Field Reporting System Policy

Policy & Procedures                 No. 1.36
                                  Subject:
                   Field Reporting System
                                  Issuing Authority:                                       Effective Date:   Review Date:
                     Chief of Police                       02/05/2015   01/16/2023
                                                                                 References:

 Review
 Revision   01/25/2017
 Reissued   10/30/2020
 Dates:

CALEA STANDARDS
82.2.1   82.2.4

Incident Reporting and Management

   A. Responsibility of Dispatching Officers

       Officers performing the dispatch function shall initiate a Call Number whenever a
     member of the public requests service or an officer takes a specified action.

      Once a call number has been generated, the dispatching officer will record all applicable
       information relative to the incident in the proper dispatch fields, including any report
      numbers (OF = Offense Reports, AR = Arrest Reports, AC = Accident Reports or FI =
       Field Interviews)

   B. Responsibility of Officers

       Unless otherwise authorized by a Supervisor, before the end of their tour of duty, officers
        shall complete all required incident report narratives, traffic accident reports, stolen
      motor vehicle reports, arrest reports and motor vehicle citations.

      Data Entry Screens: Officers shall complete all required data entry screens related to a
        particular incident such as property, person, vehicles, or other screens related to specific
       offenses or arrests.

       Multiple Responding Officers: Whenever two or more officers respond to an incident,
       the primary responding officer will be responsible for completing all required reports.
      However, in many circumstances, an assisting officer may be required to submit a
        narrative in the report.

       Multiple Arrests: In cases where multiple arrests arise from on offense, officers shall file
      one arrest report for each arrested person, including a narrative containing all of the facts
       leading up to and supporting each arrest.

             Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 1

1.  Incident Reports: Some types of police response require only a brief summary of
    the police action, while others require a more extensive, detailed narrative a possible
   subsequent investigation. The following types of crimes will require a more
    extensive narrative: 82.2.1 A

         -  Homicides an unattended deaths or incident where death may result;
         -   Suicide attempts;
         -   Sexual assault/rape;
         -   Assault against an officer;
         -   Robbery;
         -   Assault/assault & battery/assault with a dangerous weapon;
         -   All Domestic Incidents (MGL 209A);
         -   All Harassment situations under MGL 258E;
         -  Hate incidents, whether or not a crime is alleged;
         -   Missing persons;
         -   Incidents of child or elder neglect;
         -   Breaking & entering;
         -   All felonies;
         -   Execution of a search warrant;
         -   All misdemeanors if there is a suspect;
         -  Misdemeanors that present the opportunity for follow-up investigation;
         -  Misdemeanors that may be related to similar offenses (i.e. minor vandalism to
           several different cars in a parking lot);
         -   All situations requiring the Use-of-Force by the responding officer(s);
         -  When required by existing Department Policy & Procedure, Order or by
          Massachusetts General Law; and
         -   Other incidents as determined by the Shift Supervisor
         -   All other events may be documented in a Call Number entry.

  An offense number (OF) will be generated through IMC by the dispatching officer
   and assigned to the principal officer.

   The principal officer will log into the Records screen located on each desk top or
    cruiser lap top. He/she will click on Records then Incident Entry and enter in the OF
   number assigned. Once in the Offense Report, the officer will enter all the pertinent
   information in the required fields for each tab. Once the information has been entered
   and before advancing to the next tab, the reporting officer will hit F-10 to save the
    information. Lastly, the officer will click on the Narrative Tab. This will allow the
    officer to describe in his/her own words the facts surrounding the incident.

2.  Arrest Reports will be generated and completed by the responsible personnel under
    the following circumstances:  82.2.1 A
         -  A person is charged with a criminal offense;
         -  A person is arrested under the provisions of a court order such as an arrest
          warrant or a Warrant of Protective Custody;
         -  A mentally ill person is detained for involuntary commitment initiated by
          departmental personnel, under the provisions of MGL C123.S12. In instances
         where another agency or physician issues the commitment order, and we assist

       Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 2

only as keepers of the peace, a written arrest report is only required if our
          personnel use any level of force;
         -  A person is placed into custody on the request of another agency, such as a
          domestic or protection order violation, whether or not the person is detained in
          our holding facility;
         -  A person is incapacitated from consuming alcohol and placed in protective
          custody under MGL 111B.

  An arrest number (AR) will be generated through IMC by the dispatching officer and
   assigned to the principal officer.

   The principal officer will log into the Records screen located on each desk top or
    cruiser lap top. He/she will click on Records then Arrest Entry and enter in the AF
   number assigned. Once in the Arrest Report, the officer will enter all the pertinent
   information in the required fields for each tab. Once the information has been
    entered, and before advancing to the next tab, the reporting officer will hit F-10 to
   save the information. Lastly, the officer will then click on the Narrative Tab. This
    will allow the officer to describe in his/her own words the facts surrounding the
    incident.

