LEGAL FORMS

an instrument or document to be employed in a legal transaction or a judicial proceeding that includes

the primary essential matters, the appropriate technical phrases or terms, and any additional materials required
to render it officially accurate, arranged in suitable and systematic order, and conducive to adaptation to the
circumstances of the particular case.
This could be in the form of affidavits, sales of personal property, contract, complaints etc.
IMPORTANT GUIDELINES
The Language used in most legal forms is English.
Correct choice of word - the words used must be simple and appropriate. Observe correct grammar,
spelling and punctuation marks.
Proper Sentence construction - sentences must be simple, direct and not too long, correctly phrased.
There must be subject-verb agreement.
WHAT ARE LEGAL FORMS?
The legal form a firm chooses to operate under is an important decision with implications for how a firm
structures its resources and assets.
In criminal law, search means examination of a person's body, property or other area which the person
would reasonably be expected to consider as private by a law enforcement officer for finding evidence of a
crime. Ordinarily a search cannot be conducted without probable cause as the Fourth amendment prohibits
unreasonable searches and seizures.
A search can occur under varied circumstances. For example
Border search (search conducted at the border of a country especially check points for excluding illegal
aliens and contraband);
Emergency search (A search conducted by a police officer without warrant as s/he believes it necessary
to life or property or has some probable cause and has no time to obtain a warrant);
Private search (a search conducted by a private person rather than a law enforcement officer);
Title search (records search performed in connection with real property to uncover information).
HOW DO YOU DEFINED A POLICE REPORT?
Police Report is any written matter prepared by the Police involving their interaction with the community.
Police Report is an exact narration of facts discovered during the course of crime investigation which
serves as a permanent written record for future reference.
Police Report is a permanent written record of police activities classified as informal and formal which
communicates important facts concerning people involved in criminal activities.
WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF POLICE REPORTS?
Written report to serve as the raw materials from which records system are made.
Written report to reveal as part of the component of the record system, the direct relationship between the
efficiency of the department and the quality of its reports and reporting procedures.  
Written report to guide police administrators for policy formulation and decision making.
Written report to serve as a gauge/yardstick for efficiency evaluation of police officers.
Written report to guide prosecutors and courts in the trial of criminal cases investigated by the police.
WHAT IS POLICE REPORT?
According to Dr. Oscar Soriano, report is basically a story of actions performed by man.
A police report is a chronological or step-by-step account of an accident that transpired in a given time, at a
given place. It is also defined as an account of an investigation, of an official statement of facts.
Police reports result from the fact that someone has asked for them and needs them for immediate or future
use. In any event, police reporting has become one of the most significant processes in modern police
operations.
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT USES OF REPORT WRITING?
1. Reports serve as records for police administration in planning, directing, and organizing the unit's duties.
2. Reports can be used as legal documents in the prosecution of criminals.
3. Reports are utilized by other agencies.
4. Reports can be useful to tri-media for public information purposes.
5. Reports can be utilized for research purposes.
6. Reports improve the personality of the writer.
WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED IN REPORT WRITING?
The Language (CABSCTSI)
Clarity;Accuracy;Brevity;Specificity;Completeness;Timeliness;Security;Impartiality
 
According to the book of Dr. Oscar Soriano, One of the most basic considerations of report writing is
the language used. Direct-to-the-point words are essential to good police report writing.
Use of specific words also contributes to factual police reports. Every complete sentence must have at
least one subject and one predicate.
Diction refers to the manner and style of expression in words.
 
It is almost always necessary to use a paragraph in any narrative report. A paragraph is simply a
warning to the reader that a change in thought is about to occur, or that a new subject to be explored. The
report should be complete, easily understood, brief and accurate.
1. Clarity - The police report must be clear and it should be written directly and easy to understand.
2. Accuracy - The police report must conform with the established rules of syntax, format, spelling and
grammar. The data presented must be precise and the information given must be factual.
3. Brevity - The police report must be short, with simple sentences, common words and easy to
understand.
4. Specificity - The police report must be specific by using concrete examples. A good descriptive
narration gives life to the written words through particular terms that project hues, movements,
quantities and shapes.
5. Completeness - The police report must be complete by using the 5W's and 1H.
6. Timeliness- The police report must be submitted on time. As much as possible immediately after the
incident has happened.
 7. Security - The police report must be considered classified, hence, transmission, handling, and
access to these reports should be limited only to police personnel who are granted by higher authority
security clearance. It is a top secret documents.
8. Impartiality - The police report must know what the receiving office needs to know. Important data
must not be not be omitted or added to conceal responsibilities, to impute liabilities or to favor parties.
WHAT IS NEEDED IN PREPARING AND WRITING A REPORT?
An informal report usually is a letter or memorandum or any one of many prescribed or used in day-by-day
police operations. It customarily carries three items besides the text proper; date submitted, subject, and
persons or person to whom submitted. It may, however, contain many items of administrative importance along
with the subject matter of the text. Actually, most polic e reports may be placed in this category.
A formal report suggests a full-dress treatment, including cover, title page, letter of transmittal, summary
sheet, text, appendixes, and perhaps an index and bibliography.
WHAT ARE THE CLASSIFICATION OF POLICE REPORT?
Performance report which contains information as to the status of an activity, activities, or operations.
Fact-finding report which involves the gathering and presentation of data in logical order, without an
attempt to draw conclusions.
Technical report which presents data on a specialized subject. 
Problem-determining report which attempts to find the causes underlying a problem or to find whether or
not a problem really exists.  
Problem solution report which analyzes the thought process that lies behind the solution of a particular
problem.
HOW ARE POLICE REPORTS CATEGORIZED?
Operational Reports include those relating to the reporting of police incidents, investigation, arrests,
identification of persons, and a mass of miscellaneous reports necessary to the conduct of routine police
operations.
Internal Business Reports relate to the reporting necessary to the management of the agency and include
financial reports, personnel reports, purchase reports, equipment reports, property maintenance reports,
and general correspondence.
Technical Reports presents data on any specialized subject, but usually relate to completed staff work and
add to the specific knowledge necessary to proper functioning of police management.
Summary Reports furnish intelligence information necessary to the solution of crime accident, and police
administrative problems..

