NCJ Number
130187
Journal
Law Enforcement Quarterly Dated: (May-June-July 1991) Pages: 18-19
Date Published
1991
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Adding a diagram to a police report can improve its clarity, because a written description of a crime scene; warrant search; or other person, place, or event may produce images in the reader's mind that are quite different from what the writer meant.
Abstract
In addition, readers who have formed faulty mental images will have difficulty understanding the rest of the report. Adding diagrams increases the time required for the report, but they can reduce fewer questions by the prosecuting attorney and smoother preliminary hearings and trials. Diagrams can also be useful when talking with witnesses in preparation for a trial. Diagrams can be simple and should always place north at the top of the page. Important distances should be noted if measurements were taken, and the words "not to scale" can be included on the diagram. Six sample diagrams