POST Incident Report Writing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A supervisor returns an officer's report requesting it be 'more objective.' The officer should review the report for:
- Sections where more technical language could be added
- Opinions, conclusions, and emotional language that should be replaced with factual observations (Correct answer)
- Areas where additional witness names can be inserted
- Passive voice constructions that need to be converted to active voice
Correct answer: Opinions, conclusions, and emotional language that should be replaced with factual observations
Objectivity in reports means removing personal opinions, emotional descriptors, and unsupported conclusions and replacing them with documented facts and observations.
Question 2: When documenting a subject's Miranda rights invocation during an investigation, the report should note:
- That the subject was uncooperative and refused to answer questions
- The exact words the subject used to invoke rights and that questioning ceased immediately (Correct answer)
- That the officer advised the subject that invoking rights implies guilt
- Nothing, as Miranda invocations are not reportable events
Correct answer: The exact words the subject used to invoke rights and that questioning ceased immediately
Documentation of a Miranda invocation must include the subject's exact words and confirm that questioning stopped immediately, as this is critical to admissibility of any subsequent statements.
Question 3: Which of the following scenarios requires a separate property/evidence report in addition to the incident report?
- An officer observes contraband but leaves it in place for detectives
- An officer collects a knife used as a weapon and books it into evidence (Correct answer)
- An officer views and photographs evidence without collecting it
- An officer verbally notifies a detective about discovered evidence
Correct answer: An officer collects a knife used as a weapon and books it into evidence
Any time physical evidence is collected and booked, a separate property/evidence report documenting the item, its collection, and its chain of custody is required.
Question 4: An officer witnesses a suspect make a spontaneous statement before any questioning begins. This should be documented by:
- Omitting it since Miranda warnings were not given
- Recording it in quotation marks and noting it was made spontaneously prior to any questioning (Correct answer)
- Paraphrasing it so the exact wording cannot be challenged in court
- Including it only if the officer immediately advised the suspect of their Miranda rights afterward
Correct answer: Recording it in quotation marks and noting it was made spontaneously prior to any questioning
Spontaneous statements made before any custodial interrogation begins are admissible and should be recorded verbatim in quotation marks, with a note that they were unprompted.
Question 5: What is the primary reason police reports must be completed as soon as practical after an incident?
- To meet department overtime deadlines
- Memory fades quickly and delays increase the likelihood of inaccurate or incomplete documentation (Correct answer)
- State law requires all reports to be submitted within one hour of any incident
- Supervisors cannot approve reports submitted the following day
Correct answer: Memory fades quickly and delays increase the likelihood of inaccurate or incomplete documentation
Human memory is most accurate immediately after an event, and delays increase the risk of forgetting details, confusing facts, or being influenced by subsequent information.
Question 6: A report documenting a DUI arrest should specifically include which of the following observations?
- The officer's opinion that the suspect had been drinking for several hours
- Specific observed signs of impairment such as odor of alcohol, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and performance on field sobriety tests (Correct answer)
- A general statement that the suspect 'appeared intoxicated' without elaboration
- Only the breathalyzer result since it is the most objective measure
Correct answer: Specific observed signs of impairment such as odor of alcohol, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and performance on field sobriety tests
DUI reports require detailed documentation of specific observed impairment indicators because these facts establish probable cause independent of any chemical test result.
Question 7: When an officer writes 'the victim had a prior relationship with the suspect,' this information is included because:
- It implies the victim is partially responsible for the incident
- It provides context that may be relevant to motive, dynamics, and the investigation (Correct answer)
- Relationship history always elevates the charge to a felony
- Department policy requires all personal relationships to be listed in every report
Correct answer: It provides context that may be relevant to motive, dynamics, and the investigation
Prior relationship context between parties is relevant background information that can inform motive, establish patterns, and assist investigators and prosecutors in understanding the incident.
POST Incident Report Writing 5
A supervisor returns an officer's report requesting it be 'more objective.' The officer should review the report for: