Maricopa Community Colleges  AJS205   19964-99999 
Official Course Description: MCCCD Approval: 05/28/96
AJS205 19964-99999 LEC 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s)
Criminal Justice Report Writing
Characteristics of reports and field notes, and the importance and uses of each. Form, style, and procedures for writing various reports, including elements of composition, required substance, proper and improper conclusions, and descriptions of persons and property. Prerequisites: None.
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MCCCD Official Course Competencies:
 
AJS205   19964-99999 Criminal Justice Report Writing
1. Identify the difference between an administrative report and an operational report. (I)
2. Identify common uses of police reports. (II)
3. Given written, verbal, or visual descriptions of the common law enforcement incidents, record clear and accurate notes, and write a report. (III, IV, V)
4. Identify common uses of field notes. (IV, VI)
5. Identify the characteristics of good field notes. (VI)
6. Describe the three parts of a police report. (VII)
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MCCCD Official Course Outline:
 
AJS205   19964-99999 Criminal Justice Report Writing
    I. Reports
        A. Definition
        B. Types
          1. Administrative reports
          2. Operational reports
      II. Uses of a Police Report
          A. Documenting criminal and traffic activity
          B. Providing information to follow-up officers
          C. Refreshing memory for court proceedings
          D. Compiling statistics used for
            1. Uniform crime report (UCR)
            2. Manpower allocations
            3. Identify crime trends
            4. Determining budget needs
          E. Gathering and disseminating information within the criminal justice system
        III. Characteristics of a Well-Written Report
            A. Factual
            B. Accurate
            C. Objective
            D. Complete
            E. Concise
            F. Clear
            G. Mechanically correct
          IV. Steps in Writing a Report (Growe)
              A. Gather the facts
              B. Record the facts
              C. Organize the facts
              D. Write the report
              E. Evaluate the report
            V. Contents of a Report
                A. Pertinent information
                  1. Who
                  2. What
                  3. Where
                  4. When
                  5. Why
                  6. How
              VI. Note-Taking
                  A. Purpose and value
                  B. The note taking process
                  C. Accuracy
                  D. Outlines
                VII. Format for Written Reports
                    A. Pre-synopsis
                    B. Body
                    C. Conclusion
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