3. Complaint Applications will be generated if criminal charges are going to be
   brought against an individual. A warrant or a complaint application is required to be
    filed against the individual. This procedure will follow after an AR number has been
   assigned and after an AR report is complete. 82.2.1 A

   The personnel seeking the complaint/warrant will log into the Records screen located
   on each desk top. He/she will click on Records and then Warrant/Complaint and
    enter in the AF number linked to the individual whom the complaint is going to be
    filed against.  It is important to check off if the complaint is going to be for a
   Summons or a Warrant. F-10 must be clicked on in order to save all the pertinent
   information entered. Once this is complete, the computer will ask if the person
   seeking the complaint would like to have the narrative transposed from the arrest
    report over to the complaint. This is a mandatory field; either Yes or No must be
   chosen. In almost every instance, the choice, ‘Yes’ will be made.

    All completed and signed complaints, along with four copies of the report, are to be
   enclosed in an arrest folder. This folder is to be placed in the prosecutor’s in-box.

4. Motor Vehicle Crash Reports will be generated and completed by the responsible
   personnel under the following circumstances: 82.2.1 A
         -  Any MVC on a public way;
         -  MVC where a person is injured or killed;
         -  MVC involving vehicles owned by the Canton Police Department;
         -  MVC involving any state or municipal vehicles

  An Accident Number (AC) will be generated through IMC by the dispatching officer
   and assigned to the principal officer.

       Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 3

The principal officer will log into the Records screen located on each desk top or
            cruiser lap top. He/she will click on Traffic then Accident Entry and enter in the AC
         number assigned. Once in the Accident Report, the officer will enter all the pertinent
          information in the required fields for each operator, vehicle and passenger involved.
         Once the information has been entered, and before advancing to the second page, the
           reporting officer will hit F-10 to save the information. Lastly, the officer will
          complete a computer drawing as well as a narrative depicting the chain of events
           leading up to and resulting from the accident.

        5.  Field Interview Reports will be generated, completed, and updated by the
           responsible personnel under the following circumstances: 82.2.1 A
                  -  Documenting persons of interest, which do not require entry into another
                   report but the officer or supervisor determines a need for documenting the
                    situation.

      A Field Interview Number (FI) will be generated through IMC by the dispatching
            officer and assigned to the principal officer.

         The principal officer will log into the Records screen located on each desk top or
            cruiser lap top. He/she will click on Records then Field Interview Entry. Once in the
           Field Interview Section, the officer will enter all the pertinent information in the
           required fields for each tab applicable. Once the information has been entered, the
           reporting officer will hit F-10 to save the information.

        6.  Citation Entry will be completed by the responsible personnel when an individual is
           issued a Registry of Motor Vehicle criminal, civil, or written warning citation.
          82.2.1A

         The personnel assigned citation entry will log onto the Records screen located on
          each desk top. He/she will click on the Traffic tab and then Citation Entry. The
         employee will then enter all the pertinent information in the required fields. Once the
          information has been entered, F-10 must be hit in order to save the information.

        7. Sample Agency Forms can be located alphabetically on every computer desk top in
           the ‘Master Forms’ Folder. Instructions on completing and processing various field
           report forms can be located at the end of this manual. 82.2.1 B

Form                                Report type/Incident

Abuse or Neglect Children (51A)             Incident or arrest report; Abuse/Neglect of
                                                child
Amber Alert Form                         Missing child report/State PD authorizes

             Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 4

Electronic Recording Consent Form         Incident or arrest report dictated by
                                              incident
Evidence/Property Form                     Incident or arrest report dictated by the
                                              incident
Line-up Instruction Form                Any report as dictated by incident
Lost Person Form                     Any report as dictated by incident
Mental Health – Involuntary Committal     Any report as dictated by incident. FD to
Form (Section 12)                        handle the transport
Miranda Warnings Form                Any report, as dictated by incident
Motor Vehicle Inventory Form            Any report, as dictated by incident
Protective Custody Release Form         Any report, as dictated by incident
Photo Array Instruction form                 Incident or arrest report, as dictated by
                                         event
Report of Operating After Suspension or     Incident or MVC; report incident to RMV
Revocation Incident
RMV Request for Immediate                 Incident or MVC report, license
Threat/License Suspension/Revoc. Form    suspension/revocation request
Stolen/Recovered MV Form                 Incident report, theft or recovery
Trespass Form                       Any report as dictated by incident
Voice ID Form                       Any report as dictated by incident

