Introduction
The law enforcement officers are committed to honorably serving in accordance with the established requirements. Therefore, they must constantly exhibit high standards of honesty and adherence to recommended procedures while performing their jobs. One of the fundamental tasks of the police is documentation, which is a crucial factor in criminal proceedings. The correctness of the documentation is essential to policing for a number of reasons.
Why Is Accurate Documentation Important in the Profession of Policing?
First, the criminal defendant’s trial will use the information the police have recorded. The destiny of both innocent and guilty persons depends on the accuracy and clarity of the information provided about the circumstances and the detainee. According to a human services expert, the case record determines everything; thus, if the documentation is not written clearly and correctly, the crime did not actually occur both for the offender and the victim (Harrison et al., 2017). Therefore, accurate documentation is crucial for reaching a just decision.
Second, accurate documentation is required to provide other professionals with accurate information. Police workers interact with other law enforcement officers, social workers, administrators, attorneys, and other professionals from different social service agencies during their careers (Harrison et al., 2017). Since the policeman’s report reflects reality, other professionals’ efforts to establish truth also rely on them. For example, in order to understand the nature of the crime and the offender’s motivations, criminologists and psychologists refer to the police report.
Third, proper documentation is required for managing time and energy. The police report serves as a reference for all specialists and the court. Judges, district attorneys, attorneys, and commanding officers do not have time to figure out what a policeman was trying to say by interpreting their poor writing (Harrison et al., 2017). The correctness and succinctness of information are crucial because there is a limited amount of time and professionals have much work to do in addition to a particular case.
Conclusion
To sum up, accurate documentation is crucial to police officers’ work. The documentation is needed to establish the truth about the case and determine the accused’s involvement. The information the police officer records is used throughout the entire trial process, from examination to the judge’s decision. The correctness of the documentation determines the effectiveness of the work. Hence, the police must pay significant attention to the paperwork.
Reference
Harrison, J., Weisman, D., & Zornado, J. (2017). Professional Writing for the Criminal Justice System. Springer Publishing.