CHAPTER VI

RECORDING AND FILLING SYSTEM

1. Case Records - heart of any police records, basis for an analysis of offenses and the
methods by which they are committed.
TYPES OF CASE RECORDS

Complaint/Assignment Sheet foundation records of police department

Investigative Report written report on the findings of the investigator

TYPES OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Case report

Supplement/Progress/Final report

Continuation report

Technical report

Accident report

Wanted person report

Daily record of events

2, Arrest and Booking Records these reports are required for all persons arrested.
TYPES OF ARREST AND BOOKING RECORDS
ARREST REPORT this shall be made out in full on each persons arrested and should
not be prepared at the time a prisoner is booked. After accomplishing the arrest report
there are three things to be done:
First send to the complaint clerk for the preparation of a complaint or assignment
sheet.
Second sends to the record office for name search against the alphabetical
index.
Third two sets of fingerprint shall be taken.
BOOKING REPORT the police department needs a current list of the prisoners in
custody, which will indicate the status and disposition of each.
PRISONERS PROPERTY RECEIPT all police department shall give a receipt to
prisoners for property, which is taken from them.

3. Identification Records the various identification records for the identification of

criminals and other individuals now extensively used in police departments shall includes
the following:

Fingerprint record

Criminal fingerprints

Civilian fingerprints

Alien fingerprints

Criminal specialty
4. Administrative Records this record contains different records required in the
management of the department personnel includes:

Information character designs to aid in assignment;

Promotion;

Disciplinary actions;

Corresponding files;

Department memoranda;

Daily summary of daily attendance;

Follow-up and call sheet; and

Monthly reports.
KINDS OF ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS

Personnel records

Corresponding files

Memoranda, Orders, Policy Files, etc

Assignment records

Other files.
5. Miscellaneous Records it is a miscellaneous group that does not fall under
categories of records that police department maintains and which an occasion creates
filling problems within a department.
THIS RECORD CONTAINS:

Register of aliens within the city or municipality obtained from the

immigration commission and/or other sources;

List of firearm holders from the PNP;

List of incumbent city, municipal and barrio officials and their addresses;

List of labor unions cooperatives, associations, civic, professional, social

and religious organizations, industrial plans, movie house, etc.;

List and descriptions of all army camps and mobilization centers;

Facts about the locality and indicating districts, barrios, sitios, roads,
bridges, centers of population, voters, etc.;

Copies of ordinances and penal laws;

Roster of AFP reservist ( obtainable from the military sources) showing

current address;


List private and security agencies; and

List of parolees, pardoned and released of criminals and their addresses

THE POLICE RECORDS SYSTEM all information to be gathered processed, stored,
and disseminated fall within several major categories. It should be arranged in logical,
prescribed ways to form or retrievable data. The major categories include:

Field Operations Primary Data:

Field Operations Secondary Data:

Field interview information

Traffic and other violation citation data
Miscellaneous information required by or for field personnel

Field Operation Supporting Data:

Case report and related materials

Statement and disposition
Investigative notes, sketches, and similar items
Evidence and property-identification information
Photographs, fingerprints, and other supportive documents.

Criminal history records

Modus Operandi Information
Criminal Specialties file
Personal identification data
Wanted persons information

Complaint and Dispatch Data:

Time, date, location, and other immediate procedural importance to

responding offices received from complaints, such as description of suspects and escape
route.

Advisory, information of immediate procedural importance to

responding offices received from complaints, such as description of suspects and escape
route.

Information concerning officers assigned, case report numbers, and

other case workload data.

Radio and Teletype messages and other inter or intra-agency

information sent and received.

Administrative Data:
Comprehensive periodic reports, summaries, and tabulations

data.

Case load data on personnel and assignments

Information notices and received
Internal Control Data:
Logs and register
Report review and control files
Indexes and cross-reference data
Other information required to process reports, records, and other

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS to meet the exacting requirements of police service,

the total records system must be oriented toward providing certain classes of information
on random bases, and still insure the integrity and security of the files.

Physical Control
All records maintained by the department should be considered
irreplaceable.
Original document should be released unless to an authorized individual as
established by specified criteria.
Copies of appropriate police reports should be provided if improper request
are made.

