Report Writing and Documentation
Report Writing and Documentation
This domain tests whether your report can survive a records review, a prosecutor's charging decision, and cross-examination. Good reports are chronological, factual, complete, and clear about who did what, when, where, and how.
Core rules
- Write in the first person and active voice: "I observed," "I asked," "the suspect said."
- Separate observation from conclusion: "hands shook, speech slurred" supports "impaired."
- Include every element of the offense and the legal basis for the stop, arrest, search, or force.
- Quote exact words when they matter; attribute hearsay to its source.
- Document evidence, injuries, witnesses, Miranda, medical aid, and scene conditions.
- Correct errors with a dated supplement, not by rewriting history.
Worked example. In an assault report, the officer writes: "At 2140, I saw the victim holding a bloody towel to her lip. She said, 'He hit me with his fist.' I photographed the swelling and collected the towel." Reasoning: the report gives time, observable injury, the victim's exact statement, and evidence collection. It does not say "the victim was assaulted" without facts.
Traps
- Passive voice that hides the actor: "the subject was struck."
- Opinions without supporting observations.
- Unattributed hearsay.
- Gaps in time, sequence, or evidence transfers.
- Late entries without explanation.
- Copying another officer's narrative as your own observations.
Exam focus
Write facts a stranger can follow, state the elements, and make the legal decision transparent.