POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Written Communication and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the following sentence and choose the option that correctly completes it: "The team of officers, along with their sergeant, __________ responsible for securing the perimeter."
- are
- is (Correct answer)
- were
- have been
Correct answer: is
The subject of the sentence is 'team,' which is a singular collective noun. The phrase 'along with their sergeant' is a prepositional phrase that does not change the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required to agree with the singular subject 'team'.
Question 2: An officer is writing a report about an arrest. Which of the following sentences is written in the active voice, which is the preferred style for clear and direct incident reports?
- The suspect was placed in handcuffs by Officer Jones.
- The Miranda rights were read to the suspect at the scene.
- The vehicle was searched after consent was given.
- I advised the suspect of his Miranda rights before questioning. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: I advised the suspect of his Miranda rights before questioning.
The active voice clearly identifies who performed the action (Subject-Verb-Object). In the correct option, 'I' (the officer) is the subject who performed the action 'advised'. The other options are in the passive voice, where the subject is being acted upon, which can be less clear and direct for report writing.
Question 3: Which of the following sentences from an incident report contains a comma splice, which is a common grammatical error?
- I arrived on scene and made contact with the victim.
- The suspect was uncooperative, he refused to provide his name. (Correct answer)
- After searching the area, I located the missing evidence.
- The witness stated that the vehicle was a blue sedan.
Correct answer: The suspect was uncooperative, he refused to provide his name.
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (sentences that can stand on their own) are joined together with only a comma. 'The suspect was uncooperative' is a complete sentence, and 'he refused to provide his name' is also a complete sentence. They should be joined by a period, a semicolon, or a comma followed by a conjunction (like 'and' or 'but').
Question 4: An officer is documenting evidence collected at a scene. Which sentence uses commas correctly to list the items recovered?
- I recovered a wallet, a set of keys, and a spent shell casing from the floor. (Correct answer)
- I recovered a wallet a set of keys and a spent shell casing, from the floor.
- I recovered, a wallet, a set of keys, and a spent shell casing from the floor.
- I recovered a wallet, a set of keys and a spent shell casing from the floor.
Correct answer: I recovered a wallet, a set of keys, and a spent shell casing from the floor.
When listing three or more items in a series, commas should be used to separate each item. The final comma before the conjunction 'and' (known as the Oxford or serial comma) is standard in police reports and other forms of technical writing to prevent ambiguity and ensure clarity.
Question 5: Which sentence correctly uses the often-confused words 'its' and 'it's'?
- The K-9 unit was tracking the suspect by its scent. (Correct answer)
- The vehicle had a broken taillight on it's left side.
- Its clear that the suspect fled through the back door.
- The department will issue its new policy next week, its expected to be controversial.
Correct answer: The K-9 unit was tracking the suspect by its scent.
'Its' is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership (like his or her). 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. In the correct sentence, 'its scent' properly shows that the scent belongs to the suspect. The other options incorrectly use the contraction 'it's' for possession or vice-versa.
Question 6: When writing the narrative portion of an incident report, the information should be organized chronologically. Which of the following sentences best demonstrates this principle by using a clear time reference?
- The victim was visibly upset when I spoke to her.
- The suspect fled the scene in a dark-colored sedan.
- At 21:15 hours, I was dispatched to a disturbance at 123 Main St. (Correct answer)
- Evidence was collected and secured in my patrol vehicle.
Correct answer: At 21:15 hours, I was dispatched to a disturbance at 123 Main St.
Chronological order is essential for a clear and factual report narrative. Stating the specific time an event occurred ('At 21:15 hours') establishes a clear point in the timeline of events, which is fundamental to chronological reporting. The other options describe actions but do not anchor them to a specific time.
POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Written Communication and Grammar Questions and Answers
Read the following sentence and choose the option that correctly completes it: "The team of officers, along with their sergeant, __________ responsible for securing the perimeter."