ABSTRACT
The more things that criminal justice professionals can make habitual–to the point of not having to think which comes first–the better writer they will be. The use of first person in reports is recommended because it simplifies both the writing of the report and understanding of the report by readers. On a face page, there may be little opportunity to use anything other than the third person, except perhaps in the synopsis. The general description occurs briefly on the face page and sometimes in much more detail on the continuation or follow-up page, where it is usually set off in block form halfway or further across the page. Facial characteristics deserve special attention because the face is the most important feature and sometimes the only one that a witness or victim sees. The Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida includes drawings of gem cuts in their standard operating procedures for report writing and in their property loss report completed by victims.
