Michael Torres (He/Him) List and define the 5 Ws and the H of report writing found in Chapter 4 in the course textbook A Street Officer's Guide to Report Writing; refer to page 104 in the Think Journalism section. (By the way, these are also used by journalists when they write news stories.) The FIVE Ws are who, what, when, where, and why. The H is how. In the criminal justice field, the how of any crime is going to be closely examined. The other pressing question to most investigators might sometimes be who, if the suspect is unknown (or denies involvement). But ultimately, the how of the crime is of paramount importance. How doesn't just refer to the crime. It refers to how you performed your job. For example, how was it that you were inside the residence? Did you have permission? A search warrant? Were you in hot pursuit? How did you interview the victim? The suspect? How did you collect the evidence? For investigative and legal purposes, readers of a police report will focus on the issue of how. This is frequently where officers may unintentionally omit information that is important. Be complete as a whole In the criminal justice field, the how of any crime is going to be closely examined. The other pressing question to most investigators might sometimes be who, if the suspect is unknown (or denies involvement). But ultimately, the how of the crime is of paramount importance. How doesn't just refer to the crime. It refers to how you performed your job. For example, how wa