On June 24, a woman in Buffalo, New York told police that Sabres left winger Evander Kane had threatened her. Six months ago Kane was involved in a similar incident. Police decided there was no reason to arrest Kane either time.
The incident report for the June 24 encounter has been released:
On above D,T, L compl states that while inside Bottoms Up nite club, suspect threatened compl and made derogatory comments to her. While outside in the parking lot of bar suspect grabbed compl around the throat and tried pushing her into his car.
Brevity is one of the hallmarks of an effective police report – but I would call this one too brief. It’s possible, of course, that this is a condensed report meant for publication. Still, it’s an opportunity to review the kinds of information that need to be included in a police report. Suggestion: Reread the report, list what you think could have been included, and then check your list against mine.
Here’s the report again to get you started (“D,T,L” refers to date, time, and location):
On above D,T, L compl states that while inside Bottoms Up nite club, suspect threatened compl and made derogatory comments to her. While outside in the parking lot of bar suspect grabbed compl around the throat and tried pushing her into his car.
Here’s my list:
- Explain how the officer was dispatched to the night club. Did someone call police? Who?
- What exactly did the suspect say? What sounds like a threat or a derogatory comment to one person may sound harmless to another. If there’s a court hearing, the exact words could be an important factor.
- How does the officer know that the suspect grabbed and pushed the complainant?
- What did the suspect say?
- Were there any injuries? Did the officer photograph them?
- Did anyone else – the bartender, manager, other patrons, other employees – corroborate or challenge the complaint?
