Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

Mid La Union Campus

City of San Fernando, La Union
Institute of Criminal Justice Education
Criminology Department

COMPLETED STAFF WORK

(TECHNICAL POLICE WRITING REPORT)

SUBMITTED BY: RAY NEIL B. MARZAN

SUBMITTED TO: INS. GERALD O. DUMO
XIV. COMPLETED STAFF WORK

INTRODUCTION

A complete staff work is a formal communication which contains a brief and

exact analysis of a situation resulting from a thorough research made by its author
because there is a specific problem or a specific problem area. This study provides the
chief an official report of such analysis which help him in making a decision on complex
or controversial questions.
However, that report does not only analyze a situation through presentation of
facts, local discussion of the subject matter and the corresponding conclusions thereon. It
also recommends to the head of an office or agency what cause of action he should take.
A fixed format is prepared, with the following tittle; Problem, Assumption, Facts
Bearing the Problem, Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations.
Aside from these, a complete staff work bears the concurrence of staff officer
concerned by means of affixing his initial, followed by his/her name, title and position on
the space provided.
Completed staff work is a principle of management which states that subordinates
are responsible for submitting written recommendations to superiors in such a manner
that the superior need do nothing further in the process than review the submitted
document and indicate approval or disapproval.
In Completed Staff Work, the subordinate is responsible for identifying the
problem or issue requiring decision by some higher authority. In written form such as a
memorandum, the subordinate documents the research done, the facts gathered, and
analysis made of alternative courses of action. The memo concludes with a specific
recommendation for action by the superior.
.HOW TO WRITE COMPLETED STAFF WORK

Basic Principles in Writing Staff Papers. Officers can express themselves clearly by
following this basic principles in writing their staff papers:

a. Unity-adhere to a single main idea.

b. Accuracy - check facts; eliminate mechanical errors.
C. Clarity - write simply and clearly.
d. Brevity-use simple words and short sentences: eliminate superfluous words and
subject matter.
e. Coherence - develop and arrange subject matter logically.
f. Objectivity - keep an impersonal and unprejudiced viewpoint.
g. Completeness - finish the job; turn in a paper that needs only the
head'/chief's of office/unit approval and signature to make it a completed action.

.PARTS
STAFF PROCEDURE AND TOOLS
1. Staff Coordination
Coordination within a staff is essential for two reasons, to ensure harmonious staff
action in carrying out the head's/chiefs of office/unit plans and to avoid conflicts and
duplications by making necessary adjustments in plans and policies before its
implementation.
Most staff actions require coordination. The action officer and all other interested
staff officers examine and correlate all sub-actions and resolve any conflicts. Each staff
officer examines the action from the head's/chiefs of office/unit point of view and
determines the proper action within his area of interest.
 The Chief of Staff establishes procedures to coordinate staff operations. In
specific staff actions, the action officer assigned with the particular task is responsible for
staff coordination.
Staff officers must be familiar with the responsibilities of all staff sections of the
office unit Staff officers must also know the kinds of information that each section needs
and what each section can provide knowing these facts, staff officers can determine when
necessary and what features of the problem need to be discussed.
Specific coordination procedures include:
a. Informal and formal conferences of various staff members;
b. Briefings;
C. Prompt distribution of essential information, decisions, and orders within and among
office/unit staff sections;
d. Properly functioning staff message control
e. Formal routing of staff papers to appropriate sections for comment and concurrence
and
f. Close contact and exchange of information by each staff section with the corresponding
staff section at higher, lower adjacent, and supporting office/unit.
Staff coordination is time consuming. Getting complete coordination when quick
action is essential, or getting all interested parties to concur, is not always possible. In
such cases, the action officer presents the plan or the recommendation to the proper
authority, explaining that immediate action is required and what differences must be
reconciled. The referral authority may call all interested parties together to get complete
concurrence, or he may approve the recommendation without it. When complete
coordination is not possible before taking a priority action, interested staff elements are
informed of the action taken.

