Police Blotter: Definition, Content, and Use

Police Blotter

• A police blotter records daily events within a police unit's territory or jurisdiction.
• It contains material details for legal and statistical purposes.
• The police blotter is an informational book used for evidentiary or referral purposes.

Contents and Details

• The police blotter is a hardbound record book, measuring 12 inches by 16 inches.
• The front cover has the police force's name/designation and the police district/station.
• It includes the specific police unit or sub-station, volume/book number, series number, and period covered.

Report Content

• The police blotter entry answers the following questions: who, what, when, where, why, how, the case disposition.
• Material details, names of suspects, victims, witnesses, and nature of offense, possible motive, the place, date and time of event, significant circumstances, officer-in-case identity, and case status are recorded.

Incidents Entered

• The following incidents or transactions are entered:
• Violations of laws and ordinances
• All calls in which a PNP member is dispatched and/or takes official action.
• Fire alarms, reports and information received by the stations.
• Movement of prisoners with corresponding notations on the authority for such movements.
• Cases of missing and/or found persons, animals and property.
• Vehicular and other types of accidents which require police action
• All personal injuries, bodies found, and suicides
• Damage to property
• All cases in which a police member is involved
• All arrest and returns made
• Also, include miscellaneous cases, general/special orders, rule violations, and any other reportable incident.

Procedures on Incident Reporting

• Records can't be directly entered into the police blotter book
• Facts and information are first recorded in an Incident Record Form (IRF).
• The IRF will be signed and acknowledged by the desk officer and chief of police, or representative.
• The complainant or client provides the data that the IRF contains, then entered in the police blotter book.

Duty of the QSL Officer

• The Quality Service Lane (QSL) duty officer assists a client or complainant filing a complaint or requesting data recording.
• The officer must accord the client with due respect and politely ask the person the nature of his transaction
• The officer makes the Incident Record Form (IRF) available to the client to fill out.

Office Space for Clients

• The QSL duty officer guides and assists clients in filling out the form, and does it for them if they are illiterate or incapacitated.
• The Chief of Police shall secure a private place to fill this form away from public view.

Confidential Reports

• In confidential cases (e.g., women/children protection), the QSL duty officer escorts the client to the female duty investigator of the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD).
• The filling of the IRF is done at the WCPD and the police officer of the department may help fill out the form.