Case and investigation documentation

You can document work on a case or investigation by using the summary feature and creating case or investigation documents. Documentation captures narratives and supporting details throughout a case or investigation lifecycle. While reports document the original incident, case and investigation documentation lets investigators record ongoing findings, analysis, and supplemental information.

Summary

The lead detective assigned to a case or investigation can use the summary feature to create and continuously update a narration throughout their investigation. The summary is often used to:

  • Communicate status to supervisors
  • Provide context for reviewers
  • Prepare information for prosecutors or other external parties the case or investigation is shared with

The summary can be reassigned to a user other than the lead detective and only appears to users with specific privileges.

Follow the steps below to create a summary:

  1. Open the case or investigation profile and select Create case summary or Create investigation summary.
    The screenshot shows a case profile. The top section includes details about the case, including date, time, officers, and disposition. Below, action buttons include Manage Existing Incident, Create Case Summary (highlighted in yellow), Create Report, and More Actions.
  2. Report Writer opens where you can enter your summary and upload files as needed. All content entered on this page is auto-saved.
    • Your organization may have configured a template you can import to quickly format your summary.
  3. Open the More actions [...] menu to:
  4. Select Reassign author in the footer to assign the summary to a user other than the lead detective.
  5. Select the X button in the top right corner of the screen to close the summary without finalizing it.
  6. Select Submit to finalize the summary. Users with specific privileges can revert the finalization as necessary.
    The image shows a case summary in the Report Writer interface. Several elements are highlighted, including the Reassign Author button, the Finalize button, and the menu options in the upper-right corner. The Summary section contains formatting tools, a dictation feature, and a Draft One option for generating a narrative draft.

Once a summary has been created, a new Case/Investigation Summary section appears at the top of the profile, and an entry for Case/Investigation Summary created is added to the activity log. Select See Entire Case/Investigation Summary to open the summary window. To edit the summary, select Update Case/Investigation Summary.
The screenshot shows a case profile. The top section includes details about the case, including date, time, officers, and disposition. Below, action buttons include Manage Existing Incident, Update Case Summary (highlighted in yellow), Create Report, and More Actions. Below the header, there are several tabs. The Summary tab is shown with a Case Summary section highlighted in yellow. An excerpt of the summary is shown with a button to See Entire Case Summary beneath it.

If your organization uses the workflow to assign multiple units to a case, a case summary can only be created and maintained by the lead detective of the primary unit. Lead detectives for additional units do NOT have case summaries. Instead, a case document can be configured to allow these additional units to manage documentation for their units’ investigation.

Case and investigation documents

Case and investigation documents let you record information not associated with a report or case task. All documents, including the summary, appear in the Case Documents or Investigation Documents section on the case or investigation's Summary tab. Only users with specific privileges can view this section. Select the blue Report ID to open and view any of these documents.
The image shows a case profile. The Summary tab is highlighted and the Case Documents section is also emphasized. A table lists documents related to the case, with a yellow highlight around specific report entries, including an interview document marked as Final and an application for statement of charges marked as In Progress.


To create a document:

  1. Open the profile and select Create report.
    The image shows a case profile with details such as the incident ID, related incidents, officers assigned, case status, and due date. The interface includes options for managing the incident, updating the case summary, and creating reports. A yellow highlight emphasizes the Create Report button in the lower section of the interface.
  2. In the Case/Investigation documents section, select a document type and add a custom name if desired.
  3. After naming the document, select Create report.
    • The documents listed in this window vary among organizations.
      The image shows a Create Report interface with options for selecting report types. A yellow highlight emphasizes the Case Documents section, where the Witness Interview Document option is selected, and a text box allows adding a custom name.
  4. Report Writer opens where you can work on the document. Select the sections on the left side of the screen to move through the document and the sidebar button to enter comments.
    • When adding people, organizations, vehicles, or property to a document, a list of suggestions appears if those items were previously added to the other reports, documents, or tasks associated with that case/investigation. Quickly add any of these items to the document by selecting it.
      The image shows the New Name interface for adding a name to a case. Users can choose from three options: Known Person, Unknown Person, or Organization. Below, a section allows importing names from the incident or case, listing people and organizations with details like victim, offender, date of birth, and aliases. Highlighted entries include names appearing in the incident report or case documentation.
      Note

      You can only add existing property items to case documents. To add a new piece of property to a document, first add it to the incident report to make it appear as an option in the document.

