Unfounded
Reports
Reports
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The Unfounded Report should be the most easily understood report
you'll ever have to make. In fact, in some police departments where it's
the most popular report, it's still the most misunderstood.
People lie. There is no question that you'll have people lying to you
about something day in and day out. Even before you become a police
officer, you know that suspects will lie to you. After you become a
police officer you'll learn that some victims will also lie to you:
In this example the victim most certainly was robbed at gunpoint by two
men, but, at this point, some police officers would determine the victim
is lying about everything, and this real robbery would go down as an
unfounded robbery. Since you're a real police officer, and you take your
job seriously, you really start to question this guy. You're not shy about
pointing out your doubts, and it doesn't take that long to break this
victim down.
The victim finally admits he picked up a prostitute, or a woman he
believed to be a prostitute, who directed him to the location. As soon as
he parked his car, there was a man at his window pointing a gun at him.
As the gunman demanded the victim's money, the woman simply got
out of the car and walked away unobstructed by the two robbers. Think
about how your continued investigative efforts have changed everything.
Instead of a generic two thug robbery incident, you've now uncovered a
more sophisticated operation.
This incident could go one of two ways. Another police officer may have
made the report unfounded, or another may have taken the report
without the additional and critical female suspect information. The
worst choice would be the unfounded report.
The way you approach the issue of the unfounded police report is going
to depend, in large measure, by how seriously your police department
views the issue of accurate crime reporting. It all goes to the UCR Part
One crimes. If your department allows you to simply submit some kind
of code for making a Part One crime unfounded, a lot of crimes that
should be reported will go unreported.
If your police department makes you write a report every time you
receive a call for a Part One crime, you might view that policy as a
nuisance and unnecessary. For example, you arrive at the location
given, and you're unable to locate a victim/complainant. The narrative
of that report could simply state -- unable to locate a victim/complainant.
Here's the point. If you can't locate that victim/complainant, you've
submitted a truthful report. If, on the other hand, you do locate the
victim, but you decide the victim is giving a false report, and you write,
"unable to locate a victim/complainant," then, you're making a false
report.
And, no...you can't simply write, "unfounded." When you make a
reported incident unfounded, you've got to be able to prove that it's
unfounded. The easiest way to prove an incident unfounded is when the
complainant admits to you that the crime he or she reported , in fact,
never happened. When you become certain a complainant is fabricating
an incident of crime, your skill as an interviewer will get the truth out
of that complainant better than 90% of the time.
Police officers love the word, "inconsistencies." A few inconsistencies
in a complainant's statements to you do not alone make a crime
unfounded. When those inconsistencies become so many and critical
that they convince you the complainant is making a false report, you've
established probable cause to charge the complainant criminally for
filing a false police report. There are a few people out there who won't
come clean no matter how many holes you punch through their stories.
The best way to charge a complainant is to first write your report
stating the details of the suspected fabricated incident as described by
the complainant. You then list all the inconsistencies establishing your
probable cause to charge the complainant. While you could arrest the
complainant, I wouldn't recommend that course. You should obtain a
criminal summons or an arrest warrant from a magistrate or court
commissioner. The truth is, most courts don't take the crime of
making false reports to police officers that seriously. You'll learn that
the court will almost always issue a criminal summons over an arrest
warrant.
You ask, "If courts don't take the crime seriously, why should I go to
all the trouble of charging the complainant?" Because...it's the best
thing to do. If you don't charge the complainant, how can you prove the
crime reported never happened.
If you join a police department that maintains its reporting system at a
high level of integrity, you won't have any problems knowing exactly
what's expected from you. If you join a police department that
maintains a poor system of reporting accountability, you'll have to
educate yourself on how to do things right.
Remember, every time you make a crime unfounded which really isn't,
you're corrupting the only measure for a police department to analyse
and effectively fight crime.
you'll ever have to make. In fact, in some police departments where it's
the most popular report, it's still the most misunderstood.
People lie. There is no question that you'll have people lying to you
about something day in and day out. Even before you become a police
officer, you know that suspects will lie to you. After you become a
police officer you'll learn that some victims will also lie to you:
In this example the victim most certainly was robbed at gunpoint by two
men, but, at this point, some police officers would determine the victim
is lying about everything, and this real robbery would go down as an
unfounded robbery. Since you're a real police officer, and you take your
job seriously, you really start to question this guy. You're not shy about
pointing out your doubts, and it doesn't take that long to break this
victim down.
The victim finally admits he picked up a prostitute, or a woman he
believed to be a prostitute, who directed him to the location. As soon as
he parked his car, there was a man at his window pointing a gun at him.
As the gunman demanded the victim's money, the woman simply got
out of the car and walked away unobstructed by the two robbers. Think
about how your continued investigative efforts have changed everything.
Instead of a generic two thug robbery incident, you've now uncovered a
more sophisticated operation.
This incident could go one of two ways. Another police officer may have
made the report unfounded, or another may have taken the report
without the additional and critical female suspect information. The
worst choice would be the unfounded report.
