Report Writing

I am quickly learning that one of the most important tasks in law enforcement is writing a good report. Report writing is not something most people thin about when they think about a career in law enforcement. Every case or call a peace officer works must be properly and thoroughly documented. Reports that are done poorly can lead to violent offenders being freed and released back into the population, civil law suits against counties or police agencies, and even prosecution of officers if information was reported falsely on documentation.


A peace officer is responsible for being as detailed as possible in his reports including the times and locations of events, accurate reporting of statements taken,  observations of the scene or injuries if relevant. Police reports need to be accurate and thorough because it could be years before the officer is called to a stand to testify on a case and the only thing he has to remember the incident is the report he wrote. Another reason reports are so important is that they document the justification of an officers actions. If an officer is going to arrest someone and in essence remove their freedom by taking them into custody, the officer must properly document the probable cause that lead to the arrest. The same goes for if an officer uses force on ay suspect. You wouldn't be able to just write "during a conversation with john doe, I placed him in handcuffs to talk to him." If you were to read this statement you would have no idea why the officer believed it was necessary to place the individual in handcuffs. To be more efficient you would say something like "during my conversation with John Doe about a recent robbery involving a knife that had just occurred in the area by a man matching his description, Doe began to shift his body weight and clench his fists as if he was ready to fight. For my safety as well as that of Doe, I placed him in handcuffs to detain him to search for weapons and for further investigation of the robbery.' The amount of detail in both statements is noticeably different. You know exactly what happened and why the officer took the actions he took.


In summary, to be a good peace officer one must possess excellent writing skills in order to properly perform his/her duties.