Written Comm - Category Flashcards
Brief notations concerning specific events and circumstances that are recorded while fresh in the officers mind and used to prepare a report.
Field notes
Uses of field notes
- Provides basis for report
- Reduces need to re-contact parties involved
- Provides greater accuracy relative to time, statements, and events than memory alone
All five senses (sensory input) are used in __________.
observation
What can help you better describe things?
Better observation
What are the five senses?
sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell
The better an officer ________ things, the better the officer can describe them.
All five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) are used in __________.
Since all of the senses must be sharp for peace officers to do their job, they should _______ practice using different senses at various times to improve each of them.
- observes
- observation
- frequently
Describing ______ is the most difficult. Include all descriptive characteristics of persons, such as their manner of speaking or walking, their movements, or the things they are carrying.
people
______ should be described beginning at one point then proceeding in one direction, such as left-to-right or top-to-bottom, to ensure that the description is thorough and systematic. The goals is to paint a picture with your words.
Places
When describing _______, look for all distinguishing marks and anything that might be compared or related to a commonly known thing or idea. Look for color, size, shape, texture, location, and type.
things
What are the most significant uses of the police report?
- Permanent record of facts
- Coordination of follow-up
- Basis for prosecution and defense
- Performance evaluations of officer
- Statistical data
- Reference material
What are the Eight (8) essential criteria of a good police report?
- Accurate
- Concise
- Complete
- Clear
- Legible
- Objective
- Grammatically correct
- Correct spelling
What are the common types of police reports?
- Arrest reports
- Incident reports
- Offense reports
- Crash reports
- Supplemental reports
Arrangement of information by ______ (e.g., witnesses, suspects, crime elements) is _______
category
categorical
What are the basic elements of information necessary in police reports?
- ID - Identification of the involved persons, vehicles, etc.
- Narrative - Narrative description of the offense or incident
- EEO - Elements of the offense or probable cause
A victim may choose a ____________ to designate his or her identity in all public files and records concerning the offense.
pseudonym
Unless required, officers’ ________ should not be included in the police report. Anything other than ______ must be labeled as such to avoid any possible confusion.
opinions
facts
A word that typically describes or modifies the meaning of a noun is an _______
Adjective
Example: brave officer, new car
A word or combination of words typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, and expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial.
Usually answer questions like when, how long, where, how.
Adverb
Example: when (at once), how long (forever), where (there), how (quickly)
A word that is the name of something (as a person, animal, place, object, quality, concept or action).
noun
A word that is used as a substitute for a noun or noun equivalent.
pronoun
Example: he, she, him, her, it, they
A word that combines with a noun, pronoun, or noun equivalent (as a phrase or clause) to form a phrase that usually acts as an adverb, adjective, or noun.
Preposition
Example: on his part, beside her
_____ expresses an act, occurrence, or mode of being.
verb
A ______ is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.
sentence
Importance of Complete Sentences in Written Communications
- Your written communication ______ be one of the factors used to evaluate your competence as a peace officer.
- Your written communication may be seen by a _______ ________ (your agency, the criminal justice system, the public, etc.).
- Your written communication may serve as a source document for ________ and _________ proceedings.
- Will
- Diverse audience
- Judicial, administrative
A sentence _____ is a group of words that is only a piece, or “________,” of a complete sentence.
fragment
