How to Write a Police Report
Part 1
“If you're a police officer or security guard, knowing how to write up a detailed and
accurate report is important. A well written incident report gives a thorough
account of what happened and sticks to the facts. If you're trying to write a police
report, or are curious about how the police put together their reports, learning what
to include and how to format the report is helpful”
1. Get the correct forms from your department. Each police department has a
different protocol in place for dealing with an incident and filing a report. You may
be responsible for filling out a form issued by your department, or you may be asked
to type or write up the report by hand.
“Try to do your write-up using word processing software. It will look neater and you'll
be able to use spellcheck to polish it when you're finished. If you write your report by
hand, print clearly instead of using cursive”
2. Start the report as soon as possible. Right after the incident, reflect on what
happened and jot down some notes about it. If possible, write your report the same
day as the incident because waiting will make it harder to remember details. At the
least, do your report write-up within the first 24 hours after the incident.
“If you can’t write the report on the day that the incident happened, record some
notes about what happened to help you when you do write the report.”
3. Focus on the facts. Your form may have blank spaces for you to fill out with
information about the incident. Fill in these spaces, or include the following
information if you do not have a form.
“The time, date and location of the incident (Be specific. Write the exact street
address, etc.). Your name and ID number, Names of other officers who were present”
4. Include a line about the nature of the incident. Describe what brought to you to
the scene of the incident. If you got a call, describe the call and note what time you
received it. Write an objective, sentence describing what happened. Don't write
what you think might have happened. Stick to the facts and be objective. [5][6]
“For example, a report might say: On 8/23/10 at approximately 2340, officer was
assigned to 17 Dist. response vehicle. Officer was notified via radio by central
dispatch of a 911 call at 123 Maple Street. Officer was also informed by central
dispatch that this 911 call may be domestic in nature.”
Part 2 Describing What Happened
1. Write in the first-person. Include a detailed chronological narrative of what
happened when you reported to the scene and tell the story from your perspective.
Use “I” to explain the who, what, when, where, and why of the incident
For example, an officer's report could say: Upon arrival, I observed a 40-year-old white
male, known as Johnny Doe, screaming and yelling at a 35-year-old white female,
known as Jane Doe, in the front lawn of 123 Maple Street. I separated both parties
involved and conducted field interviews. I was told by Mr. Johnny that he had come
home from work and discovered that dinner was not ready. He then stated that he
became upset at his wife Mrs. Jane for not having the dinner ready for him.
2. Include rich detail in your report. If possible, make sure to include direct quotes
from witnesses and other people involved in the incident. Include an accurate
description of your own role in the course of what occurred. If you had to use
physical force to detain someone, don't gloss over it. Report how you handled the
situation and its aftermath. Follow your department's protocol with regard to
reporting on witnesses and evidence.
“Use specific descriptions. For example, instead of saying "I found him inside
and detained him," write something like, "I arrived at 2005 Everest Hill at 12:05. I
walked to the house and knocked on the door. I tried the knob and found it to be
unlocked..."
3. Use diagrams. Draw a picture or diagram in your report if it is difficult to explain
certain information in words. You may also want to use a picture or diagram to
show what the scene of the incident looked like.
“Police officers often have to write reports about auto accidents. It can be much
clearer to illustrate with a picture or a diagram how the accident occurred. You
can draw a picture of the street and use arrows to show how where each car was
headed when they hit each other”
4. Make a thorough report. Write as much as possible and include as many details as
you can remember. Don't leave room for people reading the report to interpret
something the wrong way. Don't worry about your report being too long or wordy.
The important thing is to report a complete picture of what occurred.
For example, instead of saying “when I arrived, his face was red,” you could say,
“when I arrived, he was yelling, out of breath, his face was red, and he seemed
angry.” The second example is better than the first because there are multiple
reasons someone’s face is red, not just that they are angry.
5. Include accurate details and leave out the rest. If you did not see something
happen, make sure that you don't report that you did. If a witness tells you
something that you did not see, whatever the witness says is considered “hearsay.”
Hearsay is something you hear that you cannot substantiate by personal knowledge.
Report hearsay as hearsay, not as something you personally saw.
Even though it is hearsay, make sure to write down what each individual at the scene
said to you. It may be important, even if he or she is lying. Include any information
about the witness’ demeanor, in case what he or she told you becomes controversial.
