POLICE INVESTIGATIVE REPORT WRITING

By: Prof. Nelly D. Callueng

Review of Grammar

Parts of speech

1. Noun – names a person, place or thing. Briefly, it is a name word.

Kinds of noun
1. Common noun
2. Proper noun
E.g. common noun
Policeman
Crime
Gun
Questioned document
Country
Citizen

Proper noun
SPO1 Pat Matapat
Murder
Smith & Wesson
Birth Certificate
Philippines
Filipino

2. Pronoun – used instead of a noun or in place of a noun.

E.g. noun
Policewoman
Patrolman
Crime
Offenders

Pronoun
She
He
It
They, their, that, this, those, who, whose

Kinds of Pronoun

1. Personal pronoun – composed of three persons

 First person – person speaking – I
  Second person – person spoken to – You
 Third person – person or thing spoken of – he, she, it, they, their, etc.

Note: police reports are generally done in the third person.

2. Relative pronoun – refers to the noun or pronoun previously used in the sentence.
E.g. that, which, who, whose.
3. Demonstrative pronoun – points out directly to a place, person, or thing.
E.g. that, these, this, those, etc.

QUESTIONS:
1. In a sentence, the subject noun can be replaced with a:
A. Pronoun
B. Verb
C. Common Noun
D. Proper noun
2. Police reports can ONLY use ______ person, with the rest on a quoted manner.
A. First
B. Second
C. Third
D. All
3. “The witness whose testimony is vital to the case, is missing.” The underlined word is a
______ pronoun.
A. Demonstrative
B. Personal
C. Relative
D. First person

Police Report Writing - 2

4. The answer to the above question do not refer to any of the answer EXCEPT:
A. Noun
B. Used in place of a noun
C. Refers to noun/pronoun previously used
D. Verb

Verbs – are action words. They are the doer of the action, so they act as predicate of the sentence. Its
various form indicate time and tense. Because police reports contain actions done in the past, all verbs
should be in the past tense. And, because police reports are mostly in the third person, regular verbs
form its person singular by adding S or ES.
E.g.
Third person Past tense
Kill Kills Killed
Arrest Arrests Arrested
Execute Executes Executed
Perform Performs Performed
Dance Dances Danced

On the other hand, irregular verbs – form their past tense by changing their form.

E.g.

Third person Past tense

Am Was
Is Was
Are Were
Break Breaks Broke
Take Takes Took
Drive Drives Drove
Get Gets Got
Take Takes Took
Go Goes Went

5. Doer of action.
A. Subject
B. Pronoun
C. Noun
D. Predicate

Subject and Verb Agreement – is the grammatical relationship of words with respect to their person,
number, gender of case.

E.g.

Person Number Gender

Policeman 3rd person Singular Male
Crimes 3rd person Plural Neuter

Sentence example: the policeman spotted the suspect. He arrested him.

Linking verbs – verbs that connect or link the subjective compliment to the simple subject.

E.g.

The lady is an eye-witness to the crime.

She was said to be a karate expert.

 6. One of these sentences has a subject and verb agreement.
A. Robin Padilla, the actor, is one of my students.
B. I am not as good today, as I am yesterday.
C. Guns is a policeman's best defense.
D. Corruption are rampant in the government.

Police Report Writing – 3

7. A subjective compliment to a simple subject is connected by a:

A. Verb
B. Linking verb
C. Interjunction
D. Conjunction
8. ALL, EXCEPT one, can be used as a linking verb.
A. Is
B. Are
C. Was
D. And

Adverbs – are words that modify verbs, adjectives and adverb. They end in LY, which is the usual sign of
an adverb. Sometimes LY may be added to nouns to make them adjectives. Most often however, LY is
added to adjectives to make them adverb.

E.g.

Adjectives Adverbs
Nice Nicely
Perfect Perfectly
Glad Gladly
Secret Secretly
Brutal Brutally
Heinous Heinously

Adjectives – are words that modify nouns. Both adverbs and adjectives are modifiers but while adverbs
modify all other words, an adjective only modifies a noun. They also add details or specifics to a phrase,
a word, or a sentence.

E.g.

Honest policeman

Loyal soldier

Kind-hearted judge

Understanding mother
 9.
1. The nice done work was performed by police rookies.
2. The candidly Shot was an stolen shot.
3. The honestly officer was commended for a job well-done.
4. All the reviewees successfully passed the board.

A. Statements 1,2 and 3 are grammatically correct.

B. While statements 2, 3 and 4 are wrong.
C. But statements 1,2 and 3 are likewise wrong.
D. All the statements are correct.
10. Adverbs and adjectives both act as _____.
A. Subject of sentence
B. Predicate of a sentence
C. Modifiers
D. Linking words
11. The answer to the above question is very important in the making of police reports
because they add ______ to make the report clearer.
A. Color
B. Vividness
C. Details
D. Explanation

Antonyms – words with opposite meaning s.

E.g

Long – short

Yes – no

Dark – bright

Old – new

Sweet – sour

Police Report Writing – 4

Homonyms – words with similar sounds, but different meaning and spelling.

E.g.

Brake – break

Bail – bale

By – buy

Dye – die

Dear – deer
Synonyms – similar meanings but different sounds and spelling.

E.g.

Short – petite

Unique – different

Joy – happiness

Rude – disrespectful

Linking words – words that bridge the idea of a previous paragraph to another.b

E.g.

