Records are used in operational police work as a basis for tactical decisions, they are also as important and high quality information sources. A trend in the area of crisis management is common operational picture (COP). COP aims to provide actors in a crisis with an accurate overview of the proceedings. Yet there is limited knowledge about how evidential records are used in creating a COP. This paper focuses on what role records play in the creation of a COP during operational police work. It is based upon a case study of the police operation in Åre during the informal meeting of the EU energy and environment ministers held in Åre on 23-25 July 2009. This paper argues that records play an important role in creating the common operational picture when the situation is calm. When a calm situation transforms to a more chaotic situation, the records play a less important role in creating a COP. The COP is then created by the actors involved, and is best understood by them. During these more chaotic situations the information is rich, but the reach of the information is low, which minimizes the reach of the COP.