Circular No.

05, General Headquarters, Philippine National Police, dated December 10, 1992,
is the governing rules "Prescribing a Uniform Police Blotter for the Philippine National
Police." This rule shall be followed and observed by the different police offices and/or units all
throughout the country in making an entry of events and/or incidents in the police blotter for
record purposes.

A police blotter refers to the daily written evidence of events in a police station such as arrests.
A police blotter item typically starts with the time and place of the reported occurrence, and the
name of the police officer who responded, and normally it contains a storyline of significant
events or incidents that have happened, including the disposition of each entry.

Additionally, a police blotter is reference to the police station's daily record of police reports
and activities. It is also a written record of arrests and other occurrences of events or incidents
maintained by the police. The report is kept by the police when a suspect is booked, which
involves the written recording of facts about the person's arrest and the charges against him or
her.

References of the Circular

The following are the references used in the formulation of circular:

1. RA No. 6975, "An Act Establishing the Philippine National Police (PNP) Under the
Department of the Interior and Local Government and for Other Purposes."

2. Rules and Regulations Governing the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Purpose of the Circular

The purpose of the circular is to prescribe a uniform police blotter for the Philippine National
Police (PNP) and to define the rules and procedures of making entries therein.

What is a Police Blotter?

A police blotter is a record of daily events occurring within the territories or jurisdiction of a
given police unit or command. It contains material details concerning the events and incidents
for legal and statistical purposes.

Size of the Police Blotter

The police blotter shall be a record book bound with hard cover and shall be 12 inches by 16
inches in size.

The front cover of the blotter shall contain the name or designation of the police force and
particular police district, station, together with the designation of the specific police unit or
sub-station, the volume or book number, the series number and the period covered.

The format for the entries inside the sheets of the police blotter shall be depicted.

Contents of the Police Blotter

The entry in the police blotter should answer the following cardinal elements of a police
record, to wit: who, what, why, where, when, how, and the disposition of the case.

In answering the 5Ws and 1H and the case disposition, all such material details about the
event, including: the name(s) of the suspect(s); name(s) of the victim(s); the eyewitnesses, if
any; the nature of the action or offense; the possible motive; the place; the date and time of
occurrence; significant circumstances that aggravate or mitigate the event or the crime should
be entered along with the identity of the officer to whom the case is assigned or the officer-on
case; and the status of the case.

The following incidents or transactions, among others, are entered in the police blotter:

1. Violations of laws and ordinances reported and/or recorded;

2. All calls in which any member of the PNP is dispatched and/or takes official action;

3. All fire alarms, reports and information received by the stations;

4. Movement of prisoners with corresponding notations on the authority for such movements;

5. Cases of missing and/or found persons, animals and property;

6. Vehicular and other types of accidents which require police action;

7. All personal injuries, bodies found, suicides;

8. Damage to property;

9. All cases in which police member is involved;

10. All arrests and returns made; and

11. Miscellaneous cases, general and special orders, violations of rules and regulations, and
any other reportable incident that the sub station, station commander, or higher authority
desires to be recorded.
Procedures in Making Entries

The procedures in making entries are as follows:

1. A ball pen or pen with blue, black or blue-black ink is used for making the entries.

2. All entries in the police blotter shall be handwritten in a clear, concise and simple manner
and answering as far as practicable the 5Ws and 1H. Clarity should not be sacrificed for
brevity.

3. Only actual facts and not opinions are entered into the police blotter. vide)haro: deque

4. No erasures shall be made on the entries. Corrections are made by drawing a horizontal line
over such word or phrases and the actual entry initialed by the police officer making the
correction.

5. Misrepresentations in the blotter or any attempt to suppress any information therein are
punishable criminally and administratively or both.

6. The entries must be legibly written in long hand and consecutively numbered.

7. Every page of the blotter shall be consecutively or chronologically filled-up. No line of

space shall be left blank between any two entries.

8. Any development of a case to be reflected in the blotter should be a new entry at the time
and day it was reported. A reference to the previous entry number of the case; however, shall
be made in making another entry.

9. In every shift, the Duty Complaint Desk Officer (DCDO), under the supervision of the Duty
Complaint Desk Supervisor (DSCDS) shall make the actual entries in the blotter and at the end
of his tour of duty; both the DCDO and DCDS shall sign the blotter.

