NPOST Incident Report Writing 2

Question 1

When recording a suspect's statement in an incident report, what is the best practice?

Accepted Answer

Quote the exact words verbatim in quotation marks

Answer

Paraphrase the statement to sound professional

Answer

Summarize only the parts you believe are true

Answer

Leave out the statement and note it from memory later

Question 2

Which detail is essential when describing a stolen vehicle in a report?

Accepted Answer

Make, model, color, year, and license plate

Answer

The officer's opinion of the owner

Answer

How much the officer likes the car

Answer

The weather three days earlier

Question 3

A report states 'The man was acting suspicious.' Why is this problematic?

Accepted Answer

It is a conclusion without supporting observable facts

Answer

It is too long

Answer

It uses passive voice

Answer

It names the suspect

Question 4

What tense should generally be used when writing the narrative of a completed incident?

Accepted Answer

Past tense

Answer

Future tense

Answer

Present continuous tense

Answer

Conditional tense

Question 5

Why should an officer avoid using radio codes and abbreviations in a narrative report?

Accepted Answer

They may not be understood by attorneys, juries, or other readers

Answer

They make the report shorter

Answer

They are illegal to use

Answer

They slow down typing

Question 6

If an officer makes an error while writing a handwritten report, the correct procedure is to:

Accepted Answer

Draw a single line through it, initial it, and continue

Answer

Scribble it out completely so it cannot be read

Answer

Use correction fluid over the mistake

Answer

Tear up the page and start over without noting it

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the proper chronology for a narrative report?

Accepted Answer

Sequential order from dispatch through resolution

Answer

Most important fact first, then random order

Answer

Reverse order ending with the dispatch call

Answer

Alphabetical by witness name