   C. Completing Reports

       All applicable information relative to the incident shall be recorded in the proper areas of
       the report, including but not limited to suspect, victim, witnesses, offenses, addresses,
        vehicles, property, etc. The report narrative and fields should document the: who, what,
       where, when, how and why, if known. The report narrative should detail the incident and
       actions taken, or to be taken, by the responding personnel. Report narratives should be
       concise and clear, with the statement of facts.  It should be in chronological order, and
        free of spelling, grammar, and or sentence structure errors. Layman’s terms, when
        appropriate, should be used.  82.2.1 C

      The responding officer will input all information into the applicable report upon
       completion of the activity or when time permits.  It is expected that personnel will
       complete their report (incident, arrest, citation, accident, or field interview) prior to the
      end of their shift, unless a supervisor authorizes that the report may be completed at a
        later time. In these instances, the CAD narrative written must sufficiently document the
        incident, pending completion of the full report. All reports will be submitted to the shift
       supervisor, either in person or through IMC, for approval. 82.2.1 (E,F)

      Supplemental narrative reports: A supplemental narrative report will be submitted by
      an officer when it is necessary to explain, expand, or continue with information from the
         initial field report. Supplemental narratives can be submitted by the initial officer,

             Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 5

supervisor, assigned investigator, and/or additional officers responding to the incident or
   following up on an incident. Not only will these be used to record expanded narratives or
    events, but they can also record important confidential information not contained in the
    incident report – such as investigative leads and unsubstantiated information which could
   be of investigative use (i.e. intuitions, hunches, possibilities, etc.). Supplemental reports
    will follow the same report review process as outlined above.  82.2.1 (E)

D. Responsibilities of Shift Supervisors

   Supervisors shall review the reports and associated paperwork of all their personnel, and
    that of any personnel working over from the previous shift, to verify proper completion
   and accuracy. Supervisors shall indicate their approval of such reports within IMC when
    appropriate.  82.2.1 (F)

    1.  Reports shall be reviewed for:
         a.  Spelling and grammar;
        b.  Content (including all names, contact numbers and addresses of involved persons
         and all necessary facts/elements of the crime);
         c.  “Error Check” adjustments needed for any IMC generated error messages;
        d.  Proper use of incident codes; and
         e.  Appropriate use of charges and inclusion of elements of the crime alleged.

    2.  Reports Requiring Immediate Review:  If time does not allow the review of all
       reports/paperwork the supervisor working the next shift will be responsible for the
       review of reports in this category.

    3.  Ensure the Correction of Deficiencies:  If deficiencies in reports/paperwork are found,
       the Shift Supervisor shall direct the reporting officer to make the necessary
        corrections.

    4.  Reports requiring further follow-up by another member of this department such as
     FSU or BCI will be forwarded/routed by the Shift Supervisor. The Shift Supervisor
        will assign the report in IMC (Assign Follow-up) to the appropriate division(s).
       82.2.1 (F); 82.2.4

      The Supervisor in charge of the FSU shall be forwarded/routed a copy of all reports
       pertaining to: 82.2.1 (F); 82.2.4
              -   Juveniles;
              -   Problem(s) at any of the schools within our community;
              -  Sex crimes;
              -  Domestic related calls;
              -  Family related calls;
              -   Missing persons

       Outside agencies involved in the case such as Stoughton District Court, Norfolk
      County Probate Court, District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Children and
       Families and other LE agencies should be notified by the lead investigating officer as
      soon as possible. The agency may request and receive copies of any pertinent reports.
    A Supervisor should be notified verbally before any reports are released. When a

          Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 6

report is routed outside the agency, the officer should make a notation in the case file
       noting when and to whom it was sent. 82.2.4

      The Supervisor in charge of the BCI shall be forwarded/routed a copy of all reports
       pertaining to: 82.2.1 (F); 82.2.4
              -  Drug offenses;
              -  B&E’s;
              -  Motor vehicle thefts;
              -  Mal damage reports;
              -  ID theft;
              -   Homicides;
              -   Overdoses;
              -  Arson

       Outside agencies involved in the case such as the District Attorney’s office, Mass
       State Police, DEA, Fusion Center and other LE agencies should be notified by the
       lead investigating officer as soon as possible. The agency may request and receive
       copies of any pertinent reports. A Supervisor should be notified verbally before any
        reports are released. When a report is routed outside the agency, the officer should
      make a notation in the case file noting when and to whom it was sent. 82.2.4

E. Responsibility of the Shift Commanders:

     It will be the responsibility of each Lieutenant to conduct random inspections to assure
   compliance with the procedures described in this section.

          Canton Police Department’s Field-Reporting System              Page 7