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Re: Destruction of notes and data
Posted by:
firecop5002 (IP Logged)
Date: February 17, 2007 10:12PM
I think this discussion is a real good example of why not to destroy your notes. I think the idea of destroying field notes has been preached for so long the idea of not doing it has become scary for many folks. Much like 921 was this awful monster and the very existence of it would destroy our ability to do our job. It has in fact in many ways been quit the opposite. As I stated above many times I have had an attorney see those yellow pages in my file in deposition and say what are those. I say ah gee those are my field notes. They of course want a copy. I of course give them one. Not once has my field notes caused me even a single question in court. Not once. I firmly believe had I been asked where my notes were and I said why I pitched them it would have generated questions. If I tape an interview and don’t have it transcribed I download it to a disk and it also goes in my file. I do the same if I do have it transcribed. It is the original unaltered recording simply transferred from a recorder to a disc. No real problems there. I enjoy your post Jim but I really haven’t seen you REALLY give a good answer for destroying notes. I do not know whether this is your practice or not.
Dave