Posted: 7/7/2009 9:30:12 PM EDT
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I have a civil service test for position of police officer I am scheduled to take in about three weeks.
Part of the test will be to write a sample police report. I've tried to practice and write a few up but I really don't know much about this and figured I'd ask here and see if I could get some pointers. Here is one I wrote of a imagined scenario. Any hints ? Too much detail ? Not enough ? Too long ? Too short ? Missing any critical info ? What should be looking to say ? "On august 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot around 6 P.M. at the east side walmart. Victim claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at the victim and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and victim was able to call for help." I am assuming it should be longer, and I will try and fit in any info that they give me during the test. Its a bit harder when I'm thinking up the scenario as I write it. Any pointers from those who have BTDT ? Thanks |
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Quoted:
"On August 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot around 6 P.M. at the east side Wal-Mart. Brown claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at Brown and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet when as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and Brown victim was able to call for help." WHO,WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, AND LATER WHY. Those are the basic elements of a good police report. We prefer to use names, not things like "victim" or "suspect." Remember you are trying to articulate what happened in a manner that would allow ANYONE who reads the report to paint a mental picture of what occurred. What you wrote would be an acceptable summary. A good report would include things like suspect descriptions (height, weight, clothing, accents, etc), more specifically where at Wal-Mart Mr. Brown was shot (parking lot, center row, fifth parking stall), a description of the firearm, last known direction of travel, etc. A good way to practice report writing it to watch a movie you have never seen. After watching the movie write a "police report" about what occurred. Crime dramas work well as they contain actual crime. Give what you wrote to someone who has never seen the movie and see if your report accurately depicts what occurred. One of the elements of our testing process used to be the first 45 minutes of the movie Ocean's 11. Watch that, then write a report. See how you do. Remember all of the W,W,W,W,H, lH, elements and you should be fine. Also make sure if you have to hand write your report that you have decent penmanship or print. Study punctuation, apostrophes, and make sure to avoid comma splices and run on sentences. At all costs avoid "cop lingo" and abbreviations. Write it like you would speak it to an audience. Good luck and where in Wyoming are you??? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
"On August 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot around 6 P.M. at the east side Wal-Mart. Brown claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at Brown and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet when as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and Brown victim was able to call for help." WHO,WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, AND LATER WHY. Those are the basic elements of a good police report. We prefer to use names, not things like "victim" or "suspect." Remember you are trying to articulate what happened in a manner that would allow ANYONE who reads the report to paint a mental picture of what occurred. What you wrote would be an acceptable summary. A good report would include things like suspect descriptions (height, weight, clothing, accents, etc), more specifically where at Wal-Mart Mr. Brown was shot (parking lot, center row, fifth parking stall), a description of the firearm, last known direction of travel, etc. A good way to practice report writing it to watch a movie you have never seen. After watching the movie write a "police report" about what occurred. Crime dramas work well as they contain actual crime. Give what you wrote to someone who has never seen the movie and see if your report accurately depicts what occurred. One of the elements of our testing process used to be the first 45 minutes of the movie Ocean's 11. Watch that, then write a report. See how you do. Remember all of the W,W,W,W,H, lH, elements and you should be fine. Also make sure if you have to hand write your report that you have decent penmanship or print. Study punctuation, apostrophes, and make sure to avoid comma splices and run on sentences. At all costs avoid "cop lingo" and abbreviations. Write it like you would speak it to an audience. Good luck and where in Wyoming are you??? Good. I would also, although you weren't given it, add that he was transported to the local ER, seen by Dr so and so, etc. You never go wrong adding too much information, but let an attorney find ONE THING you left out, and he/she/it will tear you apart on the stand. I agree with writing reports for movies. Also, use newspaper articles, anything. When I first started everything was "The undersigned", "this officer". Bull. We got away from that, use "I came", "I saw", etc. Much less chance of someone reading it, and not knowing who did what. Otherwise, good start. |
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Brown is Brown every time he gets mentioned, not Brown, then victim.
"On august 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot at about 6 P.M. at the east side walmart. Brown claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at Brown and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and Brown was able to call for help." I'm not usre what they are looking for. The who, what, when, etc is good, it should also be in the order it happened, and concise. |
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who, what, where, when, how and why. Stick with only the facts that you are provided and do not add opinions (if not nessecary).
