Deck 3: Writing Effective Reports

Question 1

Which of the following statements is in the first person?

A)"This officer made the arrest."
B)"The arrest was made by this officer."
C)"Previously this officer made this arrest."
D)"I made the arrest."

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Words that have an emotional effect, such as wept or blubbered, are called:

A)denotative.
B)connotative.
C)exculpatory.
D)exclusionary.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is true of writing completed in the active voice?

A)The subject does not take any action.
B)The subject of the sentence performs the actions.
C)The sentences are active in terms of the reader.
D)Exact quotations are always used.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which is associated with some of the common problems with police reports?

A)inability to type
B)inability to communicate with victims
C)completed information
D)misspelled words

Question 5

Presynct field-based reporting system:

A)uses paper.
B)combines voice, text, and audio in one application.
C)requires minimal training.
D)combines voice and text in one application.

Question 6

Who is most likely to read an investigative report?

A)the suspect
B)the victim
C)the judge
D)the victim's family

Question 7

In a police report, the majority of statements should be:

A)facts.
B)inferences.
C)opinions.
D)conclusionary.

Question 8

Slanting, that is, including only one side of a story or only facts that tend to prove or support the officer's theory, can make a report:

A)objective.
B)exclusionary.
C)subjective.
D)exculpatory.

Question 9

A common mistake often found in police reports is using the phrase:

A)"the PC for the stop."
B)the PT for the stop."
C)"he saw what happened."
D)"he heard what happened."

Question 10

Words that have little emotional effect, for example, cried, are called:

A)emotive.
B)psychological.
C)denotative.
D)corroborating.

Question 11

The statement "the man could not walk a straight line" is an example of:

A)a fact.
B)a conclusionary statement.
C)an observation.
D)a false statement.

Question 12

Officers should write reports in the:

A)present tense.
B)passive voice.
C)third person.
D)first person.

Question 13

Due process disclosure of what type of evidence must be determined and made by the prosecutor?

A)informal statements
B)informal attitudes
C)exculpatory information
D)hearsay

Question 14

Other than writing reports, first responders spend a majority of their time:

A)speaking to citizens.
B)driving around, patrolling their zones.
C)investigating crimes.
D)speaking to victims.

Question 15

Being concise means to:

A)leave out details.
B)limit yourself to one paragraph.
C)make every word count.
D)be subjective.

Question 16

The most important step in report writing is to:

A)write with caution to avoid lawsuits.
B)gather the facts.
C)determine the motive.
D)identify the suspect.

Question 17

Citizen Online Report Writing is appropriate for:

A)discovery crimes.
B)involvement crimes.
C)both discovery crimes and involvement crimes.
D)neither discovery crimes nor involvement crimes.

Question 18

The disposition of the case is stated in the paragraph of a report narrative.

A)opening
B)final
C)narrative
D)summary

Question 19

When organizing notes for a police report, officers should:

A)use a table of contents.
B)place the notes in concurrent order.
C)use headings to guide the reader.
D)prepare an exhibit list.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is a concise statement?

A)She drove a black 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe.
B)She drove an SUV.
C)She drove a car that was a 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe that was black in color.
D)She drove a vehicle that was black.

Question 21

Reporters are never permitted to read or see police reports.

Question 22

The first person to evaluate your written report should be the judge.

Question 23

An inference is not really true or false; it is sound or unsound.

Question 24

If an officer did not see who signed a check, the statement "the check was signed, John Doe" is more objective than
"the check was signed by John Doe."

Question 25

Which of the following is a benefit of a well-written report?

A)It prevents the criminal justice system from operating efficiently and effectively.
B)It reduces liability for the department and the officer.
C)It reflects negatively on the investigator who wrote it.
D)It is geared subjectively to enhance prosecution.

Question 26

The statement "he saw what happened" is an objective statement based on fact.

Question 27

Uniform Crime Reporting information is automatically aggregated in the computer-assisted report entry (CARE) system.

Question 28

Reports are permanent written records of important facts in a case to be used in the future.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)The car was traveling in excess of 90 mph.
B)The suspect was taller than the bank guard.
C)The witness refused to give a statement.
D)The victim heard what happened.

Question 30

One benefit of a well-written report is that it can:

A)reduce legal liability for the officer and the department.
B)enhance an officer's case solving ability.
C)have an adverse impact on a prosecutor's case.
D)compromise credibility.

Question 31

Being objective means eliminating those facts from the report that may appear damaging to your case.

Question 32

When writing a report, you should start a new paragraph when you change speakers, locations, time, or ideas.

Question 33

One component of writing a report is to remember that many people will be reading the report, and it is important to impress the audience with your writing skills.

Question 34

Officers should include all the facts in a report, even those facts that may appear to weaken the case against the charged individual.

Question 35

Recording or dictating reports is common in some departments.

Question 36

The words apparently or appeared can be used to:

A)justify expressing an opinion.
B)make an inference stand out clearly as an inference.
C)turn an inference into an objective statement.
D)describe a fact.

Question 37

Officers should not use police jargon in their reports.

Question 38

Officers should review their reports to make certain they are well organized.

Question 39

The length of a report is the single most important factor in ensuring quality.

Question 40

Once a report is written, the writer should:

A)file it and forget it.
B)proofread it.
C)immediately present it to the prosecution.
D)prepare for the appeal.

Question 41

How might a report be used to refresh a witness's memory?

Question 42

A good report can make an excessive-force _______________ less likely to be filed in the first place, and if it does go to court, less likely to be successful.

Question 43

List four benefits of citizen online reporting.

Question 44

Give a one-sentence example of an opinion, and then rewrite the statement as a fact.

Question 45

An officer may use derogatory, biased terms referring to a person's race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual preference in police reports.

Question 46

Verbs in the tense refer to events that have already occurred.

Question 47

How might a law enforcement report be used in the future?

Question 48

When organizing notes for a report, list the facts of the investigation in order.

Question 49

It doesn't matter whether a report is typed, written, or printed, provided others can read it easily.

Question 50

CARE stands for ____________.

Question 51

In the voice, the subject of the sentence performs the actions.

Question 52

An excellent report is more likely to cause the defendant to go to trial.

Question 53

Inferences are also referred to as language.

Question 54

Briefly describe how citizen online reporting works.

Question 55

Once you have written your report, you should always ____________ it.

Question 56

An effective report needs to be subjective for effective prosecution.

Question 57

A way to increase clarity in reports is to include sketches and _______________.

Question 58

Good report writing is a learned skill.

Question 59

An effective report uses the ____________ tense, the ____________ person, and the ____________ voice.

Question 60

Being _______________ means making every word count, without leaving out important facts.

Question 61

What is the difference between an officer's notes and a report?

Question 62

Discuss the difference between inculpatory and exculpatory evidence and the role of the police report toward both.

Question 63

Give a one-sentence example of an inference, and then rewrite the statement as a fact.

Question 64

Explain why it is necessary for officers to write clear reports.

Question 65

Describe the difference between connotative and denotative language.

Question 66

How would the writing of a report be different if a box-style format was used instead of the traditional narrative report?

Question 67

List the characteristics of effective reports.

Question 68

Do you think form or content is more important in a police report?

Question 69

What types of abbreviations should you avoid using in a report?