Enforcement Report Revision: Prohibited Plant Material Seizure
You are completing a report on a seizure of prohibited plant material at an airport. The facts: At 10:12 a.m., a traveler presented a declaration form marked 'no food.' During baggage inspection at 10:20, an officer found 2.3 kg of fresh leaves in vacuum-sealed bags inside a checked suitcase. The traveler said the leaves were medicinal and produced a printed label in another language. The officer detained the material at 10:35 and issued a receipt. The traveler became upset but was cooperative. A draft narrative reads: 'At approximately 10:12, subject arrived. He lied on the form. We found a bunch of leaves in his bag. He claimed it was medicine. The stuff was seized. He got a receipt and left.' You must revise for supervisory review.
1. Identify the three most serious weaknesses in the draft and explain why each matters in an enforcement report.
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Conclusory intent language ('He lied'). The report should state what the traveler declared and what was found. 'Lied' asserts intent that the officer may believe but has not established; it invites challenge and can make the report look argumentative. The factual version is stronger: the form was marked 'no food,' and fresh leaves were later found.
Missing material facts and quantities. 'A bunch of leaves' does not establish weight, packaging, or condition. The report omits 2.3 kg, vacuum-sealed bags, the label in another language, the detention time, and the receipt number or issuance. These details support chain of custody and later proceedings.
Vague, unprofessional diction and incomplete disposition. 'Stuff' is ambiguous, and 'got a receipt and left' does not document that the material was detained, what was returned, or that the traveler was cooperative. A supervisor cannot tell from the draft whether evidence handling was proper.
2. Rewrite the draft as a factual narrative of no more than 90 words, preserving all material facts.
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At 10:12 a.m., a traveler presented a declaration form indicating no food. During a baggage inspection at 10:20 a.m., an officer found 2.3 kg of fresh leaves in vacuum-sealed bags in the traveler's checked suitcase. The traveler stated the leaves were medicinal and produced a printed label in a foreign language. At 10:35 a.m., the officer detained the material and issued a receipt. The traveler was upset but cooperative.
3. Explain why the phrase 'the subject lied' should be replaced even if the officer believes it is accurate.
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A report is a record of observations and statements, not a legal finding. 'Lied' combines two things the officer usually cannot prove from the encounter alone: that the declaration was false in a material way and that the traveler knew it. The traveler may have misunderstood the question, relied on another person to complete the form, or believed the leaves were not food.
Writing 'the form was marked no food, and fresh leaves were later found' gives the supervisor and any reviewing authority the facts needed to draw the inference. It also protects the officer if the traveler later claims the report was biased. If intent becomes relevant, the report can record the exact question asked, the traveler's answer, and any admission. The officer should let facts carry the conclusion rather than inserting it.