Administrative Procedures and Report Writing
This domain tests the written product and the administrative system around it: report standards, supervisory review, records disclosure under OPRA, and policy drafting.
What a defensible report contains
Who, what, when, where, how, and how you know. Separate observation from hearsay ("I observed" versus "the victim stated"). First person, chronological, active voice. Full identification with date of birth and the source of the identification. Every element of the offense addressed in facts, not labels - writing "assault" is not the same as describing the strike, the injury, and the complainant's pain.
The four review questions
Complete? Accurate on times, names, charges? Objective, with no editorializing? Consistent with CAD and with the other officers' reports? Return deficient reports with a written note and a checklist; a verbal "fix this" leaves no record and no learning.
Records and disclosure
OPRA, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., makes records presumptively public; criminal investigatory records are exempt under 47:1A-1.1 but are governed by the Attorney General's OPRA guidelines. Internal affairs and use-of-force records have their own disclosure rules, including public disclosure of major discipline. Body-worn camera activation, retention, and release follow the Attorney General's directive, not local preference.
Policy drafting
Include purpose, scope, definitions, procedure, and responsibility. Use "shall" where discretion is not intended; a policy full of "should" cannot support discipline.
Worked example
A use-of-force report reads: "Subject became combative, force was used, subject was uncooperative." No force type, no target area, no injuries, no witnesses, no BWC reference. The lieutenant returns it with a checklist and requires a supplement, and routes the gap to training - because that narrative will not survive a deposition.
Traps that cost marks
Editing the original instead of supplementing; boilerplate narratives; merging two incidents into one report; missing required notifications.