consistent document retention policy. i keep copies in my personal files of the reports/supplements/affidavits/arrest tickets/property sheets/impound sheets/et cetera for all felony and 'significant' misdemeanors with which i am involved. |
My field notebook is just that. No partiular order to it & I dunno why I even keep one since I can't read anything in it . Some guys carry a lil field binder that has pre-printed organizational sub-areas in it, but I like being able to carrying my "memo pad" in my shirt pocket & outta the way. Interviews are taped or video recorded on my dept, whethe it be by digital carcam or portable voice recorder for a feild interview or at HQ. Anything they say of noteworthiness is scribbled in my notebook so I don't have to fuss with the digital stuff turned in later.
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The note pad in my uniform shirt looks a drunk monkey wrote it. If I know that Ill be working on something, I grab the larger note pad. Its the 8.5 X11. The legal pads don't it in our case jackets. If its a major case, Ill be recording interviews on audio or DVD so all I write down is persons info I'm talking to and domthing I wnat to be sure I need to ask. I type everything up soon for the report. |
I love FI cards. |
'zactly |
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Why make it easy on prick defense attorneys who subpoena your notepad before you finish with it??? Doesn't happen often, but when the damn thing isn't shredded it becomes fair game. ETA: My apologies to the defense attorney who is not a prick. But if I find out you started taking cases again...you'll be a prick. |
Where I come from you can tear pages out of your notebook. 
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I attach my note pad pages right to my report. Why give the defense ANY reason to raise any questions in the juries mind about your credibility by shredding them. |
That movie was pretty funny. |
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Each case gets its own legal pad. Case# on the first page. Date and time of interview, persons present at beginning of interview. New subject in interview = single horizontal line End of interview = double horizontal line New interview = new page Everything gets transcribed to report because my handwriting is so bad. |
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As a street cop I use a small memo book that I have in a leather fold over pad On the inside cover I put my name, dept, phone number and bureau. I also put the number of the first case in the cover, and when the book is filled up I put the last case number inside the front cover. I use the following format: Time of call/ Case# Occurred Time/Loc Role/ Name Race/Sex / Age / DOB Ht/Wt Hair/Eyes SSN# Complete Address Phone# Employer/ Emp Phone Body of text The role= Reporting party, Arrested, Witness etc. By doing this, I have everything needed to complete incident report. I don't put shopping lists and non police related info in my case book. If the case book becomes property of the court during a trial. I wouldn't want someone asking why I had 1000 rounds of WWWB ammo from Walmart on my shopping list  All your pages 2 belong to us |
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the only thing I do the same every time is the case number/ times and vic/wit/sus info. example: 07-XXXXX 0100 0101 0105 (that's case number, time recieved, dispatched and arrived) CITIZEN/JOHN Q 01/01/1901 123-45-6789 510 190 BRO BLU 123 ELM ST 89030 123-456-7890 H 123-098-7654 C PULTE HOMES, LABORER 4321 N. 5TH 123-567-3421 W IF I take any more notes, i don't have a set way to do it. I have a pretty decent memory, so I pretty much only write down plates, person's info and other number's etc. most of my pages have random names social security numbers/addresses/phone numbers on them from people i've contacted without ID or on traffic stops etc. the very back page is for BOLO stuff and citizen's requests for property checks. the hard rear cover of the pad has different websites, alarm and gate codes etc. |