Maintaining the Police Blotter

The following are required to maintain police blotter:

1. Every police station or sub-station shall maintain a police blotter.

2. All PNP operating units or division in the Metropolitan Police District (MPD), in addition to
the station and sub-station, shall likewise maintain a separate blotter.
Supply Accountability

For purposes of determining supply accountability, the following guidelines are prescribed by
the circular:

1. General Headquarters, Philippine National Police (GHQ, PNP) shall supply police blotters
to each PNP command/unit who shall carry the same in their property books as an
accountability item.

2. The PNP unit commander shall be responsible for the proper maintenance, use, safekeeping
and accounting of the police blotter.

3. Pending procurement and issuance of the uniform police blotter by GHQ PNP, police forces
shall continue to use the present blotter, provided, the forms of entries and the rules for the
maintenance thereof, as stated above, shall be followed.

Requisites of the Police Blotter

Under the laws, the police organization is required to keep a record of daily activities that can
be inspected by the public. Local newspapers typically review these records, called blotters,
and print the arrests or notable activities. The requisites of the police blotter maintained by the
police office or unit are as follows:

1. Basic Information. A blotter item usually begins with the time and location of the reported
incident and the name of the officer who responded. It might be accompanied by a code to note
whether the complaint was unfounded, whether an arrest was made or a ticket issued, or
whether the case remains under investigation.

2. Persons, Places and Things. When someone is arrested, the blotter should, in certain cases,
note a suspect's name, age and address. The name of the victim or complaining party might
also be included, but police might avoid providing additional information if discretion is
warranted. Where the crime occurred should be noted as well.

3. Narration of Facts. The blotter usually contains a narrative of what happened. If a suspect
was charged for robbery or theft, for example, the narrative could indicate how the person
entered the property, what was reported stolen and what evidence the police obtained.
However, details can be excluded if a case is still under investigation, according to the DOJ.

4. References to Other Entries. If a case is ongoing, previous entries regarding the same matter
should be noted in the blotter. This helps police officers who work in different shifts to have
access to the same information. When an arrest is made, the arresting officer can refer to an
earlier narrative in their entry without having to write the background information all over
again.

5. Exemptions to Entry. The court cites several reasons why some information might be
excluded from the police blotter, including the following reasons: if it deprives the person of
his right to a fair trial; if it hampers an ongoing investigation; hinders the prosecution; puts a
witness in danger; or reasonably constitutes invasion of privacy.

6. Standardization of Entry. A few years ago, many police units or offices maintained a
handwritten daily blotter. However, the police are encouraged to use an online system in which
police offices or units can share information from each other's databases. It is expected over
time, that there will be an online police blotter system to be used by the country's police force.

Looking-Up with the Police Blotter

The information that the police or law enforcement officer write in their tickler at a crime
scene is a matter of public record. The country's public record laws give an individual person
or groups of persons the right to inspect various types of documents maintained by taxpayer
funded entities, including police organization.

The police or law enforcement agencies are required to maintain book or blotter of daily
activities. Those records should contain the names of people who were arrested, descriptions of
crimes, and even information about victims. Newspapers often publish blotter items, but it is
better to get the complete records straight from the source.

Decide which police or law enforcement agencies might have the records that are being looked
for. The country's police force often has jurisdiction outside of one another. Call each police
office or unit in the area first to find out about the policies for reviewing the police blotter,
which may require identification or schedule a time to meet with a records clerk.

Visit the police office or unit that might have information that are looking for. If they maintain
a daily log book, they should allow appropriate persons to look through all of the records in it.
Some books have handwritten entries, however, and limit the information to the date of the
arrest or incident, and the name, age, address and other personal circumstances of the suspect.

Present a written request noting the name and contact information. and the information needed,
which may include an entire day's worth of arrest and incident reports. It is better to have a
friendly relationship with public officials when seeking information, but sometimes people
have to go by the book and put the request in writing.
Guidelines for Blotter Entries

Incomplete and error-riddled entries in police blotters may soon be a thing of the past as the
Philippine National Police (PNP) standardizes its template for blotter entries to render
recording of information more efficient, fast and accurate purposely to better serve and protect
the people. The PNP leadership has ordered the formulation of Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) on the police blotter "to enhance the delivery of police frontline services and to satisfy
the needs and expectations of the citizenry."

