LASD - Los Angeles Sheriff Department Written Clarity and Grammar Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following sentences is the MOST clearly and correctly written for a law enforcement report?
- The suspect, he was apprehended by me at 1430 hours.
- Having been identified by the witness, the suspect was placed under arrest. (Correct answer)
- It was decided that the suspect should be arrested by the responding officer.
- The suspect was arrested, and it was at 1430 hours when this occurred.
Correct answer: Having been identified by the witness, the suspect was placed under arrest.
This sentence is the best choice because it is written in the active voice (implied 'I' placed the suspect under arrest), is concise, and clearly states the sequence of events without unnecessary words or awkward phrasing. Law enforcement reports should be clear, direct, and objective.
Question 2: A deputy is writing a report about a theft. Which of the following sentences uses the most professional and precise language?
- The lady said the guy took her stuff and then took off.
- The victim's things were took by the perpetrator, who then absconded.
- The victim stated that the suspect stole her property and fled the scene on foot. (Correct answer)
- The suspect, a male individual, effectuated the removal of the victim's personal belongings prior to his departure.
Correct answer: The victim stated that the suspect stole her property and fled the scene on foot.
This sentence uses clear, professional terminology ('victim', 'suspect', 'stole', 'property', 'fled') without resorting to slang or overly legalistic jargon. It accurately and concisely describes the event, which is the goal of effective report writing.
Question 3: Read the following sentence: 'The vehicle failed to stop at the red light, it continued through the intersection at a high rate of speed.' What is the grammatical error in this sentence?
- Spelling error
- Comma splice (Correct answer)
- Sentence fragment
- Incorrect capitalization
Correct answer: Comma splice
This is a comma splice, which occurs when two independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined together with only a comma. 'The vehicle failed to stop at the red light' and 'it continued through the intersection' could each stand alone as a sentence. They should be separated by a period, a semicolon, or joined with a conjunction like 'and'.
Question 4: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
- Deputy Smith and myself responded to the call.
- Each of the deputies have their own assigned vehicle.
- The witness described the suspect's car, a blue sedan with a broken taillight. (Correct answer)
- The reports was filed before the end of the shift.
Correct answer: The witness described the suspect's car, a blue sedan with a broken taillight.
This sentence is grammatically correct. It properly uses an appositive phrase ('a blue sedan with a broken taillight') to rename and provide more information about the 'car'. The other options are incorrect: 'myself' is used incorrectly (should be 'I'), 'Each' is singular and requires a singular verb ('has'), and 'reports' is plural but is paired with a singular verb ('was').
Question 5: In a report, a deputy needs to describe the actions of herself and her partner. Which sentence is written in the correct person and voice?
- The scene was secured by Officer Tran and the undersigned.
- We arrived at the location at approximately 2200 hours.
- Officer Tran and I arrived at the location at approximately 2200 hours. (Correct answer)
- Arrival at the location was effected by responding officers at 2200 hours.
Correct answer: Officer Tran and I arrived at the location at approximately 2200 hours.
Law enforcement reports should be written in the first person (I, we) and use the active voice. This sentence correctly identifies both officers by name (or 'I' for the reporting officer) and clearly states the action they took. Using 'undersigned' or passive voice constructions like 'was effected' should be avoided for clarity.
Question 6: A deputy is proofreading his report and finds the following sentence: 'The witness, who seemed nervous, provided a statement'. What is the correct way to punctuate this sentence?
- The witness who seemed nervous provided a statement.
- The witness who seemed nervous, provided a statement.
- The witness, who seemed nervous provided a statement.
- The witness, who seemed nervous, provided a statement. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The witness, who seemed nervous, provided a statement.
The phrase 'who seemed nervous' is a non-restrictive clause, meaning it adds extra information but is not essential to the sentence's main meaning. Such clauses must be set off by commas, one before and one after. The original sentence is already correctly punctuated.
LASD - Los Angeles Sheriff Department Written Clarity and Grammar Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences is the MOST clearly and correctly written for a law enforcement report?