LAPD Writing Clarity and Grammar 2

Question 1

An officer writes: 'The suspect, who was wearing a red jacket, and carrying a backpack, fled northbound.' What is wrong with this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It has an unnecessary comma before 'and'

Answer

The comma before 'and carrying a backpack' is incorrect because the two participial phrases form a compound and should not be separated by a comma.

Question 2

Which sentence best demonstrates concise, clear police report writing?

Accepted Answer

At approximately 2300 hours the suspect exited the vehicle.

Answer

The second sentence is direct, includes a specific time, uses active voice, and avoids unnecessary words.

Question 3

In a police report, when should you use 'I' versus 'this officer'?

Accepted Answer

Either is acceptable; consistency within the report is key

Answer

LAPD style accepts both 'I' and 'this officer,' but the chosen form must be used consistently throughout the report.

Question 4

Which of the following correctly uses a semicolon?

Accepted Answer

The scene was secured; evidence was then collected.

Answer

A semicolon correctly joins two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Question 5

An officer wrote: 'Between you and I, the report was filed late.' What is the grammatical error?

Accepted Answer

Wrong pronoun case — should be 'me'

Answer

After a preposition like 'between,' the objective case pronoun 'me' is required, not the subjective 'I.'

(LAPD) Los Angeles Police Department Practice Test