Police report writing is a specific style of writing that requires its own rules and conventions. The objective of police reporting is to make the report as concise and to the point as possible while including all relevant facts and information. The quality of a police report is often the determining factor in the decision to take a case forward to trial or drop charges. Police reports can be of two types, administrative and incident. Administrative reports are generally written for police supervisors, while incident reports are usually written for courts and juries. The report writing process is detailed, and tips to make the report logical and grammatically correct are offered. The purpose of a police report is to document every incident in a complete, clear, and concise manner, and any arrest, follow-up investigation, prosecution, or administrative action that is to be taken as a result of the report must be initiated, supported, or justified by the information contained solely within the body of the report. Police reports have many different uses, both within the criminal justice system and beyond, including identification of criminals, insurance claims, and statistical analysis.

Some common mistakes to avoid in police report writing include factual errors or omissions, insufficient legal justification, incomplete or missing elements, and poor organization. It is important for officers to clearly, accurately, and objectively convey the facts of their case, and to focus primarily on those elements of police reports that may bring the legality of an officers actions under review, cause the reader to question the officer’s investigative abilities, or jeopardize an officer’s case in court.

In summary, police report writing is a critical skill for police officers, and the ability to document the facts and activities of an incident directly reflects the professionalism of the officer and the department, and also affects the ability of the justice system to successfully prosecute a criminal case.