Housing & Residence Life
Incident Report Writing
Presented By:
Office of Community Standards
RicEsha Clark, Student Conduct Specialist: Case Manager
Objectives:
Understand the purpose of writing accurate,
unbiased incident reports
The formatting and mechanics of incident reports
Hear about some common mistakes
See sample incident reports and practice
Purpose and Importance of Incident Reporting:
Purpose:
• To provide an unbiased account of events to professional staff
members who may not have been on scene during the incident.
Importance:
• The incident report serves as an official report of the incident and
will be discussed or investigated at a later date.
• This official report will allow professional staff such as our Dean of
Students, Office of Community Standards staff, Counselors, Title IX
Coordinator, UPD, and/or others, an opportunity to follow up with
the students involved.
• By documenting these incidents, UWG is able to see and analyze
different trends in the behaviors of our students.
How to write an incident report…
Step One:
Know the facts and individuals involved!
Use your senses and make notes on what you see, smell, and hear.
Be sure to record the names and titles of all involved parties (i.e. Resident
Julie Jones, Resident Assistant Rick Ryan, UPD Officer Dan Daniels).
In addition to titles, record student ID numbers, building and room
number, and note the type of incident/violation(s).
Include important quotes and inappropriate language, even if it is hurtful.
If appropriate take pictures of the violation.
How to write an incident report…
S t e p Two :
Write in third person!
Assume that the reader does not know you and they do not know any of the involved
parties. Writing in third person will provide clarity for the reader.
The first time you refer to a staff member, whether it is yourself or anyone else, use the
person’s entire job title, ex: Desk Attendant (DA) Beth Brown, Resident Assistant (RA)
Casey Clay, or Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) Jon Jordan.
The first time you reference a resident put their entire name, ex: Resident Michael Mills,
Resident Carl Cook. After the first time you reference a resident put Resident (with
capital “R”) and last name, ex: Resident Mills, Resident Cook.
Do not use pronouns for people (she, he, them, ect.), it can make the report very
confusing, use the actual name, even if it seems repetitive.
When referring to parents please put “Resident Carl Cook’s mother, Mrs. Cook” some
parents and residents have different last names. After the first time it is okay to just put
"Mrs. Cook.“
It is ok to lump residents together with one “Residents” ex: instead of “Resident Mills,
Resident Smith, and Resident Cook were in the hallway” you can say “Residents Mills,
Smith, and Cook were in the hallway”.
How to write an incident report…
Step Three:
Be detailed and objective!
Your narrative should also reflect statements made by the involved
parties.
It may feel counterintuitive, but it is a good practice to start most
sentences with the person’s title and name, followed by an action such as
said, stated, or explained.
You should also focus on providing the who, what, when, where, why, and
how without interjecting your personal feelings about the incident.
How to write an incident report…
Step Four:
Write immediately and chronologically!
Write the incident report promptly. Try to submit it within an hour of the
incident!
Create a detailed timeline of events to help provide more logical and easy-
to-understand narrative of the events.
How to write an incident report…
Step Five:
Proofread before you submit!
Make sure the report is written professionally with accurate spelling and
grammar. If it helps, write it in a Word document first, then copy and paste
into the IR.
Complete every section of the incident report form.
Include time, date, location, individuals involved, and reason for you being
there in the body of text, not just in the required fields.
Common Mistakes
Involved Parties Section
Do not included yourself in the involve parties section
Role of the Parties:
• Alleged – student who may be charged with a violation
of the student code of conduct
• Victim – the person affected by the alleged misconduct
• Witness – individual who saw, overheard, or has
additional information regarding the incident
• Student Concern – student who may have taken an
action that gives cause for concern, but may or may not
have violated the student code of conduct
Not giving accurate information or omitting information
Uploading a picture that doesn’t match the narrative
Including personal opinions as facts
A Good Incident Report…
Includes chronological dates, times, and locations for when/where the incident occurred
Is written in the third person
Identifies those involved, including witnesses, and additional staff
Names and ID numbers should be taken from their ID
Use first and last name initially, and then their last name
If two people have the same last name then include initials from their first name
Use appropriate titles and subsequent abbreviations (ex. Resident Assistant, RA)
Is clear, concise, grammatically error free, and is professionally written
Includes strictly objective facts, not opinions, guesses, or assumptions
You should include whether those involved were cooperative or not, but be sure to back up this opinion with
facts that show they were/weren't
Provides all requested and required information
Quote word for word what people say that is relevant to the incident
NOW…… Time to practice!
Sample Bad Incident Report
I was chilling in Gunn and heard something. I knocked on the
door and John answered. I told him he couldn't drink in his room
because aint 21. John shoulda known that, cuz he'd been to my
floor meeting. I told John and the other guy in the room to dump
out the beer. They're both cool dudes and shouldn't be punished
for having beer on the floor. I mean, it was the end of the
semester and just a few beers and he dumped it out. Oh, I told
em to have a great night when they closed the door.
**Rewrite this report**
Sample Good Incident Report
At approximately 12:35am on Thursday, December 16, 2020 Resident
Assistant (RA) Peter Parker was doing rounds on second floor of Gunn Hall
when he heard loud music and yelling coming from room 231. As RA Parker
approached room 231, he also heard the sound of cans being opened and
chants of "chug, chug, chug." When RA Parker arrived at the door to room
231, a male voice from inside the room said "I'm so glad that the semester is
over. I'm going to party all night." RA Parker knocked on the door and
announced himself as the RA on duty. Immediately after RA Parker knocked
on the door, RA Parker heard the loud music being turned down and rustling
of cans inside the room. As RA Parker was getting ready to knock again,
Resident John James opened the door. RA Parker greeted Resident James and
explained that he had heard loud music and conversations about drinking
coming from inside the room. RA Parker asked Resident James if there was
any alcohol in the room. Resident James explained that he and his roommate,
Resident Sam Smith, had a few beers because they were celebrating being
done with finals. RA Parker asked to see Residents James and Smith’s id. While
writing down their information RA Parker asked if the residents of the room
were 21 or over, and both Residents James and Smith indicated that they were
not.
Sample Good Incident Report (Cont’d)
RA Parker reminded Residents James and Smith of the university's
alcohol policy, and stated that he needed the residents to collect all
the alcohol that was in the room to be disposed of in the bathroom.
RA Parker watched as Resident Smith opened the refrigerator and
produced eight cans of Bud Light (two cans were open and partially
consumed and six were unopened), along with a half-full bottle of
Captain Morgan rum. RA Parker did a visual scan of the room and saw
no indication of additional alcohol or any other policy violations. RA
Parker then escorted Residents James and Smith to the bathroom and
asked them to pour out the remaining alcohol in the sink and recycle
the cans and bottle. Residents James and Smith complied and asked RA
Parker what would happen now. RA Parker explained that he would be
documenting the situation and that the office of community standards
will review the report and contact you. Both Residents James and
Smith were compliant throughout the entire incident.
