Writing Police Reports: Ten Questions and Answers
Writing an effective police report is a specialized skill. Whether you’re a new recruit or an experienced officer who wants to brush up on your skills, you’ll find useful tips and helpful information here.
1. If I’m a sworn police officer, why can’t I include my professional opinion in my reports?
Be assured that no one is questioning your judgment or training! The problem is that opinions can’t be verified in court. A statement that a victim was frightened, a suspect was belligerent, or a witness was uncooperative may not stand up in court. Descriptions (“Farrell’s hands were trembling,” “Patel balled his hands into fists and raised them to my face,” “Linton responded to my questions with silence and tightly closed lips”) are much more convincing than generalizations.
2. Why is brevity important in a police report?
Unnecessary repetition slows down the report-writing process. The problem appears again if you have to review your report for a court appearance later on.
For example, you don’t have to write, “I asked Mason if she knew the color of the car. She replied that the car was blue in color.” It’s more efficient to write simply, “Mason told me the car was blue.” Similarly “September” is more concise than “the month of September,” and you often don’t need words like respective, individual, and currently.
3. Should I avoid police jargon in my reports?
Yes, most of the time. It’s not wrong to write expressions like BOLO for “be on the lookout” and APB for “all points bulletin” if your supervisor okays your use of them. But problems can arise when outsiders (government officials, attorneys, media reporters, family members) read your reports and have trouble understanding the jargon. And time-worn police expressions can make you sound out-of-date and unprofessional. When is the last time you heard “I ascertained” in a normal conversation – and what does it really mean? “I heard” or “I saw” is easier to write and understand and sounds more professional. Similarly, “advise” does not mean tell: It means to give advice.
4. What does “clarity” mean in a police report?
Clarity means clearly stating what you saw, heard, smelled, or felt with your sense of touch. Specific details (“I saw his right hand slowly move towards his back pocket”) are much more likely to stand up in court than generalizations (“He was acting suspiciously, and I knew I was in danger”).
5. Do passive voice and third-person writing ensure that a report is objective?
No. And you can verify this yourself. Recall a time when someone you know (or perhaps you) told a lie. Now turn that lie into a passive-voice sentence, and use third person (“A piece of chocolate cake wasn’t eaten by this six-year-old boy”). Does the statement change from false to true? Of course not. Honesty and fairness are character traits that all of us have to develop through training and effort. Sentence gimmicks won’t transform a dishonest officer into a professional.
6. Do I have to study grammar?
No. Grammar (the terminology and structure of a language) is not the same as usage (the conventions of what most people consider good sentence structure and effective word choices). Labeling parts of speech and similar grammar-related tasks are not very helpful to working writers. A good way to improve your usage is to establish relationships with people who speak and write well. Ask them for feedback, suggestions, and corrections. If possible, have someone you respect read over everything you write before you submit it. You’ll learn a lot very quickly.
7. What are the most common mistakes officers make in their reports?
- describing an investigation (“I checked the front and back doors for signs of forced entry”) without stating what was found (“I found no scratches, splintered wood, or broken glass on the front or back doors”)
- ending sentences with commas instead of periods
- stating opinions, guesses, or hunches instead of sticking to observable facts
- writing long, tangled sentences instead of short, straightforward ones
- jumping back-and-forth between events and people instead of organizing relevant information carefully
- making spelling and word choice errors (such as writing there instead of they’re, your instead of you’re, alright instead of all right)
8. How can I make sure I’m writing effective and professional sentences?
Start every sentence with a person, place, or thing, and end it with a period. Straightforward sentences are the easiest to punctuate – a boon to busy officers. Remember that “it” is a thing and signifies a new sentence with a period and a capital letter: “I examined the baseball bat on the shelf in the hall closet. It was covered with dust.”
9. Should I use the actual names of witnesses, victims, and suspects in my reports?
Yes. Remember that gimmicks (“victim 1,” “aforementioned suspect”), don’t ensure honesty and accuracy. Using real names also helps avoid confusion so that later on, if you have to prepare for a court hearing, you’ll find it much easier to review the facts in the case.
10. How can I avoid spelling mistakes in my reports?
If you’re writing on a computer, always use the spellchecker before you submit your report, no matter how pressed for time you are. If you don’t have a spellchecker, keep a paperback dictionary handy. A good long-term project is to buy a pocket notebook, label a page for each letter in the alphabet, and record words that give you trouble. Study the notebook whenever you have a spare moment.
And there you have it. With practice and patience, any officer can learn to write accurate, efficient, and professional reports. The information in this article can help you identify areas you need to work on. Resolve to get started today!
