POST Incident Report Writing 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When documenting a suspect's physical description in an incident report, the officer should begin with:
- The most unusual or distinguishing feature
- General characteristics such as race, sex, age, and height before moving to specific details (Correct answer)
- The suspect's clothing since that is most likely to change
- Tattoos and scars as they are permanent identifiers
Correct answer: General characteristics such as race, sex, age, and height before moving to specific details
Physical descriptions should follow a head-to-toe or general-to-specific order, beginning with broad identifiers like race, sex, age, and height.
Question 2: A report contains the phrase 'the suspect seemed nervous.' This is an example of:
- A factual observation appropriate for any report
- A conclusion or inference that should be supported by specific observed behaviors (Correct answer)
- Hearsay that must be removed from the report
- An acceptable opinion since officers are trained observers
Correct answer: A conclusion or inference that should be supported by specific observed behaviors
Words like 'seemed' indicate an inference; the report should instead describe the specific observed behaviors such as 'the suspect's hands were shaking and he avoided eye contact.'
Question 3: In a use-of-force incident report, what is most critical to document regarding the officer's decision-making?
- The department's general use-of-force policy verbatim
- The specific facts and circumstances known to the officer at the moment force was applied (Correct answer)
- The outcome of the incident and whether force was ultimately justified
- Supervisor approval of the force level before writing the report
Correct answer: The specific facts and circumstances known to the officer at the moment force was applied
Use-of-force reports must document the specific facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time force was applied, as this establishes the objective reasonableness standard.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of 'editorial comment' that should be avoided in police reports?
- The victim stated she was struck twice.
- The defendant was uncooperative from the moment of contact.
- The suspect, who was obviously lying, claimed he was home all evening. (Correct answer)
- The witness identified the suspect from a photo lineup.
Correct answer: The suspect, who was obviously lying, claimed he was home all evening.
Phrases like 'obviously lying' inject the officer's opinion and bias into the report; only the observable facts and the suspect's actual statement should be recorded.
Question 5: When is it appropriate to use the word 'I' in a police report?
- Never — police reports must always be written in third person
- Always — first person is preferred for clarity and accountability
- Only when quoting what the officer said during the incident
- It depends on the department's style preference, but consistency throughout is required (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It depends on the department's style preference, but consistency throughout is required
Some agencies require first person ('I observed'), while others use third person ('Officer Smith observed'); the critical requirement is that whichever style is chosen, it must be used consistently throughout the report.
Question 6: An officer completes a report but later recalls an important fact that was omitted. The correct action is to:
- Rewrite the entire original report incorporating the new information
- Add the information directly to the original report without notation
- Write a supplemental report documenting the additional information (Correct answer)
- Only include the information if it helps the prosecution
Correct answer: Write a supplemental report documenting the additional information
A supplemental report is the proper mechanism for adding information discovered or remembered after the original report was completed, preserving the integrity of both documents.
Question 7: The phrase 'at approximately 2230 hours' in a report indicates the officer is:
- Being dishonest by admitting uncertainty
- Appropriately acknowledging that exact time is uncertain and documenting an estimate (Correct answer)
- Violating report standards by not providing an exact time
- Using improper format that must be corrected to civilian time
Correct answer: Appropriately acknowledging that exact time is uncertain and documenting an estimate
Using 'approximately' when an exact time is not known is accurate and appropriate; fabricating a precise time when uncertain would be dishonest.
POST Incident Report Writing 3
When documenting a suspect's physical description in an incident report, the officer should begin with: