REPORT WRITING & COURT PRESENTATION

In this module, we will be discussing how to preserve and present the gathered
evidence to the court after it was been analyze in a crime laboratory.

To Do List
Please do the following in sequential manner:

1. READ AND REVIEW the PDF notes on Report writing and court presentation;
2. ANSWER the given activity at the end of every module

Principle of report writing:

“If the LAW has made you a WITNESS, remain a man of SCIENCE. You have no
VICTIM to AVENGE, No GUILTY or INNOCENT person to RUIN or SAVE. You must
bear WITNESS, within the limits of SCIENCE.”

Introduction

Ballistics report writing is very significant to the success and failure of a case in court. The
objective of the report is to prosecute and precisely to convict the accused and to give
justice to the victim.

Remember
The result of the examination is critical, for it may or may not favor the prosecution.

What is Ballistics Report?

Ballistics Report is the result of the critical study of the specimens submitted, conducted
by the Firearm Examiner, usually with the use of Bullet Comparison Microscope.

Cardinal Principles in Report Writing:

1. Accuracy – Are the words used easily understood?
2. Brevity – Is the report concise/short but complete?
3. Fairness/Impartiality – Are the conclusions based on the findings?
4. Fore/Form and Style – Does the report follow the standard format?

Mechanics of Good Report Writing:

1. Reports are written record of the facts and events in chronological

order.
2. Reports should be typewritten or written in ink.
3. Reports should provide complete names such as First Name, Middle
Name and Family Name, addresses, aliases, brief bio-data including
age and sex of victims, suspects, witness and other informants.
4. Abbreviations should be avoided except when commonly used or
commonly known.
5. Reports should be brief.
6. Reports should be accurate and should state relevant facts.
7. Reports should answer the 5W’s and 1 H.

Purpose of Writing Ballistic Report

➢ Provide permanent record of information obtained in the course of the

examination of the case.
➢ Communicate the information obtained in an examination of the case especially
the result.
➢ Provide other investigators with the results and furnish evidence as basis for the
continuation of the investigation to gather additional physical evidences
➢ Give opportunity for the Chief in reviewing the case and work of the forensic
firearms examiner in determining whether the examination is properly developed. ➢
Provide the proper authorities with a record of facts of the crime, the name of
perpetrator, names and addresses of witness, the nature and location of physical
evidences and other matters pertaining to the crime.

Parts of Ballistics Report

1. Heading
2. Ballistics Report No. (FAID-100-12)
3. Case
4. Time and Date Received
5. Time and Date Completed
6. Requesting Party/ Unit
7. Specimens Submitted
 8. Purpose of Laboratory Examination
9. Findings
10. Conclusion

Take Note of the Following:

1. No request/transmittal letter, No Examination.
2. The Laboratory receives and examines the specimens.
3. ACE-V Method is applied.
4. Original coy of report shall be retained in the office that conducted the
examination.
5. At the Regional or Provincial CLO, the Senior Firearm Examiner shall review
the report and Chief shall approve the report.
6. At NHQ, CLO, ballistics report should be noted by the Chief of the Unit, and
Approved by the Director of NHQ, CLO.

PROCEDURE AT THE SCENE OF SHOOTING CASES

When an officer arrives upon the scene of a shooting case, he is usually confronted by a
condition of utter confusion. Neighbors and onlookers are crowded around the place;
relatives are weeping and hysterical. In his career as an officer he will meet with other
situations which require as much as much poises tact and common sense when he
appears upon the scene of homicide.

His first duty is to clear the premises of all persons so that an intelligent investigation is not
a matter of five or ten minutes, but it requires that a definite routine shall be followed, if
mistakes are to be avoided. Things should be done, which may appear wholly unnecessary
at the time, but only to become vitally important later. One can never forces the angels that
will develop and it is far better to do a hundred things unnecessarily than to miss doing one
that might mean the solution of the case. The victim is dead and will stay dead. The officer
may be important by reporters or other to do things which he is not yet ready to do – to give
statement to the press or to draw conclusion. In spite of all persuasions, he should bear in
mind that there is one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to carry out an intelligent
investigation.

Upon receiving a cell to the sense of a shooting case, the officer should always take along
with him a loose-leaf notebook and fountain pen to make notes at the time and on the place
and not trust to his memory to reconstruct the situation at his convenience.

When the officer is summoned on such an errand, his procedure should follow a logical
pattern. His observation should be put in writing at the time of his investigation to keep for
future references and to produce in court if necessary. These steps are as follows:

1. Note accurately in writing the time he received the call and by whom it was
sent.
Note accurately the time he arrive at the scene and the correct address.
These first two items seem to be trivial, but it is amazing how often in court they
become of vital importance. It is not uncommon that the officer is unable to fix the
time accurately within an hour to the satisfaction of a jury.