  5. Open the More actions [...] menu to:
  6. Once you have completed the document, select Finalize. (Unlike other reports, case and investigation documents do not move through a review and approval workflow.)
  7. If you close the document before finalizing it, you can find and continue working on it from your My Tasks inbox or by opening the case or investigation and scrolling down to the Case/investigation documents section.
    Shows how to re-open and continue eding a case document.

Custom names

You can give custom names to the following report and documentation types to help you better organize and find items:

  • Reports, including:
    • Supplements
    • Standalone reports
  • Case and investigation documentation
    • Cases
    • Summaries
    • Documents
    • Tasks

Custom names appear on incident, event, case, and investigation profiles, as well as shared documents, and printouts.

Custom report, document, and summary names

Custom names can be added to reports and case/investigation documents from the Create report window.
The image displays the Create Report window, offering options for creating different report types. The Field Interview option is selected, with an additional field to add a custom name, which is optional. An example below the field explains how adding a custom name modifies the report's title. At the bottom, there is an Incident ID dropdown for associating the report with a specific incident, which is optional. The interface includes a Create Report button to finalize the action.

Custom names for supplements and case/investigation summaries can be added after the document has been created. When the document is open in Report Writer, select More actions [...] > Edit custom name. An Edit custom name window opens where you can enter a new name and select Save.
The image displays a field interview. The left navigation menu includes various report sections. The three-dot More Actions menu in the top header is open, with the Edit Custom Name option highlighted. The Edit Custom Name dialog window is open, allowing users to enter a name in the New Custom Name field. Cancel and Save buttons appear at the bottom.

Once a custom name has been added to a report or document, it can be updated at any time from this window. To remove a custom name, delete all text in the New custom name field, and select Save.

 

Report and document custom names are formatted as: Custom Name Report ID (Report Type). For example: 12/12 John Doe Interview 2024-FI-00000044 (Field Interview).
The image shows a My Tasks inbox. A table lists tasks with various columns. One task is highlighted in yellow, showing its title, ID, and type in parentheses.

Custom task names

To add a custom name to a task, open the task and select the pencil icon beside the task type at the top of the screen. An Edit custom name window opens where you can enter a new name and select Save.
The image shows a window titled Update Case Task with fields and details for editing a task. At the top, the task name is highlighted with a yellow callout box, and a pencil icon indicates it can be edited. A dialog box titled Edit Custom Name appears to the right, allowing entry of a new name.

Once a custom name has been added to a task, it can be updated at any time from this window. To remove a custom name, delete all text in the New custom name field, and select Save.

When displayed in a list (e.g., on the Tasks tab or in printouts), custom names for tasks are formatted as: Custom Name (Task Type). For example: 12/13 Interview (Suspect Interview).
The image shows a Case Tasks tab with a list of tasks displayed in a table format. The task labeled 12/13 Interview (Interview Suspect) is highlighted in yellow.

When displayed in the task window, the task type appears below the custom name.
The image shows a window titled Update Case Task with fields and details for editing a task. At the top, the task name is highlighted with a yellow callout box, and a pencil icon indicates it can be edited. Below are fields showing the status, case task type, and assignee details. Save and Submit buttons are at the bottom right.

Custom case names

You can add a custom name to a case from various locations:

  • Pencil icon on the case profile heading
  • More actions > Edit case name on the case profile
  • More actions [...] > Edit case name beside the case name in an inbox list

The image shows two screenshots. The top screenshot displays a case profile with the case name highlighted in yellow and accompanied by a pencil icon for editing. Below it are fields with case details. A menu labeled More Actions is expanded, and the Edit Case Name option is highlighted in yellow. The bottom screenshot shows a case inbox with a list of cases. One case is highlighted with a yellow callout around the case name, and the Edit Case Name option is displayed in a More Actions menu.

Once a custom name has been added to a case, it can be updated at any time from the Edit custom name window. When a case is given a friendly name, users can search for that name in Reports search, and the custom name will appear in search results.

When displayed in a list (e.g., in inboxes), custom names for cases are formatted as: Case ID: Custom Name. For example: 20240701: 12th Ave Burglary.
The image shows a case inbox with one case listed. The case name is highlighted in yellow, displaying 20240701: 12th Ave Burglary.

When displayed on a case profile, the offense section and description appear below the custom name. To remove a custom name and return to the default name (offense), select the case name to open the Edit case name window. Remove all text in the Case Name field and select Remove custom name.
The image shows a case profile displaying details of a specific case. The case name is highlighted in yellow and includes a description and classification code beneath it.