Report Writing, Documentation, and Recordkeeping
Report standards
A professional report is objective, chronological, and complete. Use full names, dates, 24-hour times, locations, and evidence references. State what you observed, heard, or did in the first person; label second-hand information as reported. Avoid conclusions such as suspicious, guilty, or lying. Describe behavior: paced, looked toward the door, ended the call when the investigator approached. Note negative findings, because they are evidence too.
Notes and corrections
Take contemporaneous notes and preserve them. If a report needs correction, issue a dated addendum explaining the change; never white out, backdate, or destroy the original. Keep the case file, chain-of-custody forms, recordings, photographs, and billing records together. Reports may be discoverable, so write as if a judge, jury, and opposing counsel will read them.
Recordkeeping
Use a consistent case numbering system and access controls. Retain records under the applicable schedule and any litigation hold. Do not promise a client that files will be destroyed on a date that conflicts with a preservation obligation. Confidential material should be stored securely and shared only on a need-to-know basis.
Worked example
A report says: The subject was nervous and clearly guilty. Better: At 14:32, the subject looked at the door three times, stood up, and left without paying. The second version lets the reader draw an inference; the first substitutes the investigator's opinion for evidence and invites cross-examination.
Traps
Editorializing; inconsistent times between notes and report; summarizing a witness statement without quotes; and destroying rough notes after typing the report.