Crime report is the process of gathering information about a criminal incident and providing it to law enforcement agencies for statistical purposes. The report also contains information about the victims, suspects, and evidence found at the scene. The report must contain the police officer’s observations and actions at the crime scene and should not include personal opinions or biases. The report should be written in a clear and concise manner, with no technical or legal jargon. It should also be consistent with any other reports or documentation related to the investigation.
A good crime reporter needs to be able to balance the public’s right to know with ethical considerations, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and sensitivity while avoiding sensationalism or prejudice. They should be able to obtain access to sources respectfully, deal with them sensitively, collect victims’ versions of events, and report carefully, considering their stress and emotions. They must be able to identify the victims and perpetrators by name, make notes about their physical characteristics, such as height, weight, skin color, eye color, and tattoos. They should also be able to accurately describe the location where the event took place, using street names and landmarks, and inform the dispatcher about any medical needs of anyone at the scene.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is responsible for collecting crime and arrest reports from over 500 local law enforcement agencies across New York State. These reports are then submitted to the FBI as part of the National Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
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