Officer Writing Flashcards

When writing an incident report, which tense should be used throughout the narrative section?

Answer: Past tense to describe what occurred

Incident reports use past tense because they document events that have already occurred.

An officer writes: 'The suspect, who was wearing a red jacket, ran from the scene and was apprehended two blocks away.' What is the grammatical structure of this sentence?

Answer: Complex sentence with a relative clause

The sentence is complex because it contains a main clause and a subordinate relative clause ('who was wearing a red jacket').

Which of the following best demonstrates proper use of active voice in a police report?

Answer: Officer Jones pursued the vehicle for three miles.

Active voice places the subject (Officer Jones) as the doer of the action, making writing clearer and more direct.

Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The officer documented the _______ of the stolen property.'

Answer: whereabouts

'Whereabouts' is one word meaning the location or place where someone or something is.

In official law enforcement writing, abbreviations such as 'DOB,' 'DOA,' and 'MVA' should be:

Answer: Defined upon first use if the audience may not know them

Abbreviations should be spelled out on first use to ensure clarity for all potential readers of the report.

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Answer: Running down the alley, the suspect was spotted by the officer.

In the second sentence, 'Running down the alley' appears to modify 'the suspect,' but it was the officer who was running.

When an officer must include a direct quote from a witness in a report, the statement should be:

Answer: Enclosed in quotation marks and attributed to the speaker

Direct quotes must be placed in quotation marks and attributed to preserve the exact words and their legal integrity.