2. He should ascertain if the victim is dead, and if not non-medical aid or

remove the body to a hospital, otherwise the body should not be disturbed.
3. Immediately clear the premises of all bystanders and under no
circumstances allow anyone to touch or remove anything in the vicinity. 4.
Use every effort and means to identify the deceased.
5. Does the body lie where the shooting took place? Often, before the officer
arrives the body will be moved by a bystander. Frequently it will be picked up off the
floor and put a bed or taken from one room to another.
6. Take the names and addresses of all witnesses and take written notes on the
statement of as many persons as practicable.
7. Photograph the body from all angels to show its relationship to doors, windows,
furniture’s and other objects in the room.
8. Measure with a tape the exact distance of the body with relation to the
previously mentioned fixtures of the premises.
9. Note in writing the exact position where he found the body whether he found it
lying on the side, back or abdomen that objects if any, were in the hands; reports
what was the conditions of the clothing and the amount of bleeding.
10. Examine the ceiling, floor and furniture for bullet holes, blood stains, fired bullets,
fired shell or shotgun wadding.
11. If there is a firearm at the scene, he should mote in writing the following
observations:
✓ Exactly where found.
✓ Type of weapon – automatic pistol, revolvers, rifle, or shot gun, caliber or
gauge designation.
✓ Make and serial numbers and at that time he should mark his initials on the
butt or frame of the weapon for future identification.
✓ Other distinct features.
12. At the crime scene note down where the empty shells, bullets and/ or
firearms where found and make a diagram to illustrates the same, to show
their relatives distances from the body of the victims, Photograph if possible.
13. Be careful in handling a firearm found at the scene of the crime for they may
have latent fingerprint on the parts of the firearm. Note down the type, kind,
make caliber and serial number. If there are fingerprints, submit said firearm
to a fingerprint technician but be sure that the firearm should not be
disturbed.
14. Mark the empty cartridges cases inside or near the mouth by scratching the
initials to the investigation or the initials of the victims.
15. Mark the bullets at the ogive (or nose) by scratching the investigation’s
initials of the victim but definitely NOT at the rifling marks (landmarks and
groove marks).
16. Mark the empty shotgun shells with indelible ink at the body.
17. The barrel of the firearms must be marked too.
18. After marking the empty shells and bullets, wrap them separately and
individually with soft tissue paper and note down on the wrapper where each
was found the time and date. The purpose of wrapping them separately is to
avoid being scratched.
19. When a lead bullet is found at the scene of the crime the body of the victim,
the presumption is that a Revolver was used.
20. When a jacketed bullets is found at the scene of the crime or in the body of
the victim, it can be measured that a presumed that a Automatic Pistol or
Automatic Weapon was used.
21. When an empty shell is found at the scene of the crime, the presumption is
an Automatic Pistol or Weapon was used.
22. When one empty shell is found at the scene of the crime, the presumption is
a Revolver was used.
23. In the bore of a barrel, the depressed portions are the grooves, and the
raised are the lands.
24. On a fired bullet, it is the reverse. The landmarks are the depressed
portions, and the groove marks are the raised portions.
25. To determine the real direction of the rifling twist in a rifled barrel, peep thru
the barrel, place a land or groove in inclines to the right, then it has a right
twist and if it inclines to the left, then the rifling twist is left.
26. To determine the direction of the twist of a bullet, look on the bullets in an
elongated position. If the landmarks and groove marks incline to the right,
then it has a right twist and if it is inclines to the left, then the rifling twist is
right. If the inclination is left then it is a left twist.
27. A fired bullet will acquire the class characteristics of the bore of the barrel
from which it was fired. So therefore if a bore has class characteristics of .45
caliber, .6 lands, .6 grooves, right twist, groove wider than the land, each
characteristics will be marked on the bullet it fires.
28. It is the rifling of the bore that marked a fired bullet.
29. So if a fatal will have the same class characteristics as the bore of the
suspected gun, then it is possible that the bullets could have been fired from
the suspected gun.
30. To determine definitely if the bullet above was fired or not from a suspected
gun, then the case must be sent to a Forensic Ballistics Experts who will
conduct the proper examinations.
31. If two bullets do not have the same class characteristics, definitely and
conclusively they were NOT fired from the same barrels.
32. If a fatal bullets does not have the same class characteristics as the
suspected firearm (barrel), then conclusively the bullets was not fired from
said barrel. ➢ The following are suggestions for the investigator to
observe in testifying in courts of justice:
1. Be prepared.
2. Be calm and well poised.
3. Tell the truth, nothing but the truth.
4. Be courteous.
5. Be natural and sit straight forward.
6. Do not volunteer.
7. Keep your temper.
8. Listen to the question asked before giving your answer.
9. Speak loud enough to be heard.
10. Watch your personal appearance and conduct in the courtroom.
11. Answer only what you are asked, no more.