Incident Report After a Breakroom Fight
You are a security officer in a Charlotte office tower. At 22:40, two contract cleaners begin arguing in a breakroom over a missing phone. You see one cleaner push the other into a desk; the second cleaner has a 3-inch cut above his eyebrow and blood on his shirt. You separate them, call 911, and apply gauze from the first-aid kit. The building has CCTV in the lobby and elevator, but not in the breakroom. One cleaner says, 'He was drunk and attacked me for no reason.' The other is silent. Police and EMS arrive at 22:52. Later, your supervisor asks for your report. Your draft contains: 'At 2240 the drunk cleaner attacked the other guy. I broke it up. Not my problem. I didn't see anything.' You also remember that the lobby camera may have recorded both men entering at 22:35.
1. Identify at least four problems with the draft report and explain why each matters for a legal or administrative review.
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At least four defects stand out. First, 'drunk' is a conclusion, not an observation; you did not test him, and the label invites a bias or defamation claim. Write what you saw-slurred speech, odor, unsteady gait-if true. Second, 'attacked' is conclusory and assumes intent; describe the push and the desk impact instead. Third, 'Not my problem' shows indifference and undermines your professionalism; it will be used to attack your credibility. Fourth, 'I didn't see anything' contradicts your earlier observation and creates an inconsistency; if you saw the push, say so, and if you did not see the start, say that. The report also lacks times, names, witnesses, injury description, first aid, the 911 time, and police and EMS arrival. It does not separate your direct observations from statements made by others. A report is evidence; it must be accurate, objective, complete, and written promptly. Falsely minimizing or embellishing can expose you and the company to liability and licensing discipline.
2. What should you do about the CCTV and the first-aid materials, and how should you document chain of custody?
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For CCTV, request that the lobby and elevator footage be preserved immediately; do not wait for a supervisor who may overwrite it. Identify the system owner, ask for an export in native format, and record the camera number, time range, and the person who made the export. Maintain a chain-of-custody log: date and time, description, hash if available, from whom, to whom, and where stored. Do not view and delete, and do not copy to a personal phone. For first-aid materials, note what you used, the lot number if visible, and dispose of blood-contaminated waste under policy and bloodborne-pathogen precautions; do not put used gauze back in the kit. Photograph the scene before cleanup if safe, and note who cleaned it. Document the cut's size and location and that EMS evaluated him. If the camera later shows something different from your memory, write a supplemental report-never alter the original.
3. Write a corrected factual summary of three to five sentences and explain how you would handle the 'drunk' statement.
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Corrected summary: 'At approximately 22:40 I heard arguing in the breakroom and saw Cleaner A push Cleaner B, causing B to strike the desk edge. I did not see the beginning of the argument. B had a 3-inch cut above the right eyebrow and blood on his shirt. I separated them, called 911 at 22:41, and applied gauze with gloves. A said, "He was drunk and attacked me for no reason." B was silent. Police arrived at 22:52 and EMS at 22:55. The breakroom has no camera; the lobby camera may show both entering at 22:35.' I would not write 'drunk.' If I observed slurred speech, odor of alcohol, or unsteady balance, I would list those observations and attribute them to my senses. I would quote A's statement exactly and attribute it. I would not repeat it as fact or diagnose. If I did not observe impairment, I would say so and note that no sobriety test was done.