6. Use clear language. Don't use flowery, confusing language to describe what
happened. Your writing should be clear and concise. Don't use legal or technical
words. Use short, to-the-point, fact-oriented sentences that don't leave room for
interpretation.
“Use the party’s name when possible, so you can avoid confusion when talking about
multiple people. Also, spell out abbreviations. For example, say “personal vehicle”
instead of “P.O.V.” (personally owned vehicle), and “scene of the crime” instead of “code
11,” which is a police term for “on the scene.”
7. Be honest. Even if you're not proud of how you handled the situation, it's critical
that you write an honest account. If you write something untrue it may end up
surfacing later, putting your job in jeopardy and causing problems for the people
involved in the incident.
“Preserve your integrity and the institution you represent by telling the truth”
Part 3 Editing your Report
1. Check your report for accuracy. Double check all of the facts, including spellings of
names, dates, times, addresses, license plate numbers, and so on. Make sure you
didn't leave out any information that should have been included. Look for obvious
gaps in the narrative that you might need to fill in.
“For example, if you forget to include the one party's reason why the argument
started, then that would leave a gap”
2. Proofread your report. Read through your report one more time to make sure it's
easy to understand. Check it for typos, spelling errors, and grammar errors that
might make the report confusing. Remove any words that could be seen as
subjective, like words describing feelings and emotions.
“For example, if you included phrases that start with "I feel" or "I believe," then you
would want to remove these to eliminate any bias in your report”
3. Submit your incident report. Find out the name of the person or department to
whom your report must be sent. If you can, submit your incident report in person.
Make yourself available to answer further questions or provide clarification as
needed.
“If you have to mail or email your report, follow up with a phone call within a 10-day
period. Do this to make sure your report was received”
Tips
Ask your department for any templates or forms that they use, in order to make
sure the report is in the proper format.
Add to the report, if new information comes to light. Add an addendum that
reports the new information, rather than deleting information from your original report.
That information may also be important.
Keep a copy of the report for your records. You may need to refer back to it in the
future.
Warnings
Do not ignore facts as irrelevant. At the time of a preliminary police report,
investigators may not know the motive or suspect, so it is important to give as much
objective detail as possible. Some details that seem irrelevant, may be important with
new evidence or testimony.
Do not use opinions in a police report, unless you are asked to do so. A police
report should be objective rather than subjective.
Sample Police Report
Case Number: 010147858
Date: 13 August 2013
Reporting Officer: Deputy Jones
Prepared By: CPL Stevens
Incident Type: Robbery
Address of Occurrence: 557 Maple Street, Manchester, NH 03104
Witnesses:
Alan Perez: Store owner. Male, 43, Latino
Michael Tully: Employee. Male, 21, African American
Andrea Chao: Customer. Female, 27, Asian American
Evidence:
Closed-circuit surveillance footage
Fingerprints (taken from counter)
Footprint (size 10 Nike Air, found in drying paint)
Weapon/Objects Used: Pistol/Firearm
On August 13, 2013, at approximately 17:38, two unidentified males entered a 7-Eleven
convenience store and stole $232 from the register at gunpoint. The store’s security camera
recorded the incident as one man pointed a handgun at store owner Alan Perez while the
other man gestured threateningly while demanding that Perez give him the money from
the register. “Two guys came in with masks and a gun,” Perez said in his witness statement,
“and one started yelling at us to give him the money.” Perez was running the store with the
help of Michael Tully, his employee. Tully described the suspects as middle-aged, white,
both wearing leather jackets, jeans, and ski [Link] only customer in the store was
Andrea Chao, who heard the robbery taking place but did not see it as she was in the store
restroom at the time.
After obtaining the money from the register, the two suspects ran out of the store. The
parking lot had been painted earlier that afternoon, and Perez identified one of the
suspect’s footprints in the drying paint.
Deputy Jones arrived on the scene at around 18:15, responding to Perez’s 911 call. After
reviewing the security footage, Deputy Jones noticed that the unarmed suspect had at one
point leaned across the counter as he was grabbing money from Tully and Perez.
Fingerprints were captured from the counter and sent to the forensics lab for analysis.
Closer inspection of the drying shoeprint revealed that one of the suspects was wearing
size 10 Nike Airs, which is consistent with the security footage.
Prepared by:
Dr. Karl T. Credo