2. Staff Supervision
The staff officer must constantly supervise the execution of plans and orders so
that it will be carried out as the head/chief of office/unit intends. Staff officers must be
thoroughly familiar with the head's/chiefs of office/unit plan and how he wants it carried
out. Further, they must be informed on developments that affect the plan and must
recommend necessary changes. Supervision, through analysis of reports, staff visits, and
inspections, is the procedure the staff uses to carry out this responsibility.
a. Analysis of Reports. Properly analyzed and evaluated reports and summaries help staff
officers determine the progress of the office's/unit's operations. Reports offer a quicker
way than staff visits to collect current information on the many different areas of interest.
However, reports often do not cover all the circumstances affecting these areas - a fact
evaluators must keep in mind.
b. Visits
Staff officers visit subordinate offices/units to get information about the situation
for the heads/chiefs of office/unit on their respective areas of responsibility. Duly
designated representatives make these visits in the head's/chief's of office/unit name.
When a staff officer makes a visit, he should conduct himself to promote cordial relations
and cooperation between the staff and the office/unit. The staff officer calls on the
head/chief of the subordinate office/unit to explain the purpose of his visit and to request
appropriate assistance. Before leaving, he reports his findings to the head/chief of the
subordinate office/unit. The staff officer carefully avoids criticizing the office/unit or
interfering with the responsibilities of the head/chief of office/unit. If the orders of the
higher head/chief of office/unit seem to have been misunderstood, the
staff officer gives the head/chief of the subordinate office/unit, or his staff, additional
information and guidance. When the staff officer returns to his office/unit, he makes a
brief oral or written report of his observations. This report is referred to the staff sections
concerned and gives the appropriate staff officers information on which they can act
c. Inspections. Staff inspections are made by individual officers or teams as directed by
the head/chief of office/unit. Before the inspection, the head/chief of office/unit is
informed of the nature and the purpose of the inspection. He receives an informal report
of the results of the inspection before the inspecting officer or the team leaves his
office/unit. Formal and informal inspection reports must be factual, clear, and concise.
3. Communications.
Staff officers use various means of communications in fulfilling their
responsibilities. These include personal contact between individuals, the police
communications system, written communications, and liaison. a. Personal Contact. Staff
officers use personal contact when they make staff visits and inspections, hand-carry
actions to obtain, concurrences, and exchange information and comments informally.

a. Personal contact
Staff officers use personal contact when they make staff visits and inspection,
hand-carry option to obtain, concurrences, and exchange information and comments
informally.
b. Police Communication System. Because staff officers use all the different means of
communications in the police communications system, they must know how to use them
properly. Staff officers should be familiar with radio and phone procedure, message
preparation, classification, and assignment of message precedence. All communication
users must be familiar with the required security safeguards, especially those pertaining
to use of phone and voice radio.
c. Written communications. Written communications that staff officers use frequently are
memoranda, letters, endorsements, and messages.
d. Liaison. Liaison is the contact maintained between elements of police forces to ensure
mutual understanding and unity of purpose and action. The exchange of personnel, whose
duties are to maintain continuity in the exchange of information and to promote
cooperation and coordination of effort by personal contact, aids liaison. However, liaison
duties are not restricted to liaison officers especially designated as such. Any staff officer
may perform these duties. Liaison between comparable staff elements or higher, lower,
and adjacent offices/units is a normal procedure.
4. Analyses. Staff officers analyze each item of information to determine its importance
to the group mission and to their staff areas of interest. Information that is determined to
be significant through preliminary analysis is analyzed in detail to determine what action,
if any, is necessary. An analysis of possible courses of action is an integral part of staff
officer's estimates of the situation and staff studies. Staff officers prepare information
analyses of selected subjects in their areas of interest. They may do this routinely, in
connection with a particular time or event, or on request. These analysis may be oral or
written.
5. Briefings. Frequent briefings provide an excellent means of keeping the head/chief of
office/unit and staff informed of the current situation and problems facing the office/unit.
6. Reports and Summaries. Reports and summaries are used extensively to
distribute information to higher, lower, and adjacent office/unit. Nearly every staff
section prepares and distributes some kind of report or summary, and many sections
prepare both. The format and time of distribution are usually standardized within the
organization, but they vary with the office/unit and the situation. Only the minimum
number of reports and summaries consistent with the head's/chiefs of office/unit need for
information are required of subordinate office/unit. Submission of reports and summaries
is either on a recurring or a one-time basis. Continuing review of recurring reports and
summaries eliminates unnecessary items or duplications in separate reports.

EXAMPLE OF COMPLETED STAFF WORK