The way you approach the issue of the unfounded police report is going
to depend, in large measure, by how seriously your police department
views the issue of accurate crime reporting. It all goes to the UCR Part
One crimes. If your department allows you to simply submit some kind
of code for making a Part One crime unfounded, a lot of crimes that
should be reported will go unreported.
If your police department makes you write a report every time you
receive a call for a Part One crime, you might view that policy as a
nuisance and unnecessary. For example, you arrive at the location
given, and you're unable to locate a victim/complainant. The narrative
of that report could simply state -- unable to locate a victim/complainant.
Here's the point. If you can't locate that victim/complainant, you've
submitted a truthful report. If, on the other hand, you do locate the
victim, but you decide the victim is giving a false report, and you write,
"unable to locate a victim/complainant," then, you're making a false
report.
And, no...you can't simply write, "unfounded." When you make a
reported incident unfounded, you've got to be able to prove that it's
unfounded. The easiest way to prove an incident unfounded is when the
complainant admits to you that the crime he or she reported , in fact,
never happened. When you become certain a complainant is fabricating
an incident of crime, your skill as an interviewer will get the truth out
of that complainant better than 90% of the time.
Police officers love the word, "inconsistencies." A few inconsistencies
in a complainant's statements to you do not alone make a crime
unfounded. When those inconsistencies become so many and critical
that they convince you the complainant is making a false report, you've
established probable cause to charge the complainant criminally for
filing a false police report. There are a few people out there who won't
come clean no matter how many holes you punch through their stories.
The best way to charge a complainant is to first write your report
stating the details of the suspected fabricated incident as described by
the complainant. You then list all the inconsistencies establishing your
probable cause to charge the complainant. While you could arrest the
complainant, I wouldn't recommend that course. You should obtain a
criminal summons or an arrest warrant from a magistrate or court
commissioner. The truth is, most courts don't take the crime of
making false reports to police officers that seriously. You'll learn that
the court will almost always issue a criminal summons over an arrest
warrant.
You ask, "If courts don't take the crime seriously, why should I go to
all the trouble of charging the complainant?" Because...it's the best
thing to do. If you don't charge the complainant, how can you prove the
crime reported never happened.
If you join a police department that maintains its reporting system at a
high level of integrity, you won't have any problems knowing exactly
what's expected from you. If you join a police department that
maintains a poor system of reporting accountability, you'll have to
educate yourself on how to do things right.
Remember, every time you make a crime unfounded which really isn't,
you're corrupting the only measure for a police department to analyse
and effectively fight crime.
At about 10pm on a Saturday night, you respond to an
industrial area for a report of a street robbery. You meet a
middle aged man standing beside his car on a gas station
parking lot.
The victim tells you he was robbed at gunpoint by two men
when he parked his car a couple blocks away. You know that
something isn't quite right when he's hesitant to show you
exactly where he was parked when he was robbed.
You and the victim arrive at the crime scene which is very
secluded. You become even more suspicious when the victim
cannot give you a reasonable explanation as to why he was at
that secluded location. He finally tells you that he chose the
location, because he had to urinate.
You really put him on the spot when you insist he show you
exactly where he urinated. He finally points out an area, and
you go to work with your flashlight. Of course, you're not
going to find a wet spot, because the victim is lying to you.
industrial area for a report of a street robbery. You meet a
middle aged man standing beside his car on a gas station
parking lot.
The victim tells you he was robbed at gunpoint by two men
when he parked his car a couple blocks away. You know that
something isn't quite right when he's hesitant to show you
exactly where he was parked when he was robbed.
You and the victim arrive at the crime scene which is very
secluded. You become even more suspicious when the victim
cannot give you a reasonable explanation as to why he was at
that secluded location. He finally tells you that he chose the
location, because he had to urinate.
You really put him on the spot when you insist he show you
exactly where he urinated. He finally points out an area, and
you go to work with your flashlight. Of course, you're not
going to find a wet spot, because the victim is lying to you.
A police officer once responded to a call for a street robbery.
During the questioning of the victim, the victim became upset
with the officer's questions. The interview deteriorated; until,
the victim finally said, "Forget it...I'll take care of it myself!"
The officer was required to submit a report, and he did, but in
the narrative he wrote, "unable to locate a
victim/complainant."
Well, the victim did take care of it himself. He contacted the
police department's internal affairs unit and made a complaint
against the officer. While the complaint regarding the
officer's attitude was no big deal, the false report submitted by
the officer was a big deal. The officer was tried in an
administrative hearing for the false report, found guilty, and
FIRED!
During the questioning of the victim, the victim became upset
with the officer's questions. The interview deteriorated; until,
the victim finally said, "Forget it...I'll take care of it myself!"
The officer was required to submit a report, and he did, but in
the narrative he wrote, "unable to locate a
victim/complainant."
Well, the victim did take care of it himself. He contacted the
police department's internal affairs unit and made a complaint
against the officer. While the complaint regarding the
officer's attitude was no big deal, the false report submitted by
the officer was a big deal. The officer was tried in an
administrative hearing for the false report, found guilty, and
FIRED!
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