UDEE Officer Writing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer's report states: 'The complainant alleged that her neighbor, Mr. Davis, had been threatening her for the passed two weeks.' What error is present?
- 'Complainant' should be 'victim'
- 'Alleged' should be 'confirmed'
- 'Passed' should be 'past' (Correct answer)
- 'Threatening' should be 'threatening to her'
Correct answer: 'Passed' should be 'past'
'Past' (meaning previous time) is the correct word; 'passed' is the past tense of the verb 'to pass.'
Question 2: Which organizational structure is MOST appropriate for a police incident report narrative?
- Most important facts first, least important last
- Strictly chronological order of events (Correct answer)
- Alphabetical order by subject's last name
- Random order as facts were discovered
Correct answer: Strictly chronological order of events
Police narratives should follow chronological order so that readers can reconstruct the sequence of events accurately.
Question 3: Which sentence demonstrates the most precise and professional language for a police report?
- The guy seemed pretty drunk when we got there.
- The subject displayed signs consistent with alcohol intoxication, including slurred speech and unsteady gait. (Correct answer)
- He was obviously wasted and could barely stand up.
- The individual appeared to have had too many drinks.
Correct answer: The subject displayed signs consistent with alcohol intoxication, including slurred speech and unsteady gait.
Professional language uses precise, observable descriptors ('slurred speech,' 'unsteady gait') rather than informal terms or conclusions.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT an appropriate element to include in a formal written report?
- The officer's badge number
- Verbatim quotes from witnesses
- The officer's personal opinion on the suspect's guilt (Correct answer)
- A physical description of the scene
Correct answer: The officer's personal opinion on the suspect's guilt
Officers must report facts and observations objectively; personal opinions about guilt are inappropriate and can compromise legal proceedings.
Question 5: Select the sentence with correct comma usage:
- Officer Torres, and her partner, searched the building.
- Officer Torres and her partner searched the building. (Correct answer)
- Officer Torres, and her partner searched the building.
- Officer Torres and, her partner, searched the building.
Correct answer: Officer Torres and her partner searched the building.
No commas are needed because 'Officer Torres and her partner' is a compound subject without intervening phrases requiring punctuation.
Question 6: A witness statement reads: 'I seen him take the wallet.' The officer documenting this should:
- Correct the grammar before quoting it in the report
- Write the statement exactly as spoken, in quotation marks (Correct answer)
- Summarize it without quotes to avoid documenting the error
- Refuse to include ungrammatical statements in reports
Correct answer: Write the statement exactly as spoken, in quotation marks
Direct quotes must be reproduced exactly as spoken, including grammatical errors, to preserve the integrity of the witness's statement.
Question 7: Which sentence correctly uses 'its' versus 'it's'?
- The department filed it's annual report on time.
- Its important to document all observations accurately.
- The vehicle had its registration expired by two months. (Correct answer)
- The report lost it's credibility due to factual errors.
Correct answer: The vehicle had its registration expired by two months.
'Its' (possessive, no apostrophe) correctly shows that the registration belongs to the vehicle.
UDEE Officer Writing 5
An officer's report states: 'The complainant alleged that her neighbor, Mr.
Davis, had been threatening her for the passed two weeks.' What error is present?