I also uses alot of headers in my reports, it makes it easier to read for the sgt and for the prosecutors. Here is a quick sample off the top of my head. INCIDENT: Felonious Assault. VENUE: 123 Main St. TIME/DATE: Aprox 0830 on 7/8/09. VICTIM: Joe Blow. INJURIES: Large lump to the back of the head. Victim refused medical treatment. SUSPECT: Sam Sly. WEAPON: Piece of 2x4 aprox 3 ft long. WITNESSES: NONE. INFORMATION: I was dispatched to the above location for a FA report. Upon arrivial I made contact with VICTIM JOE BLOW who provided the following information. INTERVIEW BLOW: Blow advised that he and his neighbor, Sam Sly, got into an agrument over the property lines of their land. Blow advised that during the argument he turned to walk away and Slay, who was very upset and intox, picked up a 2x4 and hit him in the back of the head. Blow advised that he fell to the ground and belives that he blacked out. He advised that when he awoke Sly was gone and the 2x4 was laying on the ground next to him. Blow advised that he and Sly have had heated confrontations in the past but there has never been an assault by either party. Blow advised that he wants to prosecute and will appear in court. OFFICER ACTIONS: I attempted to contact Sly at his residence, 125 Main, however there was no answer at the door. I noted that his vehicle was not in the drive where Blow advised that it should be parked. I left a business card in the door urging Sly to contact me. I took a photograph of Blow and his injuries and also where the 2x4 had landed. I then collected the 2x4 for evidence. I provided Blow with a business card/complaint number and advised that I would be in touch. EVIDENCE: 1) 2x4, aprox 3 feet long. The 2x4 was tagged and logged into property. 2) Photos of victim/injuries and scene. 3) 911 call from Blow to dispatch. STATUS: This report was forwarded to the Prosecutor's office along with the photos and 911 call with a warrant request for Sly for Felonious Assault. CLOSED PENDING WARRANT/ARREST. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, DET. JJC155. That is a pretty short and simple example off the top of my head. Basiscally I use a header for any thing I can think of. All of our reports are typed on computers so it is pretty quick and easy. Hope this helps/good luck, J- |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
"On August 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot around 6 P.M. at the east side Wal-Mart. Brown claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at Brown and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet when as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and Brown victim was able to call for help." WHO,WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, AND LATER WHY. Those are the basic elements of a good police report. We prefer to use names, not things like "victim" or "suspect." Remember you are trying to articulate what happened in a manner that would allow ANYONE who reads the report to paint a mental picture of what occurred. What you wrote would be an acceptable summary. A good report would include things like suspect descriptions (height, weight, clothing, accents, etc), more specifically where at Wal-Mart Mr. Brown was shot (parking lot, center row, fifth parking stall), a description of the firearm, last known direction of travel, etc. A good way to practice report writing it to watch a movie you have never seen. After watching the movie write a "police report" about what occurred. Crime dramas work well as they contain actual crime. Give what you wrote to someone who has never seen the movie and see if your report accurately depicts what occurred. One of the elements of our testing process used to be the first 45 minutes of the movie Ocean's 11. Watch that, then write a report. See how you do. Remember all of the W,W,W,W,H, lH, elements and you should be fine. Also make sure if you have to hand write your report that you have decent penmanship or print. Study punctuation, apostrophes, and make sure to avoid comma splices and run on sentences. At all costs avoid "cop lingo" and abbreviations. Write it like you would speak it to an audience. Good luck and where in Wyoming are you??? I'm near casper but the department I'm applying for is out of state. Thanks for the hints I'll try to process all of this and work it out before the test. |
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Quoted:
I have a civil service test for position of police officer I am scheduled to take in about three weeks. Part of the test will be to write a sample police report. I've tried to practice and write a few up but I really don't know much about this and figured I'd ask here and see if I could get some pointers. Here is one I wrote of a imagined scenario. Any hints ? Too much detail ? Not enough ? Too long ? Too short ? Missing any critical info ? What should be looking to say ? "On august 13th, 2007 Tod Brown was shot around 6 P.M. at the east side walmart. Victim claims he was approached by two white males after getting out of the car in the parking lot. One of the men pointed a gun at the victim and asked for money. Mr. Brown was reaching for his wallet as he was shot in the lower right chest. The assailants fled on