Basic numbering system

a department should adopt them basic numbering system includes:
Case report number
Arrest report number
Identification numbers

Records Review Process

Established to provides the department with a means for scheduling review
and control of all police reports
Must be thoroughly familiar with the major operations performed by the
departments various components

Reporting Procedure
The preceding discussion stressed the importance of accuracy honesty and
completeness of record files and provided suggestion for review and control of the
reporting process.
FIELD REPORTING it must insure that all information obtained as a result of police
actions, regardless of the origin of the initial notification, is officially recorded and will be
available for later used in appropriate form.

The following basic field reporting forms, collectively called case report,
should be officially adopted by the department:

Crime against persons report

Crimes against property report
Miscellaneous incident/ service report
General case report
Vehicle case report
Traffic accident report
Supplementary/follow-up report
Continuation report
Arrest/booking report

ARREST AND BOOKING after arrest, the accused is usually taken to a detention
facility for booking. This involves recording personal information, taking photos and
fingerprints, documenting information about the alleged crime, searching the records for
any previous offenses or outstanding warrants, and placing the accused in a holding cell.
The booking process and the formal placing charges should accomplished
as quickly as his practicable through the forma placement of charges should never
precede the completion of the booking procedure. The booking process includes:

Completing the arrest and booking report.

Accepting prisoners property.

Preparing fingerprint cards and taking personal identification photographs where

required by policy or by the circumstances of the case.

Checking all records and files for wanted information and checking fingerprints
files where such action is believed to be justified.
INTERNAL PROCESSING AND STORAGE OF INFORMATION

General procedures that should be followed in the flow of records

from the field to the file.

Case Report Procedures the typical felony or serious accident case

report comprises the original preliminary investigation report, subsequent follow-up or
supplementary investigation reports, statement of arrestees, complaints, witnesses, and
forth, and a copy of the arrest report, if applicable. Additionally the case report may
contain crime or accident scene photographs, correspondence concerning the case,
photocopies of warrants, subpoenas or other papers issued, and other date directly
pertain to the case. In some agencies a case status report filed periodically, summaries
the facts know about the case at that time; this is usually filed as a supplementary report.

Arrest Report Procedures arrest numbers are issued to persons

physically arrested and booked for criminal offenses or major traffic violations. They are
not issued for minor offense arrest when the person is bought to the station only to post

bond. Arrest report normally is completed in multiple copies; the original is filed with the
complaint report, and arrest numbers in an arrest file files a second copy. The arrest file
frequently is used interdepartmentally and for federal and other agencies that conduct
security investigation.

Record Elements Duties record element personnel assigned to

identification duties perform certain task in connection with all arrest and the completion
or arrest/booking reports and allied records. First they issue a central booking number or
request, then complete the central booking register with all require information.
Immediately after completing or approving their register entries, they should identify prior
department arrest and conduct a wanted check for all names or aliases used by the
arrestee.

Personal Identification File eight major personal identification files

should be maintained by the records element. These are:
-Arrest/booking Report
-Fingerprint file
-Criminal History Record
-Personal identification Photographic File
-Personal Identification Negative File
-Crime Scene Photograph File
-Wanted and Missing Persons File
-Warrant File

Warrant and Subpoenas a central warrant index file, consisting of

original warrants, filed serially by central warrant number should be used maintained by
the department. In many instances an automated file may be used by the department or
the court to eliminate the need for a manual register, unless the warrant system is
specially designed, however, a warrant file will probably be required for storage of the
actual warrant document until it can be returned to court.
The central register should contain the following information:
-Type of warrant
-Number of warrant
-Date and time received from court
-Person securing warrant and person accused
-Time, and date Charge warrant was severed or returned
-Disposition and special remark
OTHER FILES AND RECORDS the records and communications elements should
maintain certain auxiliary or supplementary files useful in management analysis
responsibilities. Several maker files and records should be classed as permanent, and
maintained by records and/or communication personnel.
All field information gathered during field interviews or suspects, witnesses, and
other persons contracted should be filed. This file contains the name, description,
address, and places of employment of persons shopped because of suspicious

circumstances or for other reasons; the time they were stopped and questioned ; exact
location of the contacts, vehicles used and contains, if seen; and the reasons for the
interview and related information that may be of value in current or subsequent
investigation. The records copy should be duplicated and cross-filed by date, time and
location and sent to other elements of the department.
RETRIEVAL OF STORED CASES
As the volume of information grows, a police departments capability quickly and
efficiently to locate needed information deteriorates, unless special retrieval procedures
and system are introduced. A master name index is the most effective locator of
information on case and arrest reports and most other contacts with the public.
The master name index should be maintained alphabetically and should contain
the names of all persons on firms coming to the attention of the police department in
these categories:

