Effective Police Report Writing, Tip #7

Statements are not necessarily admissions. Alibis aren't necessarily true.

It certainly comes as no surprise to police officers that suspects, arrestees, and defendants don't always tell the truth - even to the police. Sometimes, individuals will falsely "admit" to using something to a DRE, such as marijuana, even though the individual is clearly under the influence of a different type of drug. The suspect might believe that "admitting" to marijuana use (after all, it's medicine, right?) doesn't look as bad as admitting to PCP or crack use. Rather than writing in a report that "The suspect admitted to using marijuana," the officer should write that the "Suspect stated he used marijuana." Saying the suspect admitted to something suggests that the officer believed the person. The same principle applies to other investigations, including crash reconstructions. For example, I recall a report in which the officer wrote "The driver caught his left foot between the brake pedal and the accelerator." Well, there was no evidence of this other than the suspect's self-serving words. The real reason for the crash was the suspect's methamphetamine use. In this case, the officer would have been better off, and more accurate, by simply stating that "The driver claimed that he caught..."

LAPD celebrates 100th anniversary of first policewoman

We celebrate Patricia Berry Russell!

The LAPD is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of its first policewoman. One of the pioneers of woman in law enforcement is our own Patricia (Patty) Berry Russell.  This picture is of Patty at her police academy graduation in 1967. In the 1970's, Patty was required to go back through the police academy in order to become certified to work the field as an LAPD Police Officer. For much of her career, Patty worked traffic enforcement/accident investigation.  Early on, she became deeply involved in the Department's Drug Recognition Program.  In fact, Patty was one of the four LAPD officers who participated in the landmark 1984 Johns Hopkins study.  In addition, the pupilometer, that included the  HGN angle chart, was developed and marketed by Patty.  Many of us remember the early pupilometers as the "Berry Good Ruler." Patty retired from the LAPD in 1992.  Her last assignment was as Training Coordinator for the Drug Recognition Expert Unit.  Without Patty's contributions, the DRE program might never have reached the level of professionalism it has.

TIME report on Prescription Drug Problem

The September 13, 2010 issue of TIME magazine contains an interesting overview of the growing problem of prescription drug abse. "The New Drug Crisis: Addiction by Prescription," by Jeffrey Kluger, says that the current prescription drug use epidemic, called "pharmageddon" by one expert, began in the 1990s with revised policies of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The new JCAHO policies encouraged health care professionals to aggressively treat pain. At the same time, big drug companies began introducing new opioids for the treatment of pain. The third leg of this proverbial three-legged stool was the Federal Trade Commission's determination to allow advertising directly to consumers. Anyone who watches the nightly network news is bombarded with drug advertisements that end with "Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you."

The article also gives a very nice overview of Oxycontin's effect on the brain:

"The brain loves Oxycontin - the way the drug lights up the limbic system, with cascading effects through the ventral striatum, midbrain, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex and prefrontal cortex, leaving pure pleasure in its wake. What the brain loves, it learns to crave."

According to the article, annual U.S. opioid consumption per person has increased from 73 mg in 1996, to 329 mg in 2006.

Historically, U.S. opiate epidemics are followed by stimulant epidemics. I wonder what the future holds for us.

Effective Police Report Writing, Tip #6

Spelling Counts!

Professionals should know how to correctly spell and pronounce the technical words of their profession. You wouldn't give much credibility to a physician who incorrectly spelled body parts, nor would you give much credibility to a scientist who couldn't pronounce scientific terms. To a large degree, the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge and even the jury judge you by not only the completeness of your report, but also your ability to write clearly and correctly. The defense will often highlight errors of spelling in reports by enlarging the report, and having the officer circle the errors. As an example, I saw a defense attorney do this by having the DRE officer highlight in red the "word" Cannabus on the report. I guarantee you that the DRE will never forget that Cannabis is NOT a bus!