Under the new SOPs, desk officers are instructed on how to enter data in the police blotter,
including the "5Ws and one H" detailing the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" of the
recorded incident, as well as other pertinent information relatively with the significant events
or incidents that are requested to enter into the police blotter.

The new procedures further state that the police officers must also take down the information
of the reporting person, the data of the suspect and the victim, including the name, age and
address, as well as the narrative of the incident, and the complainant's or victim's signature.

At present, most police blotters, which are considered public documents, already include the
"time, date, place of occurrence" (TDPO), information of the victims and the suspects and the
facts of the case. These pieces of information are vital to facilitate investigations, prepare court
cases and support the defense of cases in court.

Deployment of e-Blotter System

To speed up the resolution of crime reports and give the National Headquarters (NHQ) an idea
of non-performing units within the force, the Philippine National Police (PNP) launched an e-
blotter system which will centralize all of its reporting functions. When citizens want to report
a crime or file a complaint, they usually go the police station and a police officer will take
handwritten notes in a big logbook called the police blotter.

With the new system, however, the reports will still be logged manually but at the same time,
they will be encoded in a computer linked to the police's central reporting network called the
PNP Crime Incident Reporting System. The information logged into the computer will
instantly be sent to the central server, which is accessible at all police stations nationwide.

However, this page requires a higher version browser. This is more simplified than the
traditional police blotter reports that are processed for a whole day and sent to the intermediate
police office, which will then process it to be sent to the regional office, and so on. At this rate,
even before the information reaches the national headquarters, the report is already stale.
Because the reports are sent to the national headquarters in real time, it would also prevent
officers from manipulating the blotter entries. At the same time, the system will give higher
police office an idea which police units are becoming roadblocks to effecting quick justice.
Since the target launch of the system, some police stations in the City of Manila and Quezon
City have already received the equipment needed for the new system. The deployment and
employment of the e-blotter system also include other law enforcement agencies.

Some police officers have also been trained on how to use the new system, but the guidelines
for its use have yet to be disseminated to police stations. The e-blotter system will be manned
by non-uniformed personnel (NUP) and a police officer at the initial stages, "but in the long
run," the position shall be made permanent, by that time it will be purely manned by the NUP.

Operating Procedures on e-Blotter

In line with the Quality Service Lane Program (QSLP) of the Philippine National Police
(PNP), its leadership has directed the formulation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on
police blotter to enhance the delivery of police frontline services to satisfy the needs and
expectations of the citizenry.

Since its existence, the PNP maintains the police blotter where all types of operational and
administrative incidents and activities are recorded using the five 5Ws and one IH. The SOP
lays down the standard procedure on how to enter data in the police blotter by the Complaint
Desk Officers (CDO) of police stations and all offices of the National Operational Support
Units (NOSUS) which must include: the information of the reporting person, data of suspect,
data of the victim, narrative of the incident and the signature.

This SOP in e-blotter and e-warrant aims to eliminate the tedious process that a complainant
has to go through, including several interviews by different police personnel before his or her
complaint is recorded. The delivery of police service will be more efficient, fast and accurate.
This will also help in recording statistical information and identifying community problems in
terms of peace and order.

Accordingly, any violation of this SOP shall be dealt with administratively as warranted by
evidence. All head of offices shall be included in the investigation under the principle of
command responsibility. These processes and procedures are being strengthened to be able to
deliver more responsive police service to the public.

Basic Tutorial on e-Blotter

To add new record, the user must fill up first the following fields to enable the add record
button, otherwise screen error message will appear, then perform the following: (1) key-in the
crime cite number field or date of entry, case report number or cite number; (2) click the
calendar icon for date committed and date reported fields; (3) key-in the time on the time
committed and time reported field; and (4) click the combo box or arrow down button for
reporting unit and place of commission fields, each fields has its corresponding pop-up screen,
for example, PRO-3, wherein available date can be selected.