Finally, Dr. Gammage, in concluding his classification on the types of police reports emphasized that his book-
Basic Police Report Writing, is directed and centered only on the category of operational reports; that
these reports are the raw materials from which administrative reports are derived- that in directing efforts
toward improving these reports, he believes that the whole of the reporting process can be improved.
 
ANATOMY OF CRIME as explained by Commissioner Dir. Gen. Miguel Coronel.
 
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS FOR A CRIME TO HAPPEN?
 "For any crime to happen, there are three (3) elements or ingredients that must be present at the same
time and place. These are the MOTIVES, the INSTRUMENTALITIES and the OPPORTUNITIES.
The motives are the reasons or causes why a person or groups of insanity, and thrill. Intoxication, drug
addiction and many others. persons perpetuate a crime. Examples are disputes, economic gain, jealousy,
revenge, insanity, and thrill. Intoxication, drug addiction and many others.
The Instrumentalities are the means or instruments used in the commission of the crime. It could be
firearm, a bolo, a fan knife, an icepick, poison or obnoxious substance, a crow bar, a battery-operated hand
drill for carnapping, motor vehicle, etc. Both the Motives and instrumentalities belong to and are harbored and
wielded respectively by the criminal.
The opportunities consist of the acts of omission and/or commission by a person (the victim) which
enable another person or group of persons (the criminal/s) to perpetrate the crime. Illustrative examples
include leaving one's home or car unattended for a long time, walking all alone in a well-known crime prone
alley, wearing expensive jewelries in slum area, readily admitting a stranger into one's residence and the like.
Opportunity is synonymous with carelessness, acts of indiscretion and lack of crime prevention- consciousness
on the part of the victim.
The motives a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious. "a motive for
his murder".
synonyms: reason, motivation, motivating force, rationale, grounds, cause, basis, occasion, thinking, the whys
and wherefores, object, purpose, intention, design; More incentive, inducement, impulse, incitement, influence,
lure, inspiration, stimulus, stimulation, spur, goad, provocation, pressure, persuasion, and consideration.
Whether the crime incident would happen or not, it will depend on the presence and merging of
MOTIVES, INSTRUMENTALITIES and OPPORTUNITIES at the same time and the same place. The absence
of any one ingredient, out of the three, will mean that there shall be no crime. The most that could happen is an
accident arising out of reckless imprudence; since there is no motive. A freak crime incident shall occur when
all the three elements are present and merged at the same time and the same place; but the victim is not the
intended one, due to mistaken identity."
 
WHAT IS POLICE VISIBILITY?
When we talk about police visibility, we should not limit ourselves to just presence or being actually
physically present. POLICE VISIBILITY is more than that.
 WHAT ARE THE (3) THREE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER IN POLICE VISIBILITY?
Physical Presence;
The Patrolling Scheme; and
Response
 
YES, Physical Presence at the area or at the crime scene is very important. It is the immediate
feedback to the public that their police is on the job. Although we may be actually present in the area but
because oftentimes, we are not in proper police uniform, the community fails to physically see our police
presence in the area.
How many times have we seen police personnel when respond in civilian clothes, in T-shirts and shorts even.
Because of the non-wearing of uniform, the police is seen by the community to look more like criminals than
police. Surprisingly too, the community when ask to pinpoint the nearest Police unit cannot actually locate their
nearest police units or headquarters. There should be standard police sign easy to identify and recognize.
Another aspect of police visibility is our Patrolling Scheme. Various patrol components are joined together to
complement and support one another to ensure a widespread and redundant coverage. We optimize the
deployment of various patrol elements to have a truly effective crime deterrence.
The area where the PNP is most often criticized, is the third aspect of police visibility, that of response. The
Police Response should be proper, adequate and that it really satisfies the requirement, and most especially
be timely to compensate for non-presence.
POLICE VISIBILITY
PHYSICAL PRESENCE

 Visible as a police
 Easy to locate units
PATROLLING SCHEME

 Mobile
 Integrated
 Widespread, supportive and
 Redundant coverage
RESPONSE

 Proper
 Adequate
 Timely (ideal: 5 minutes)
WHAT ARE NOTEBOOK AND JOURNAL ENTRIES FOR?
The notebook is one of the basic piece equipments which a number of policemen now a days fail to
appreciate and utilize. The notebook shall be playing a significant role as all subsequent actions expected of
the Police Community Precincts Commander (and even personnel from higher headquarters) will depend on
matters recorded in the notebook which eventually will have to be reflected in the PBS journal.
Journals exclusively for the PBS shall be maintained at each Police Community Precincts. While
recording matters in the journal shall be the individual responsibility of every Beat Policeman, taking action and
reporting matters reflected therein shall be the duty of the Police Community Precincts Commander.
Entries in both the notebook and the journal shall answer the basic questions of WHAT, WHO,
WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW of an incident or problem encountered by a Beat Policeman particularly
those problems to be discussed as you get along with the problems you encountered.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
is an art which deals with the identity and location of the accused and provides evidence of guilt through
criminal proceedings.
THE 3 TOOLS OF INVESTIGATION(3 I’S)
INFORMATION- is the knowledge/data gathered by the investigator from records and persons.
INTERVIEW- simple questioning
INTERROGATION – skillful questioning
INSTRUMENTATION- scientific examination of real evidence, application of instruments and methods of
physical sciences in detecting crime