NYPD Written Expression Flashcards

An officer writes: 'The vehicle was blue in color and had four tires.' How should this be improved?

Answer: The vehicle was blue and had four tires.

'Blue in color' is redundant since blue already implies color; similarly, standard vehicles have four tires so this can be omitted, but option A removes the redundant phrase.

Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.

Answer: The officers searched the apartment; however, they found no contraband.

A semicolon before 'however' and a comma after it correctly joins two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb.

Officer Perez wrote: 'I observed three mens standing near the alley.' What correction is needed?

Answer: Change 'mens' to 'men'

The plural of 'man' is 'men,' not 'mens'; there is no such word as 'mens.'

Which sentence is written in active voice, which is preferred in police reports?

Answer: Officer Lee apprehended the suspect near the subway entrance.

In active voice, the subject (Officer Lee) performs the action, making the sentence clearer and more direct.

A report states: 'At 3 AM, the victim, John Smith, reported that his bicycle, a red Trek mountain bike, was stolen from in front of his residence located at 500 Park Avenue.' What information is LEAST essential to include?

Answer: That it was a mountain bike style

While the bike type helps with identification, 'mountain bike' style is less critical than owner, time, color, brand, and location.

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Answer: Running down the alley, the suspect disappeared from view.

In option B, 'Running down the alley' modifies the nearest noun 'suspect,' implying the suspect was running — which may be intended, but it's ambiguous; the phrase must clearly attach to its intended subject.

Choose the word that best completes the sentence: 'The officer's testimony was ___ with the evidence collected at the scene.'

Answer: consistent

'Consistent' is the correct adjective to describe agreement between the testimony and the evidence.