Moreover, the incident type, i.e., public or private, and joint operation fields can be filled up by
selecting the data in the combo box provided, as follows: (1) click the spot report field or the
full view icon to key-in the detailed information of crimes committed as reported; (2) click
save button to save a record; (3) click cancel button to disregard changes; (4) click the case
details field to unlock; (5) then click the add record button and sub-screen will appear; and (6)
fill-in the necessary fields with required data on the textboxes provided, i.e., investigator on-
case, head or supervisor, IS No., fiscal, CC No., judge, and court.

Therefore, fields like category, offense description, offense type, means use, modus operandi,
case status, progress report can be filled up by selecting the data on the combo box provided.
Additionally, for date file field: (1) click the calendar icon to select the date; (2) click and drag
the field button, sub-screen will appear where the user can add or edit record; (3) click save
button to save a record; and (4) click cancel button to disregard changes.

Hence, to add records for the screen: (1) click the add record button; (2) fill-in the necessary
fields with required data on the textboxes provided; (3) for fields with combo box provided
click the box to select the desired data; (4) click save button to save a record; and (5) click
cancel button to disregard changes.

To add record for the victims: (1) click the victims' field to unlock it; (2) then click the add
record button, sub-screen will appear; (3) fill in the necessary fields with required data on the
textboxes provided; (4) for fields with combo box provided click the box to select the data; (5)
click save button to save a record; and (6) click cancel button to disregard changes.

To add record for the suspects: (1) click the suspects' field to unlock it; (2) then click the add
record button, sub-screen above will appear; (3) fill-in the necessary fields with required data
on the textboxes provided; (4) for fields with combo box provided click the box to select the
desired data; (5) click the offense button and sub screen below will appear where the user can
add or edit record; (6) click save button to save a record; and (7) click cancel button to
disregard changes.

To add record for the reportee: (1) click the reportee's field to unlock it; (2) then click the add
record button, sub-screen above will appear; (3) fill-in the necessary fields with required data
on the textboxes provided; (4) for fields with combo box provided click the box to select the
desired data; (5) click save button to save a record; and (f) click cancel button to disregard
changes.

To enable the search module, click the search button from the main menu screen and it will
appear. In search module the user can search crime information by suspect, victim, firearms
and vehicle, that is: (1) click the suspect field screen will appear; (2) key-in the required data;
(3) click the search button to show the list of suspects; (4) click the case preview button to
view the crime incident report form; and (5) click the incident form button to view the crime
incident report form.

The module on report screen allows the user to query and generate a hard copy of the reports.
There are two report criteria that can be generated, that is, detailed reports and statistical
report. To produce hardcopy for detailed reports: (1) click the detailed button; (2) click the
arrow down keys to select; and (3) click on the OK, and the button screen will appear.

To set or change password: (1) click update button; (2) fill in the employee's information, that
is, last name, first name, and middle name; (3) fill in the login information, that is, the user's
ID, password and confirmed password; (4) click done button to save transaction; (5) click
cancel button to cancel transaction; and (6) click close button to exit.

To add a user's account: (1) click on add button; (2) fill in login information or user's ID; (3)
fill in the employee information, that is, last name, first name, and middle name; (4) click the
account permission given to the user; (5) click on the save button to save new user account;
and (6) click cancel button to discard added user account.

To edit a user's account: (1) click on edit button; (2) edit the employee information, that is,
user's ID, last name, first name, and middle name; (3) edit account permission given to the user
by highlighting task and click button that will grant user access to the system; (4) click on save
button to save edited user account; and (5) click on cancel button to discard edited user
account.

Finally, to delete a user's account: (1) click on any first, next, previous, last buttons to select
the name of user to be deleted; and (2) once the name of user to be deleted appears, click the
delete button. A confirmation box will appear to confirm. Click the "Yes" button to delete and
"No" button to cancel. In this, constant exposure will make the user familiar with the system of
the e-blotter.

Importance of Police Blotter

Police blotter is a slang term that is used in police practice and procedures. It refers to a book
that records arrests and other facts and events in a police station, on a daily basis. Arrests are
recorded in a police blotter as they occur. Details such as name, age, and address of the suspect
or person arrested, time and place of an incident, name of the officer who responded to the
incident and name of the victim or complaining person should be included in a police blotter.

