Patrol, Observation, and Report Writing
Domain 3 tests patrol discipline and the quality of your documentation. The exam looks for factual, chronological reports that another officer or manager could use without guessing.
Core rules
- Patrol with purpose: vary routes and times, check doors, locks, lighting, alarms, and access points, and watch for changes from the normal baseline.
- Observe before acting. Record time, location, people, vehicles, direction of travel, and exact words. Do not fill gaps with assumptions.
- Report writing follows who, what, when, where, why, and how. Use first person, past tense, plain language, and chronological order. Label hearsay as hearsay and distinguish what you saw from what you were told.
- Preserve notes and evidence. Correct errors with a single line, initials, and date; do not erase or rewrite after submission.
Worked example
At 02:14 a guard finds a rear door ajar. Reasoning: do not enter alone if an intruder may be inside. Note the time, door position, damage, and camera coverage; secure the perimeter; call police; notify the supervisor. The report states observations and actions, not that the building was burglarized unless the elements are known.
Traps
Opinions such as suspicious or hostile without facts, late reports, missing times, destroyed field notes, and conclusions about guilt. A report should let the reader reach the same conclusion from stated facts.