PI's: Report Writing TIPS!!!!

The investigative report is one of the primary deliverable's that private investigator provides to their client. From a report personnel actions, criminal actions, and/or civil actions may be started. In some cases, the report may serve as protection when claims are made against the investigator. Following are some tips, as a refresher for the experienced private investigator, and for those just starting out in private investigations. 

• Just the facts!!!! - This can not be emphasized enough. When writing a report every sentence must be factual. Don't make assumptions, don't provide unsubstantiated information. For example; "It appears John took the money because he was the only one in the room when it was taken." Rather, "John was the only individual that entered the room from the time the money was left until it was discovered missing." Making assumptions in a written report could be taken as a fact by the client and reflect badly on the investigator. 
• Use names, not identifiers - Some investigators use, "Suspect #1" or "Victim". A common practice in police reports. Use the individuals name and if needed for clarity, include an identifier after the name, "John Doe, (Suspect)". This method reduces confusion for the reader who may not remember who the person is. 
• Use quotations when quoting someone - It is important to share the exact quote when relating information to the reader. For example; Jane Doe, (Witness), stated, "I saw William put the money in his pocket then leave the room." Include exactly what they said. Ask them to repeat it if needed. The statement they made is the fact. Using quotations, and exact statements made by an individual ensures you are accurately recording the information. Believe it or not, some people change their statements later:-)
• Use chronological order narrative - Using the chronological order method when writing the narrative will help your client understand the results of the investigation. Some investigators write a brief summary of the investigation that is also helpful for the client. 
• Use diagrams when appropriate - Use simple, hand-drawn diagrams as a way to ensure the reader can understand an incident. Include the locations of witnesses, suspects, and evidence. It only takes a few minutes to draw out a diagram with notes, but it will greatly improve the understanding of others that will be reading the report. 
• Use a table of contents - If the report is lengthy, includes several pages, consider using a table of contents to note the page numbers of information. It will make it easier for the reader to navigate, find information in the report. Using the table also allows you to organize a lot of information by creating sections for written statements, photo's, etc. 
• Footnotes - Using footnotes is a great way to support statements with facts. You can include page numbers that reference where the fact came from supporting the sentence, and to share information. Not every sentence has to have one, but for critical pieces of information having a footnote is a great way to demonstrate that the sentence written is based on a fact or you can share a quick note about the sentence, "Based on the statement by Jane Doe, (Witness), Investigator asked William James, (Suspect), if he took the money." This note demonstrates why the investigator asked a specific question.
• Avoid "flowery" statements - I read one investigator's report that had this sentence, "Based on my extensive experience, over 10 years in investigations, I deduced that Bill and Jane were the only possible suspects." Bill and Jane were the only possible suspects based on video surveillance and witness statements. Sentence would have been better to reflect that information - - the facts. These type sentences don't provide much in the way of support for the investigation and may be misinterpreted by the reader. 
• Concise reports - One experienced investigator shared that when writing a report, "Less is better. It ensures you are only including facts." It is important to note that being concise does not mean leaving out important information, but only include information specific to the case. Secondary information, such as; "Investigator drove to the incident location to conduct interviews," is not specifically relevant to the case report and only creates "noise" in the narrative. Your investigative notes will cover information that may not be directly relevant to the case, but were important at the time of the investigation or may be more appropriately included in your services billing statement.  
• Proofread, proofread, proofread - We can't emphasize this enough. Minor errors in grammar, spelling, can reflect poorly on the investigator's work. Whenever possible you should write the first draft, then proofread it. Allow a day or two between the first draft and the second or third proofreading. This gives you the opportunity to think about the written report, recall information that may be missing from your first draft. 

Overall, private investigators should include only facts about the case in their written report. This is important for the client and for protecting the investigator in the event there is a challenge to the report later on. If you only include the facts, then it is hard for the report to be disputed. 

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