Managed report-writing. Conspiracy or not?

Regarding comments posted to the "Read the Pavlins' Complaint" article posted on July 23, one reader today posted this comment which read, in part: "I read through each of the reports written by the deputies and honestly, they don't seem concocted to me. FOIA any incident that generated a multiple unit response where more than one deputy did paper and you'll see the same types of consistency as in the Pavlin reports. Report writing is structured very specifically using the same key phrases and written with the same types of details for a reason...court. Not conspiracy."

Cops learn in Report Writing 101 to use certain phrases. That's true. Using those phrases leads to consistency and ease in understanding. It simplifies the officer's job, too, because many officers today are only high school graduates, and you know what kind of skills in English and English Composition so many high school graduates leave with.

Some initial observations about the reports obtained by the Northwest Herald and placed so quickly on its website:

Dep. Lambert's report fails to note that Mr. Pavlin was taken to the floor. From his report you would understand that Mr. Pavlin was handcuffed while standing on his feet. There is no explanation given for taking his to the hospital, instead of directly to jail. Let's see; maybe bloody wrists could have something to do with it?

Dep. Mandernack wrote "Upon making contact with the residence, I observed broken glass at the entrance of the door."

Yes, that could happen. If you made contact with a glass panel in a door and it broke, then you could observe broken glass... Remember what I said about writing skills? Say what you mean; mean what you say.

Further on Dep. Mandernack wrote, "I then brought Jerome to the floor, utilizing a arm bar take down, in better attempts to control him and to defeat his resistance. Dep. Vogel then assisted in handcuffing Jerome."

Now, keep in mind that Mr. Pavlin was 80 years old and weighed 130 pounds. Next time you are having a beer with your friendly deputy, ask him to tell you about an arm bar take down. Better yet, ask him to take you down. Better check your hospital insurance first.

Dep. Vogel wrote, "Dep. Mandernack then assisted Jerome to the ground, and I held Jerome's left arm..."

Assisted Jerome to the ground? Is "assist" a word from Report Writing 101 that is used in place of a word to describe using force to accomplish something?

Dep. Bruketta failed to explain in his report what he observed about the method that Dep. Mandernack used to place Jerome under arrest.

This is why departments separate officers and do not put them in the same room with a "conductor to lead the symphony."

Criminal Charges in Pavlin Incident?

Are criminal charges against one or more members of the Sheriff's Department on the way, as a result of the March 2008 incident at the home of Jerome and Carla Pavlin, in McHenry County near Crystal Lake?

Rumors are flying.

How is information legally released about Grand Jury investigations and indictments? Is anyone involved inside the Grand Jury room/proceedings allowed to give advance information about decisions by the Grand Jury?

How are decisions reached by the Grand Jury? And, when its decision is to indict a person who was investigated, what are the rules about releasing information about charges?

Is there a method by which information is released to the public? Is an employer of a person charged entitled to advance information, before the public gets it?

It is logical to assume from the details in a Federal civil lawsuit against the Sheriff's Department that the actions of the deputies involved in the Pavlin incident may come under the scrutiny of the Grand Jury.

Eight employees of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department are named in a Federal civil case filed on July 17; they are Sheriff Keith Nygren and Deputies David Shepherd, Greg Pyle, Jeremy Bruketta, Kyle Mandernack, Trevor Vogel, Christopher Jones and Ryan Lambert. Lambert has left the Sheriff's Department.

In criminal cases, the presumption is of innocence.