UNIT ORDER #37 - FORCE/SHOOTING REVIEW INVESTIGATIVE FORMAT



PURPOSE OF THIS ORDER:

To standardize the force/shooting investigative format.

SCOPE:

The investigator is responsible for documenting his or her findings with as much detail as possible to ensure that the case summary accurately documents the incident.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE INVESTIGATOR:

The assigned investigator is responsible for submitting the force or shooting review within 90 days of the reported incident, whenever practical.  Exception:  Shooting reviews of hit shootings shall be submitted within 90 days of receipt of the Homicide Book.

CASE SUMMARY FORMAT:

The format is as follows:

1. HEADING:

  • INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY

  • TYPE OF INCIDENT example:  DEPUTY INVOLVED SHOOTING – NON-HIT

  • IAB FILE NUMBER example:  SH 1234567 URN   999-99999-9999-999

2. OPENING STATEMENT:

Open with a brief introduction:  On Monday, February 26, 2001, Sergeants (name) and (name) of the Internal Affairs Bureau responded to (location) regarding a (brief description of the incident).  Internal Affairs Bureau Lieutenant (name) also responded.  Identify all other persons who responded and joined in the inquiry, e.g., personnel from the Training Bureau and personnel from Civil Litigation, etc.

3. INVOLVED PERSONNEL:

SMITH, Joseph

Date of Employment

Date assigned to Patrol/Custody

Completed Patrol/Custody Training

Prior Shooting Incident(s)

Prior Founded Force Incidents

4. SUSPECT/INMATE

DOE, John MW/22 Booking # XXXXXXX

Criminal history

5. WITNESSES

List of all witnesses, both sworn and civilian.

6. INJURIES

Describe the injuries to both the suspect/inmate and the involved employees which occurred as a direct result of the incident.  When applicable, include a statement from the attending physician as to whether or not the suspect’s injuries are consistent with the type of force reported.

7. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

Note all physical evidence held or evidence taken by the Crime Laboratory.  In this section, when applicable, include where the shell casings were found, how many were found, and where the rounds struck, etc.  If the inquiry involves a hit shooting, refer the reader to the page(s) in the Homicide Bureau shooting book.

8. INVESTIGATOR OBSERVATIONS:

Note any observations you made at the scene or elsewhere that are significant to the focus of the inquiry.

9. WEAPONS USED BY DEPUTY PERSONNEL:

List any and all weapons used by Sheriff’s personnel, including the type and, where applicable, the number of rounds discharged, including the number of spent casings recovered.

SERVICE WEAPON TYPE
BATON/FLASHLIGHT/SAP
TYPE OF AMMUNITION USED
DATE EMPLOYEE LAST QUALIFIED
DATE LAST TRAINED WITH WEAPON

10. WEAPONS USED BY INMATES/SUSPECTS:

TYPE OF WEAPON USED OR SUSPECTED
WEAPONS RECOVERED
CASINGS RECOVERED
GUNSHOT RESIDUE RESULTS
WEAPON CHECKED FOR FINGERPRINTS RESULTS

11. PROPERTY DAMAGE

List any and all damage to private property or county equipment.   List the name of the investigator assigned from Civil Litigation.

12. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR/CHARGES FILED:

List who conducted the criminal investigation and what, if any, charges were filed by the court.
INVESTIGATOR’S NAME
COURT
CHARGES
COURT DATE

13. LIGHTING AND WEATHER CONDITIONS:

Describe:  Rain, clear, cloudy, full moon, overhead street lamps, etc.

14. INVOLVED EMPLOYEES’ STATEMENTS

If you obtained statements from the involved employees, include them here.  If not, include their account of the incident based on the statements they made in their reports, or in the case of hit shootings, their interview with homicide investigators.

15. WITNESS STATEMENTS:

Include a summary of all witness statements.

16. SUSPECT/INMATE STATEMENTS:

Include statements made by the suspect to you or to the homicide investigators, in the case of hit shootings.  Note if the suspect was impaired, i.e., under the influence of drugs or alcoholic beverages, at the time of the incident.

17. MISCELLANEOUS SECTION:

List any and all information that you and the investigator believe is pertinent to the matter at hand, including crime reports, laboratory receipts, news articles, etc.