The laws mandated the country's police force to keep a record of daily activities at the police
station. Such records are known as police blotters. These records can be inspected by the
public. Local newspapers review these blotters to print arrests or notable activities. Therefore,
for criminals, the police blotter might send the message that there are police out there, and
watchful citizens who are not afraid to call the police.

Accordingly, "police blotter" means a chronological listing of arrests, usually documented

contemporaneous with the incident, which may include, but is not limited to, the name and
address of the individual charged and the alleged offenses. Hence, each PNP operating unit
shall maintain an official police blotter where all types of operational and undercover
dispatches shall be recorded containing the 5Ws and 1H, or the essential elements of
information.

But at the very least, they are reminders that the police are out and are about to go against the
criminals. In the people's mind, that is good to know. Moreover, the police blotter serves
multiple purposes, depending on the reader and the content. However, it now appears that
reporting a significant event or incident in the police blotter serves absolutely no purpose other
than discrediting a person's good name.

Perspective on Police Blotter

Effective police or law enforcement work involves initiating some form of record. It may be
anything from a single line entry into a police blotter about some minor event to a lengthy
detailed investigative document describing a crime, crime scene, or offense. The law
enforcement officer's supervisors evaluate the officer's skills using written technical reports.
Hence. the law enforcement officer's duties and responsibilities, which thus include performing
law enforcement works within the scope of the rule of law, but they must also accurately
record information concerning what was done so that others who were not present can have
knowledge of the facts and circumstances.

Police blotter is a slang term that is used in police practice and procedures. It refers to a book
that records arrests and other facts and events in a police station, on a daily basis. Arrests are
recorded in a police blotter as they occur. In addition, details such as complete name, age, and
address of the suspect or person arrested, time and place of an incident, name of the officer
who responded to the incident, and name of the victim or complainant person should be also
included in a police blotter entry.

In Supreme Court's decision, People of the Philippines vs. Pedro Cabrera, Jr., et. al, G.R. No.
138226, dated April 30, 2003, entries in the police blotter about the suspects being
"unidentified" will not help the cause of the accused. It does not mean that the victim failed to
identify the accused when he or she reported to the police the incident. He or she must be
categorical in his or her testimony that he or she did identify the accused not by their names
but by their nicknames.

Therefore, it could be held, that the Complaint Desk Officer (CDO) simply did not consider the
nicknames a sufficient identification of the accused and so wrote "unidentified" in the police
blotter because the suspects, then were not identified by their proper names. Besides, even
granting in "arguendo" that the victim failed to identify the accused to the police when he or
she reported the incident, his or her failure to do so will not impair his or her credibility.
Finally, entry in the police blotter serve as a permanent record of incidents, events, problems,
and so forth, and so on.

CHAPTER REVIEW

IDENTIFICATION: Write the answer on the blank or space provided before each number.
Police blotter 1.It is a record of daily events occurring within the territories or of a given
police unit or command.

Misrepresentations 2. in the blotter or any attempt to suppress any information there in are
punishable criminally and administratively or both.
Corrections 3. is made by drawing a horizontal line over such word or phrase and the actual
entry initialed by the police officer or law enforcement supervisor making the correction.

Duty Complaint Desk Officer 4.In every shift, the (BLANK)under the supervision of the
DSCDS shall make the actual entries in the blotter and at the end of his tour of duty

Local newspapers 5. typically reviews these records, called blotters, and prints arrest or
notable activities

PNP Crime Incident Reporting System 6. With the new system, however, the reports would
still be logged manually but at the same time, they will be encoded in a computer linked to the
police's central reporting network called the(BLANK)

Quality Service Lane Program (QSLP)7.In line with the(BLANK) of the PNP, its leadership
has directed the formulation of SOP on police blotter to enhance the delivery of police
frontline services.

SOP in e-blotter and e-warrant 8.It helps the police officers catch wanted criminals, as in
just one click an arrest warrant may be printed out and serve on the suspect.

E-blotter 9.It is a digital record of crimes reported to the police authorities which can be
viewed by other police officers anywhere in the country.
Chronological listing of arrests 10.Accordingly, "police blotter" means a documented
contemporaneous with the incident.

