Report Writing, Documentation, and Evidence Handling
What this domain tests
Report writing, documentation, and evidence handling: the exam tests whether your report can survive cross-examination and whether physical or digital evidence stays admissible. Expect questions on objectivity, chronology, chain of custody, and the difference between observation and inference.
Core rules
- Write in first person, past tense, chronological order, 24-hour time, full names/IDs, exact locations, and objective behaviors. Record what you saw, heard, smelled, and did-not conclusions like “the subject was drunk.”
- Include the who, what, when, where, why, and how; actions taken; witnesses; injuries; evidence; notifications; and disposition.
- Correct errors with a single line-through, initials, date, and time; never obliterate or rewrite. Never backdate or alter after submission.
- Evidence: wear gloves, minimize handling, photograph before moving, package separately, label with date/time/location/collector, seal, and log every transfer. Use paper for biological or moisture-sensitive items; follow agency policy for sharps and electronics.
- Chain of custody must be unbroken from collection to final disposition; document who had it, when, and why.
Worked example
You find a folding knife near a broken window. Reasoning: photograph the knife in place with a scale, note the location, don gloves, open the blade safely or leave it closed per policy, place it in a cardboard knife box, label, seal, and log: “Found 14:32, north loading dock, by me; transferred to Sgt. Ruiz 14:50.” If you pick it up bare-handed, drop it in a plastic bag with a soda can, and hand it to a coworker without a log, you create contamination and chain gaps.
Traps
- Writing “suspicious” without describing the behavior.
- Mixing facts with opinions or hearsay as if firsthand.
- Gaps in time or unexplained evidence transfers.
- Packaging wet biological evidence in plastic.