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- Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 1 ALBANY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT 165 HENRY JOHNSON BOULEVARD ALBANY, NEW YORK 12210 FIELD REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT GENERAL ORDER NO: 4.2.05 Issue Date: December 4, 2015 Effective Date: March 1998 Revision Date: N/A CALEA: 82.2.1 - 82.2.5 Volume 4: Administrative Service Bureau Chapter 2: Administrative Services Distribution: All Personnel NYSLEAP: N/A Issuing Authority: Chief Eric Hawkins Page: 1 of 6 PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures for the report, review, and distribution of reports taken by personnel of this department. POLICY: It is the policy of the Albany Police Department to establish field reporting and management procedures as they relate to the completion, submission, numbering, review, and distribution of police records that are generated by personnel of this department. I. FIELD REPORTING SYSTEM A. The City of Albany Police Department uses reporting forms, which comply with the standards set by New York State, along with other papers, parking tags, uniform traffic tickets, accident reports, etc., as required. B. These forms are used to document every incident in one or more of the following categories, if the incident is alleged to have occurred in the department’s service area, and to ensure that these incidents are reported and recorded properly:: 1. Citizen reports of crime; 2. Citizen requests for service/complaints; 3. Officer dispatched; 4. Officer assigned to take action; 5. Criminal and non-criminal cases initiated by law enforcement officers; and 6. Incidents involving arrests, citations, summons, and parking violations. C. Field reporting forms that shall be utilized by this department include: 1. NYS Standardized Incident Report (SIR) - (DCJS 3205):: a. Initial reports that are completed for criminal and non-criminal offenses and incidents, other than traffic accidents. b. Instructions for use. 2. NYS Domestic Incident Report (DIR) - (DCJS 3221): Eric Hawkins Chief of Police 1789 ---PAGE BREAK--- - Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 2 a. Initial reports that are completed to document domestic related incidents, as per the Family Protection and Domestic Violence Intervention Act of 1994. b. DIR Quick Reference Guide. 3. Accident Reports, NYS DMV MV-104A, and other related DMV report forms, as described in GO 3.4.10 – Traffic Collision Investigations. a. Used for completing accident related reports. 4. NYS Arrest Report - (DCJS 3202): a. Used for documenting a record of arrest, as described in GO 5.2.20 – Central Booking: Prisoner Processing. b. Instructions for use. c. Personnel may utilize the department’s Troubleshooting Arrest Records Guide to assist officers and supervisors with entering Arrest Records in RMS and troubleshooting common errors. 5. Supplemental Report: a. Used for extended narrative reporting, reports from additional officers regarding an incident, and/or follow up investigations. b. Personnel may utilize the department’s e-Reporting Supplemental/Investigation Report and Field Interview Card Training Guide in order to assist employees with completing said reports in the e-Reporting System. 6. Investigation Report: a. Used for reporting of incidents not deemed appropriate for a crime report. b. Personnel may utilize the department’s e-Reporting Supplemental/Investigation Report and Field Interview Card Training Guide in order to assist employees with completing said reports in the e-Reporting System. 7. Field Interview Report Cards (38’s): a. Used to document field interviews. b. Personnel may utilize the department’s e-Reporting Supplemental/Investigation Report and Field Interview Card Training Guide in order to assist employees with completing said reports in the e-Reporting System. 8. Juvenile Contact Cards (21’s) – APD Form # 001: a. Used to document field interviews of persons less than eighteen (18) years of age. 9. Special Attention Form - APD Form # 426: ---PAGE BREAK--- - Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 3 a. Used for officer information. 10. CSTA and SSTA Vacation Check Form – APD Form # 367: a. Used for members in the community while away from their homes for an extended period of time. 11. Property Report: a. Used for documenting found, recovered or evidentiary property taken into police custody. b. Personnel may utilize the department’s Evidence Barcoding Training Video to assist with completing property reports in the Evidence Barcoding System. D. Information on the proper procedures for completing field reports as well as procedures for submitting, processing and supervisory review process can be found in: 1. E-Reporting Training Guide; 2. E-Reporting Supervisor's Guide; 3. TB-14-02 – TraCS Informational Awareness Bulletin; 4. TraCS Informational Training Video; 5. Writing a UTT in TraCS; 6. TraCS UTT, ACC Quick Guide; 7. TraCS Traffic Deposition Quick Guide; 8. TraCS Supervisor's Guide; and 9. Albany Police Department Report Form Guide. E. All reports shall contain the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of an incident, if known, and shall follow the listed instructions for information required in field reports. F. The Administrative Service Bureau compiles, stores, indexes, and retrieves the above listed data relating to the department’s Field Reporting System. II. CASE NUMBERING SYSTEM A. The Albany Police Department must maintain records for each call for service. The department utilizes a fully equipped communications center with a departmental Computer Aided Dispatch System (USS-CAD System). 