Report Writing
Report Writing
The Report Writing domain tests your ability to produce clear, factual, chronological, and objective police reports. Evaluators look for completeness, organization, correct grammar, and professional tone. A report should let a reader who was not present understand what happened and what you did.
Core rules
- Include who, what, when, where, why, and how: date, time, location, parties, witnesses, actions, evidence, and disposition.
- Write in chronological order and use time markers.
- Use objective language. Describe observable behavior rather than conclusions: “bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, unsteady gait” instead of “obviously drunk.”
- Use active voice when the actor is known; use past tense for completed events.
- Quote statements directly and label hearsay.
- Avoid slang, jargon, opinion, and editorializing; define abbreviations.
- Proofread names, numbers, plates, and addresses.
Worked example
Original: “The guy was obviously drunk and acting crazy.”
Revision: “I observed a male, later identified as John Doe (DOB 01/02/1990), with bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and an unsteady gait. He shouted profanities and swung his arms.”
Reasoning: the revision replaces labels with observable behaviors, identifies the subject, and preserves facts a reader can evaluate. “Obviously drunk” states a conclusion; the behaviors support an inference without asserting it as fact.
Traps that cost marks
Opinions and labels; passive voice that hides who acted; chronological jumps; omitted times or locations; inconsistent names or numbers; editorializing; and failing to distinguish what you saw from what someone told you.