Arrest persons
Complaints
Correspondence and memoranda related cases
Drivers
Juveniles processed
Licenses
Missing persons
Persons injured
Permits
Persons killed
Suspects
Victims
Wanted persons
Witness
Name Index File Card should contain the following information:

Name, address, Social Security Number, and date of birth of person

Date of report or incident
Location of incident or firm
Type of crime or incident
Case report number
Aliases
Arrest number
Photograph of identification date
Fingerprint classification

Non Scheduled Reports

intermittent

Unscheduled reports or studies, which are needed on an irregular or

basis,
include
the
following:

1. Summaries of certain or all categories of activities handle or process by

the department, subdivided into categories by individual officer, by watch, or by division,
district, and independent unit, or other reporting elements.
2. Analysis of crime patterns or modus operandi, including such variables as
location, time of occurrence, object of attack, method of entry, type of victim, and other
information provided through the field reporting process.
3. Analysis of traffic violations in relation to specific accident problems,
including correlation of time, location, probable cause, and similar information.
4. Personal identification of specific wanted subjects or suspects, including
such factor as fingerprint classification, race sex, approximate height, appearance, and
normal and unusual physical characteristic, and similar information.
5. Patrol beat work load for the proportionate chronological and geographical
distribution and deployment of patrol personnel, including such data as actual weighted
value work load experience by major type of incident; probability of prevention by patrol
activity; effort of mileage, acreage, population; and restriction of terrain, whether natural or
manmade.
6. Specific summaries or analysis requested by the commanders of the
various elements of the department or other appropriate officials.

Time Period Comparisons

To provide for accurate comparisons of police services needed and provided,
periodic evaluation of the level of quality of police service, and intelligent interpretation and
prediction of needs in coming weeks and months, and years for comparative purposes.
Preparation of Summaries
The commander of the records element should delegate responsibility for the
collection, compilation, and transcription of information require to complete scheduled
periodic reports to specific record-element watch commanders or supervisors and senior
records personnel.

 Reports generally should be scheduled as follows:

A consolidated daily summary should be prepared each day before 7:00am

for the use of all command personnel.

A bi-weekly report of radio dispatches and communications should be

prepared on the first and third Thursday of each reporting period from the dispatchers card.

A weekly traffic report for each basic organizational element should prepare
listing the names of the officers and the number of tickets and arrest made by each.

On the first of each calendar month, a National Safety Council monthly report
of motor vehicle accidents should be prepared in duplicate along with the comprehensive
monthly report, the original going to the National Safety Council.

On the first of each month, compiled on forms furnished by the organization,

the monthly return of offenses known to the police, with the current supplementary returns,
should be prepared and forwarded.

On or before the third of each calendar month, personnel should compile the
tables of the consolidated monthly report, and file them in a monthly pending file. The
comprehensive monthly report should be prepared on or before the third day of the
reporting month, not the calendar month.

On or before the fourth of each calendar month, assigned employees should

prepare and assemble all monthly reports to be sent to departmental and other appropriate
officials.

On or before the tenth of January of each year, the appropriate element

should prepare and assemble appropriate materials for the consolidated annual report and
distribute it.

All comprehensive reports should utilize the same general categories of

information contained in the comprehensive monthly report form, with appropriate changer
or notations in titles.

Detention Records
The maintenance of reports and false concerning persons detained or
incarcerated by the police is not the responsibility of the arresting agency. Many smaller
departments lodge prisoners at the county jail or in the facilities of a nearby cooperating
agency, often because of poor condition of the jail or because of the heavy manpower
requirements of professional detention services.
Detention records may impose a certain amount of additional responsibility
upon the police records element, but if care is taken in the design of the system, most
duplication of effort, information, or facilities can be avoided.
Court-Related Records
Except for the physical control of un-served warrants and evidence, the police
records and communications element should not normally be concerned with the storage
and processing of court documents.