Do you think notes should be retained or destroyed after a report is written?

Answer 1

It depends on the purpose. I retain notes for a period of time before destroying them. I retain my notes for information I might need for work and not for court. If I have dealt with a subject and written a report I may want to keep some information for future references. My past experiences have shown me that often you have to deal with the same subjects over time. The complainant may even commit an offense with in the next couple of months and I have information to locate the subject, address phone number, a relatives phone number, name and date of birth etc.
However if you are not going to protect peoples personal information, you need to destroy the notes.

Answer 2

Notes are required to be kept... You cannot destroy them... When the defense attorney requests "Discovery", ALL NOTES must be provided to them, including video, audio, written, verbal statements and any other form of information to be used against his/her client. In addition to the "memory jogger" aspect of the above answers, notes are beneficial to the police as well. Sometimes a case may go for several months before trial. How could you possibly remember a small detail? The attorney will ask you though... ALWAYS KEEP YOUR NOTES...

Answer 3

I was in law enforcement for twenty-two years, most of that as a Deputy Sheriff in Texas. Early in my LE career, when I was in the Air Force, I worked as Desk Sergeant. At that time, the Desk Sergeant was required to maintain a "blotter" or record of all events that occured during the shift. The blotter is a chronological record of all phone calls, radio calls, citizen walk-in reports, etc., and contains a small, concise summary to the incident being reported.
In addition to maintaining the blotter, I was responsible for typing (on a typewriter, not a computer or word processer) all reports generated by the officers on patrol. Their reports were hand-written and given to me to reduce to a type-written report. As such, in 22 years in Law Enforcement, I have written or re-written for other officers probably thousands of reports.
I was often berated by my superiors, both in the Air Force and as a Deputy Sheriff, because my reports were usually lengthy and quite detailed. It was always my belief that ALL facts and circumstances should be written into the actual report to be turned in. It would be my sole "memory jogger" in perhaps two to five years when the case actually went to court, and I wanted all of the details in my report. I had another reason for the lengthy reports as well, but will discuss that later.
In most cases, I took very few written notes while conducting my investigations. That is not to say that I didn't take notes, but I was blessed with a very good memory and could remember details very easily. That doesn't hold true for everyone, I know, and I've known many, many officers that needed to write every detail in their notes or it would be lost forever.
Because I was adamant about including EVERY detail in my reports and because I took very few notes, I saw no need to retain my notes and always destroyed them. I didn't destroy them so a defense attorney couldn't ask for them, which I'm sure is the reason for your question anyway, I just destroyed them because everything contained in them and more was in all my reports. There was no reason to keep them. I didn't need them to remind me of something that I might have not put in the report, because that was never the case. It was always there, every time!!
I said that I would address the other reason I wrote lengthy reports: I have always felt that a police report is a story of what happened and should include all elements of the incident being reported. That said, police reports need to contain the 5 W's (but I always like to use 6), those being WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW. If all of those are in the report, and it is written in a manner that makes sense, ie., chronologically, then the report can be read by anyone and when finished, they will know exactly who was involved (everyone, not just who the victim or actor-the bad guy was, but every victim, every actor, every witness, etc.), what happened and who did what, when it happened, and who did what when, where it happened... You get the picture.
Anyway, my lengthy and detailed reports kept me out of court. In 22 years of Law Enforcement service, I attended and testified in three (3) cases. All the rest were plead out by the defendants based on their attorney's recommendations. I firmly believe that my reports had a great deal to do with having a record that strong. If the investigation is properly conducted and the answer to all the above questions are gathered and then concisely written into a report that contains all the details of the incident where anyone that picks it up and reads it will have no question as to what happened and who was involved, there is no reason to keep the notes.
As far as being required to produce your notes in court, you are not required to maintain your notes and cannot be required to produce them if they have been destroyed. However, if you have not destroyed them, you may be required to produce them. As someone else said, you should make it a habit to either keep all notes or destroy all notes--don't keep notes on some cases and destroy notes on others, that certainly looks suspecious and may be just the "hint of doubt" a defense attorney needs to get his guilty client off.
If you do intend to keep your notes, remember when taking notes, include only information about the case you are working. DON'T PUT ANYTHING ELSE IN THE NOTES. No phone numbers not related to the report. No notes about meetings not related to the case, etc. If your wife calls while you're working, don't scribble the shopping list on the same notes as the case you're working. ONLY NOTES ABOUT THE CASE!!!
Sorry this was so long, but like I said, I'm not a shorthand writer.

Answer 4

Retained. Small details not included in the report due to the summative format requirement will be relevant for further pursuit and investigation at an opportune time.

Answer 5

Destroyed. Notes sometimes include more personal notes that should not be part of the written report. Plus if the notes are destroyed then they can't be requested at trial. Of course if you decide to destroy notes then you must do it everytime, not pick and choose which to destroy, or that could be held againist you.

Answer 6

Retained absolutely. Lawyers will ask for the notes that you took on that day, while you were present. The want to see the way that you wrote them, when you wrote them, order of events, wording etc.

Answer 7

Retained to use in a court of law

Answer 8

Notes need to be retained. If you have to testify, sometimes the attorneys would ask for those notes to place them into evidence.
Also, it is always good to have them for further references or to backtrack your case.

Answer 9

I would keep them. Your memory changes after time on any subject and the notes are your thought at the time.

Answer 10

unless they are personal and not part of the report, they should certainly be retained in case you need them for future reference