foot, and victim was able to call for help." I am assuming it should be longer, and I will try and fit in any info that they give me during the test. Its a bit harder when I'm thinking up the scenario as I write it. Any pointers from those who have BTDT ? Thanks "On 8/13/07 at approximately 6:00pm, I was dispatched to a report of a gunshot victim at the East Side Wal-Mart at (XXX location). When I arrived on scene I contacted the victim, later identified as Tod Brown, who informed me he was approached by two white males after he exited his vehicle, in the parking lot. Brown stated that one of the men pointed a gun at him and demanded money. Brown described the male as approximately 6'3" tall, approximately 250 pounds, with long brown hair and a beard. He described the hand gun as a small silver revolver with a brown handle. Brown described the other white male as approximately 5'10", approximately 185 pounds, with short blonde hair and glasses. Brown informed me that as he was reaching for his wallet from his back right pocket, the male with the gun fired a shot at him. He stated that the male only fired one shot, which struck him (Brown) in the lower right chest. He informed me that after the male shot him, both he and the other male fled the scene, without taking his wallet. Brown told me after he was shot, he retrieved his cell phone and called 911." Obviously this is much shorter then an actual assault I/Att. Murder/Rob I report would be, but its a tid bit....One of the things to remember when writing police reports is you report what YOU saw and what YOU were told....You write them as if someone is telling you a story, and remeber you are writing them so the dumbest person can read it and understand it....Cop jargon is tough to not write in reports, but most normal people dont know what that means....also if you dont know the meaning of a word, but it sounds fancy and impressive and you THINK you know what it means...dont use it...simple is better. Also with my reports, and people have their own style of writing, I like my first couple of lines to be WHY I am going to the place I am writing about. If its a dispatched call I like to say the time and date I was dispatched to the call, the type of call I was dispacthed to and the location. The location is important because it establishes Venue for where the crime was commited (this is important in court). Bottom line, police reports are not tough...you are basically a reported, if your report answer the Who, What, Where, When, Why (Sometimes), and How...then you got it. The easier you write for someone else to read, the better. |
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One of the state district and county attorney's associations publishes a report writing manual. Some agencies have copied it. Ask your local equivalent if they have one. Highly recommended if you become a patrol officer, esp. with getting more out of your training.
I have used COPS type TV shows + report writing manual as homework for trainees. Some get the Too Hot for TV DVD and instructed to be descriptive... |
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Quoted: It looks better than many I've seen. You need to state whether or not the victim can identitify the suspects, whether or not he was treated at the scene, and what hospital he was sent to. And who the transporting agency was. Was it "your" City FD or EMS, another town's ambulance, a private ambulance or POV (Personally/Privately Owned Vehicle)? If it was a rig (ambulance) note the number.  FWIW, while I know fire and EMS reports are different than LE, I try to include the following info: What we were called for. What we had when we got there. (not the same thing in a significant percentage of calls) What we saw. What we did. What difference it made. Where we took the patient or who we released the occupancy to. |
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Sounds like its done different at different departments. Hopefully they will give a sample. See my post above...get a couple reports prior to your test and see how they are done....don't wait for the test and hope they give a sample. Remember the more you prepare the better you will do....I know...high concept. |
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I've seen several type of reports from various departments.
Probably 99% of police reports have block information you plug in......date time, victim(s), suspect(s), etc. In addition to the block information yoy have to write a narrative which does repeat previous supplied block information. For example: 1. Synopsis: Brief description of the known facts. 2. Pysical evidene: List any physical evidence collected or recovered from your scene. If any. 3. Interviews: Start out with victim(s) interviews, witness interviews, area or neiborhood canvas interviews then suspect interviews. (Always attempt to get a wriiten statement from your victims, witnesses and suspects) (Audio/video can also be used) 4. Document list/attachments: Coroner's report, toxicology, BAC results etc........ Your report should try to answer: who, what, when, where and why. Sometimes you will never find out why. This is the short short explanation to my departments reports. I hope yhis helps. |