ENUMERATION:

List the two (2) requirements to maintain the police blotter. of arrests, usually

11. Every police station or sub-station shall maintain a police blotter.

12. All PNP operating units or division in the Metropolitan Police District (MPD), in addition
to the station and sub-station, shall likewise maintain a separate blotter.

Give the three (3) guidelines in determining supply accountability of the police blotter.
13. General Headquarters, Philippine National Police (GHQ, PNP) shall supply police blotters
to each PNP command/unit who shall carry the same in their property books as an
accountability item.

14. The PNP unit commander shall be responsible for the proper maintenance, use, safekeeping
and accounting of the police blotter.

15. Pending procurement and issuance of the uniform police blotter by GHQ PNP, police
forces shall continue to use the present blotter, provided, the forms of entries and the rules for
the maintenance thereof, as stated above, shall be followed.

ESSAY:

16-20.Explain in brief the purpose of maintaining a police blotter.

ESSAY 1
-For police or other law enforcement activity to be effective, it is necessary to begin keeping
records of some kind. A police report can range from a brief notation on a blotter about a minor
incident to a lengthy, detailed investigation report concerning a crime, crime scene, or infraction.
For the purpose of evaluation, law enforcement officers' superiors compile detailed technical
reports. Thus, the duties and obligations of the law enforcement officer include not only carrying
out law enforcement activities within the bounds of the law, but also keeping a detailed record of
the events that transpired, so that others who were not present may learn from them. The phrase
"police blotter" is commonly used in law enforcement contexts. It's shorthand for the daily
logbook police use to keep track of incidents like arrests and other information. A police blotter
is a logbook where all arrests are documented as they happen. Further information that should be
included in a police blotter record includes the time and location of the event, the name of the
responding officer, the name of the victim or complaint, and the suspect's or arrested person's full
name, age, and residence. In People of the Philippines vs. Pedro Cabrera, Jr., et al., G.R. No.
138226, issued April 30, 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that "unidentified" entries in the police
blotter do not support the accused's case. This in no way suggests the victim was unable to
positively identify the offender during police interviews. A witness must testify unequivocally
that he or she did, in fact, use nicknames to identify the defendants.
It may be argued that the Complaint Desk Officer (CDO) recorded "unidentified" on the police
blotter since the suspects were not identified by their real names, even though the nicknames
provided were adequate to identify them. Furthermore, even allowing in "arguendo" that the
victim failed to identify the accused to the police when he or she reported the crime, the failure
to do so will not harm the victim's credibility. To wrap things up, entries in the police blotter
serve as a permanent record of incidents, events, difficulties, and the like.

ESSAY 2
- To do police or law enforcement work well, you have to start some kind of record. It could be
anything from a single line in a police log about a small incident to a long, detailed report about a
crime, crime scene, or offense. The supervisors of a law enforcement officer use written
technical reports to evaluate the officer's skills. So, a police officer's duties and responsibilities
include doing law enforcement work within the limits of the rule of law. They must also keep
accurate records of what happened so that people who weren't there can learn about the facts and
circumstances. The term "police blotter" is a slang word that is used in police work. It means a
book that a police station uses every day to keep track of arrests and other events. A police
blotter keeps track of arrests as they happen. A police blotter entry should also include the full
name, age, and address of the suspect or person who was arrested, as well as the time and place
of an incident, the name of the officer who responded to the incident, and the name of the victim
or person who filed a complaint. People of the Philippines vs. Pedro Cabrera, Jr., et al., G.R. No.
138226, dated April 30, 2003, says that entries in the police report that say the suspects are
"unidentified" will not help the accused's case. It doesn't mean that the victim didn't know who
was responsible when he or she told the police about the crime. In his or her testimony, he or she
must be clear that he or she knew the accused not by their real names but by their nicknames.
So, it could be said that the Complaint Desk Officer (CDO) didn't think the nicknames were
enough to identify the suspects, so he or she wrote "unidentified" in the police report because the
suspects couldn't be found by their real names. Also, even if it is "arguable" that the victim didn't
give the police enough information to identify the suspect when he or she reported the crime, that
won't hurt the victim's credibility. Lastly, the entries in the police blotter are a permanent record
of things that happened, problems that happened, and so on and so forth.