1. Personnel can reference the CAD User Guide for assistance relating to the system. B. Personnel shall enter a call in the CAD System at the time of the complaint.CAD will automatically generate an incident number for each call entered into the System. C. Accuracy and completeness in entering and maintaining these computerized ---PAGE BREAK--- - Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 4 records are extremely important since the information in the system files is also reflected in department reports and eventually National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). D. The essential key to the system is the incident number. The incident number is the basic reference to sort documents within the system. 1. CAD computer capabilities provide department personnel with immediate access to this essential information. E. Incident numbers are determined as follows: 1. Example: 15-123456 a. The two spaces before the hyphen is a two character, numerical year of incident identifier. b. The six places after the hyphen are the incident number spaces, numeric only and sequential. i. E.g., 15-000001 is the first incident entered into the CAD System for the year of 2015. III. REPORT DISTRIBUTION A. All field reports that are completed must first be reviewed and approved by the appropriate supervisor prior to being routed for other departmental functions. B. Reports that are of an electronic nature will receive an electronic signature and be routed via the department’s e-Reporting, TRACS, or RMS system for follow- up investigation and/or cataloguing. C. Paper reports DIRs) shall be reviewed and physically signed by the approving supervisor. After which time, these reports shall be transferred via intra-departmental mail for follow-up investigations or cataloguing. D. All original copies of reports shall be forwarded to ASB/Central Records for filing and retention. 1. Reports that are required by outside agencies shall also be the responsibility of Central Records. IV. REPORTS BY PHONE, FAX, MAIL, OR INTERNET A. The Albany Police Department does not routinely accept crime or incident reports by telephone, electronic means (e-mail), or through the mail in lieu of an on- scene response or personal contact with an officer, except as otherwise noted below: 1. Reports that may be taken by alternate means are generally restricted to the following: ---PAGE BREAK--- - Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 5 a. Attempt to Locate: i. Reports may be taken over the telephone when person eighteen (18) years of age or older, who does not meet the requirements of a missing person - as described in General Order 3.1.25 - Missing Persons, is unable to be located and there are no other unusual circumstances that exist. b. Out of State Caller/Complainant: i. Reports, of incidents that occurred within the City of Albany, may be taken over the telephone from complainants who live outside the immediate vicinity or who are unable to travel to Albany, which include, but are not limited to the following: a) Missing persons; b) Fraud; and c) Identity theft. c. Albany Group Home - Missing Person Complaints: i. Albany Police Missing Person Forms may be transmitted via email from pre-designated City of Albany group homes or residential facilities. ii. When receiving an Albany Police Missing Person Form, desk personnel shall notify a supervisor, assign the report an incident number and email a copy of the form to Communications. Cancellations shall be handled in this same manner. d. Vacation Checks: i. Residents of the City of Albany may phone in vacation checks to their respective stations. ii. This information shall be recorded by desk personnel on a CSTA or SSTA Vacation Check Form – APD Form # 367. iii. Residents can also personally enter vacation check related information by visiting the City of Albany Website. e. Anonymous and known complaints reported by or to the City of Albany Police Department, including: i. Complaints reported through the Albany Police Department Drug Tip Line at ([PHONE REDACTED]); ii. Complaints reported through the Albany Police Department Online Tip Form; iii. Complaints reported through the department’s email tip line. iv. Complaints reported via the City of Albany SeeClickFix site. a) SeeClickFix is a web tool, and associated free mobile phone application, that allows citizens to report non- ---PAGE BREAK--- - Field Reporting and Management, G.O. No. 4.2.05 Page 6 emergency neighborhood issues as a form of community activism. b) The site allows for anonymity of reporting as a way to encourage more people to report issues. c) The tool centers on a web-based map that displays all reported user complaints and comments. All users may add comments, suggest resolutions, or add video and picture documentation. d) Users can also elect to receive email alerts based on "Watch Areas" by geographical area and may filter reports by keyword. v. Complaints received based on information received from confidential informants, and other outside sources of information, including other state, federal, county or local law enforcement agencies. 2. Information that is received by any of these alternative means, and that requires an immediate response, shall be logged into the Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD) and a record maintained of what action was taken by field units. 3. Information that does not require an immediate response or those situations that will necessitate a substantial amount of investigation are to be referred to the respective unit for further action.