POST Incident Report Writing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When documenting witness statements in an incident report, an officer should:
- Summarize all witness accounts into a single composite statement
- Record each witness's statement separately and attribute it to them by name (Correct answer)
- Only include statements that corroborate the officer's observations
- Paraphrase statements to eliminate grammatical errors made by witnesses
Correct answer: Record each witness's statement separately and attribute it to them by name
Each witness statement must be recorded separately and attributed to the specific witness to preserve individual accounts and maintain accuracy.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the use of 'passive voice' in police report writing?
- It is preferred because it sounds more professional and authoritative
- It is acceptable when the subject performing the action is unknown (Correct answer)
- It should always be avoided regardless of circumstances
- It is required when describing suspect actions
Correct answer: It is acceptable when the subject performing the action is unknown
Passive voice is generally discouraged but is acceptable when the actor is genuinely unknown, such as 'the vehicle was abandoned.'
Question 3: An officer arrives at a scene and finds evidence that may have been disturbed before their arrival. How should this be documented?
- Omit any mention of disturbed evidence to avoid complicating the report
- Document only the evidence as found without noting possible disturbance
- Note the condition of the scene upon arrival and indicate evidence may have been disturbed (Correct answer)
- Reconstruct the likely original scene and document that instead
Correct answer: Note the condition of the scene upon arrival and indicate evidence may have been disturbed
Officers must document the scene exactly as found upon arrival, including any indications that evidence may have been disturbed prior to their arrival.
Question 4: What does the term 'corpus delicti' mean in relation to incident report writing?
- The physical evidence collected at a crime scene
- The body of the crime — the essential facts proving a crime occurred (Correct answer)
- The suspect's criminal history referenced in the report
- The chain of custody documentation for evidence
Correct answer: The body of the crime — the essential facts proving a crime occurred
Corpus delicti refers to the body of the crime — the essential elements that must be documented to establish that a crime actually occurred.
Question 5: When an officer uses a department-approved abbreviation in a report, they should:
- Use it freely throughout the report without explanation
- Spell out the full term on first use, then use the abbreviation thereafter (Correct answer)
- Avoid abbreviations entirely as they are unprofessional
- Place a glossary of all abbreviations at the end of every report
Correct answer: Spell out the full term on first use, then use the abbreviation thereafter
Best practice is to spell out the full term on first use followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, then use the abbreviation throughout the remainder of the report.
Question 6: An officer is writing a report about an assault and wants to describe the victim's injuries. The most appropriate method is to:
- Describe injuries using medical terminology to appear professional
- State 'the victim appeared injured' without further detail
- Describe injuries objectively using plain language and note their location and appearance (Correct answer)
- Only include injuries that required hospitalization
Correct answer: Describe injuries objectively using plain language and note their location and appearance
Injuries should be described using plain, objective language that includes their location, size, color, and appearance to provide a clear and accurate record.
Question 7: Which principle guides an officer in determining how much detail to include in an incident report?
- Include only the minimum information required to close the call
- Include all information that is relevant, material, and necessary to document the incident (Correct answer)
- Match the detail level to the severity of the crime only
- Include everything observed during the entire shift for completeness
Correct answer: Include all information that is relevant, material, and necessary to document the incident
Reports should include all information that is relevant, material, and necessary — neither omitting important facts nor padding with irrelevant details.
POST Incident Report Writing 2
When documenting witness statements in an incident report, an officer should: