POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Written Communication and Grammar Questions and Answers

Question 1

Read the following sentence and choose the option that correctly completes it: "The team of officers, along with their sergeant, __________ responsible for securing the perimeter."

Accepted Answer

is

Answer

are

Answer

were

Answer

have been

Question 2

An officer is writing a report about an arrest. Which of the following sentences is written in the active voice, which is the preferred style for clear and direct incident reports?

Accepted Answer

I advised the suspect of his Miranda rights before questioning.

Answer

The suspect was placed in handcuffs by Officer Jones.

Answer

The Miranda rights were read to the suspect at the scene.

Answer

The vehicle was searched after consent was given.

Question 3

Which of the following sentences from an incident report contains a comma splice, which is a common grammatical error?

Accepted Answer

The suspect was uncooperative, he refused to provide his name.

Answer

I arrived on scene and made contact with the victim.

Answer

After searching the area, I located the missing evidence.

Answer

The witness stated that the vehicle was a blue sedan.

Question 4

An officer is documenting evidence collected at a scene. Which sentence uses commas correctly to list the items recovered?

Accepted Answer

I recovered a wallet, a set of keys, and a spent shell casing from the floor.

Answer

I recovered a wallet a set of keys and a spent shell casing, from the floor.

Answer

I recovered, a wallet, a set of keys, and a spent shell casing from the floor.

Answer

I recovered a wallet, a set of keys and a spent shell casing from the floor.

Question 5

Which sentence correctly uses the often-confused words 'its' and 'it's'?

Accepted Answer

The K-9 unit was tracking the suspect by its scent.

Answer

The vehicle had a broken taillight on it's left side.

Answer

Its clear that the suspect fled through the back door.

Answer

The department will issue its new policy next week, its expected to be controversial.

Question 6

When writing the narrative portion of an incident report, the information should be organized chronologically. Which of the following sentences best demonstrates this principle by using a clear time reference?

Accepted Answer

At 21:15 hours, I was dispatched to a disturbance at 123 Main St.

Answer

The victim was visibly upset when I spoke to her.

Answer

The suspect fled the scene in a dark-colored sedan.

Answer

Evidence was collected and secured in my patrol vehicle.