MPOETC Incident Investigation & Reporting 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A complainant calls to report a neighbor is burning trash in violation of a local ordinance. Upon arrival, the fire is out and the neighbor denies doing it. What should the officer do?
- Take no action since no violation is currently occurring
- Document the complaint, note observations, and advise the complainant of their options for civil remedy (Correct answer)
- Arrest the neighbor based solely on the complainant's allegation
- Issue a citation based on the complainant's statement alone
Correct answer: Document the complaint, note observations, and advise the complainant of their options for civil remedy
When a violation is not observed and only a complainant's allegation exists, officers should document the complaint and advise the complainant of available options without making an unsupported arrest.
Question 2: Which element is NOT typically required in a standard police incident report?
- Date and time of the incident
- Names and contact information of witnesses
- The officer's personal opinion about who is guilty (Correct answer)
- Location of the incident
Correct answer: The officer's personal opinion about who is guilty
Police reports must contain objective facts and observations; personal opinions or conclusions about guilt are not appropriate and can undermine the report's credibility.
Question 3: During a traffic stop investigation, an officer notices the driver has bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. How should this be documented?
- Write 'the driver appeared intoxicated' as a summary
- Document specific observable indicators: 'driver had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech when speaking' (Correct answer)
- Note 'driver may have been drinking' as an opinion
- Only document this if a breathalyzer confirms alcohol
Correct answer: Document specific observable indicators: 'driver had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech when speaking'
Specific, objective observations ('bloodshot eyes,' 'slurred speech') are more legally defensible than conclusions ('appeared intoxicated') in police reports.
Question 4: An officer is completing a report on a found property call. A wallet was found containing ID belonging to John Smith. What is the officer's responsibility?
- Keep the wallet in a personal safe place until the owner contacts police
- Submit the property into evidence/found property, document its contents, and attempt to notify the owner (Correct answer)
- Return the wallet to the person who found it
- Discard the wallet since it has minimal monetary value
Correct answer: Submit the property into evidence/found property, document its contents, and attempt to notify the owner
Found property must be submitted through proper evidence/property procedures, documented with contents inventoried, and reasonable efforts made to locate the owner.
Question 5: When responding to a reported sexual assault, the officer's FIRST priority upon arrival should be:
- Immediately photograph the victim
- Ensure the victim's safety, provide medical assistance if needed, and preserve the scene (Correct answer)
- Arrest the nearest suspect before taking any other action
- Complete the incident report before speaking to the victim
Correct answer: Ensure the victim's safety, provide medical assistance if needed, and preserve the scene
Officer priorities at any crime scene begin with life safety — ensuring the victim is safe and has access to medical care — before evidence collection or documentation.
Question 6: What is 'corpus delicti' as it applies to criminal investigations?
- The body of a homicide victim
- The body of evidence — proof that a crime has actually occurred (Correct answer)
- The criminal record of a suspect
- The jurisdiction where a crime was committed
Correct answer: The body of evidence — proof that a crime has actually occurred
Corpus delicti means 'body of the crime' — the principle that evidence must establish a crime actually occurred before a conviction can be obtained.
Question 7: An officer responding to a shoplifting complaint finds the store manager has detained a suspect in a back office for 45 minutes before calling police. What concern should be noted in the report?
- No concern — merchants have unlimited detention rights
- The length of detention may raise issues regarding the lawfulness of the merchant's detention under citizen's arrest standards (Correct answer)
- The officer should release the suspect immediately without taking a report
- The officer should charge the manager with false imprisonment automatically
Correct answer: The length of detention may raise issues regarding the lawfulness of the merchant's detention under citizen's arrest standards
Pennsylvania law permits reasonable merchant detention for investigation, but excessive time periods may be challenged as unlawful detention, which should be noted for prosecutorial awareness.
MPOETC Incident Investigation & Reporting 4
A complainant calls to report a neighbor is burning trash in violation of a local ordinance.
Upon arrival, the fire is out and the neighbor denies doing it.
What should the officer do?