UDEE Officer Writing 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the most appropriate way to begin a formal police report narrative?
- On the above date and time, I, the undersigned officer, did proceed to...
- On [date] at [time], I responded to a call at [location]. (Correct answer)
- Hey, so basically what happened was...
- This report is about an incident that went down at night.
Correct answer: On [date] at [time], I responded to a call at [location].
A formal report narrative should begin with factual details (date, time, location) using professional language without archaic phrasing.
Question 2: Select the correctly punctuated sentence:
- The witness said that she saw the defendant, enter the building at midnight.
- The witness said that she saw the defendant enter the building at midnight. (Correct answer)
- The witness said, that she saw the defendant enter the building at midnight.
- The witness said that, she saw the defendant enter the building at midnight.
Correct answer: The witness said that she saw the defendant enter the building at midnight.
No comma is needed before 'enter' because the infinitive phrase is part of an indirect statement introduced by 'that.'
Question 3: An officer writing a supplemental report should:
- Rewrite the entire original report with corrections
- Reference the original report number and add only new or updated information (Correct answer)
- Ignore the original report and write a completely independent account
- Change the original report's date to match the new filing
Correct answer: Reference the original report number and add only new or updated information
Supplemental reports reference the original case number and add new information without duplicating the original report's content.
Question 4: Which choice uses the word 'principal' correctly in a law enforcement context?
- The principal reason for the stop was a broken taillight. (Correct answer)
- The officer returned to the principal to file the report.
- The suspect acted as a principel in the robbery.
- The report was filed at the principle office.
Correct answer: The principal reason for the stop was a broken taillight.
'Principal' as an adjective means 'main' or 'primary,' which is the correct usage in the first option.
Question 5: An officer's report contains the sentence: 'Me and my partner responded to the scene.' How should this be corrected?
- 'My partner and I responded to the scene.' (Correct answer)
- 'Myself and my partner responded to the scene.'
- 'My partner and me responded to the scene.'
- No correction is needed.
Correct answer: 'My partner and I responded to the scene.'
'My partner and I' is correct because 'I' is the subject pronoun used when the pronoun performs the action.
Question 6: In a use-of-force report, vague language like 'the suspect resisted' should be replaced with:
- 'The suspect was combative and uncooperative.'
- 'The suspect tensed his arms, pulled away, and struck the officer in the chest with a closed fist.' (Correct answer)
- 'The suspect did not comply with lawful orders at all.'
- 'The suspect presented a significant threat to officer safety.'
Correct answer: 'The suspect tensed his arms, pulled away, and struck the officer in the chest with a closed fist.'
Specific, observable behaviors (tensed arms, pulling away, striking) are far more defensible and accurate than general characterizations.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon?
- The officer searched the vehicle; and found a concealed weapon.
- The officer searched the vehicle; finding a concealed weapon.
- The officer searched the vehicle; she found a concealed weapon. (Correct answer)
- The officer searched; the vehicle for a concealed weapon.
Correct answer: The officer searched the vehicle; she found a concealed weapon.
A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses ('The officer searched the vehicle' and 'she found a concealed weapon').
UDEE Officer Writing 3
Which of the following is the most appropriate way to begin a formal police report narrative?