Basic Mathematics and Record Keeping
What this domain tests
Basic Mathematics and Record Keeping checks that your summons, notes, and time calculations hold up when someone else reads them months later. The math is arithmetic - elapsed time, distances, money - but the accuracy standard is high.
Math you will actually do
- Elapsed time: convert to 24-hour time and subtract. From 09:40 to 13:05 is 3 hours 25 minutes.
- Meter and time-limit math: a 60-minute receipt printed at 09:20 expires at 10:20, so an observation at 10:35 is 15 minutes over.
- Distance: a typical curb space is about 20 feet; pacing a block gives a rough check on the 15- and 30-foot rules.
- Money: total penalties and check the sum twice ($65 + $115 + $115 = $295).
Record-keeping rules
Write in ink at the time of observation. Complete every field: date, time, location with cross street, plate and state, vehicle description, violation, and your name and shield. Correct errors with a single line, your initials, and the date - never erase or use correction fluid. Separate facts from conclusions, keep the original notes, and log any photographs taken.
Worked example
Your entry reads "10:40–10:45, gray Nissan Rogue, Pennsylvania plate, north curb of East 14th Street, 10 feet west of the hydrant." A reviewer can verify the 15-foot rule without you. Had the entry said only "parked too close to hydrant," the time, the side of the street, and the measured distance would all be lost.
Traps
Recording a time range without start and end times. Rounding a distance to fit the rule. Writing conclusions instead of measurements. Making a late "clean" copy and discarding the original notes.