So, yet, besides, furthermore, however, otherwise, or else, hence, thus, finally

12. It has the same meaning but different sound and spelling.
A. Word meaning
B. Linking verbs
C. Synonyms
D. Homonyms
13. All are linking words EXCEPT:
A. Therefore
B. Finally
C. In conclusion
D. Because
14. Ideas are connected by this word, from one paragraph to another.
A. Dictionary
B. Vocabulary
C. Linking verbs
D. Linking word
Police sentence – is a grammatically structured sentence with a subject and predicate with a
distinctive use of police words, phrases, and clauses, and other terminologies without being too
technical, vulgar, and legal, its vocabulary and diction conform with police functions and
objectives.

E.g. The gun used by the hit-man was a .38 Paltic.

Tonic sentence – is the first sentence immediately at the beginning of the next or insuing of
following paragraph, and also known as the main subject of the sentence.

Introductory paragraph – is the first paragraph in police report writing. It readily inform the
reader the type of report and its subject.

Spelling – is important not only for the impression it gives to the writer but also for accuracy.
 Punctuation – is the customary little marks that determine whether a sentence is clear or has a
doubtful meaning. It also makes the report as clear as possible.

15. ______ sentence has a vocabulary and diction that conforms with police functions and
objectives.
A. Declarative
B. Police
C. Topic
D. Subject

16. In a police report, the ______ paragraph carries the type of report and its subject.
A. First
B. Introductory
C. Concluding
D. Last

Police Report Writing - 5

17. ALL EXCEPT one, tells if a sentence is clear or doubtful in its meaning.
A. Sentence structure
B. Punctuation
C. Interrogative sentence
D. Declarative sentence

The Investigative Report

 What is a police report? It is an exact narration of facts, discovered during the course of an
investigation which serves as a permanent record for future reference.
 Types of police report:
1. Initial report – is an advanced information on a new or fresh case assigned to an
investigator, submitted immediately after the conduct of an investigation.
2. Progress reports – are the result of the follow-up investigations of a fresh or
new case. It is submitted everytime or whenever any development or progress
is accomplished in the case. This can be submitted more than once.
3. Final report – is written and submitted whenever the case is solved and
classified as closed. It is categorized as closed when the offender is finally
arrested, evidences are gathered to warrant prosecution, and witnesses are
ready and willing to testify.
18. One of these, cannot be categorized as police report.
A. Follow-up report
B. Advanced information
C. Admission of guilt
D. Final report
19. This one explains best, what a police report is.
A. Daily operational occurrences
B. Police records
 C. Factual narration of facts of a case
D. Reaffirming what happened
20. This statement is false.
A. A police report that carries half-truth statements, is still a report.
B. Factual basis of police reports should be on the five senses.
C. A final report can be submitted more than once.
D. Just as progress reports too.
21. ALL EXCEPT one can be considered the basis of a case closed and final report is
submitted:
A. Identity of the suspect
B. His arrest
C. Bailed
D. Evidences gathered and properly evaluated with witness' willingness to
testify.
Classification of police report
1. Formal report – suggests a full-dress treatment including cover, title, page, letter of transmittal,
summary sheet, text, appendices.
2. Informal report – is a letter or memorandum or any one of many prescribed or used in day-by-
day police operations. Included in its items besides the text proper, are the date submitted.
Most police reports are placed in this category.

Police Report Writing – 6

Other forms of Communications
 General orders – used to publish matters relating to the modification of the skeleton of
the organization, shifting of junctions from one command to another, changes of
territorial jurisdiction of police precincts, and those That require execution of policies of
the administration.
 Special orders – used to announce appointments of personnel, whether original or
promotional, reinstatement, rank promotions, salary increases, transfers, designations,
administrative fines and punishments, resignations, retirements, and dismissals.
 Numbered memoranda – contain directives of general concern to, and for compliance
by, all units and. Offices on specific subjects concerning various phases of external and
internal administration of the police organization.
 Circulars – used in the publication of laws, ordinances, executive orders, administrative
orders, opinions and other valuable information which may serve as convenient guides
and references for members in the performance of their official duties.
 Memoranda – used for the dissemination of specific orders for
implementation/compliance by certain period of time. Memoranda shall also be used
for the publication of letters of appreciation and other communication from various
government and/or private offices and individuals for informative purposes.

Qualities of good police report

1. The report should be factual – a report is said to be factual when all the facts are based on the
five senses, as in what was seen, heard, tasted and felt.
2. The report must be complete – for a report to be complete, it has to be exhaustive that it must
contain all the facts. Hence, completeness means reporting all the facts which were discovered
in the course of investigation. Any relevant and pertinent information must also be reflected in
the report.
3. The report should be objective – meaning, presenting all the facts with appropriate words, and
the writer should not be opinionated, and instead impartial In presenting the facts to reflect
reliability and objectivity.
4. The report should be clear – that it should be as simple and direct as possible, where the subject
or the purpose of the report is clearly stated.
5. The report should be relevant – the report should relate exclusively to the stated objective,
however, if another subject is to be introduced in the same report, as a result of. Follow-up
investigation of the original case, the inclusion of the newly discovered facts should be closely
related and the relationship should be made clear.
6. The report should be brief - briefness can be accomplished by avoiding sensationalizing the
facts, inclusion of unnecessary details not related to the statement of objective, and the facts
should be unified and coherent.
7. The report should be accurate – the accuracy of a report is likewise taken from what was
observed and seen, heard, tasted, felt and smelled.
8. The report should be up-to-date – all reports should be submitted immediately since it is the
basis of a detective's efficiency.
9. The report should be fair – this can be done by avoiding preconceived theories in the
investigation that might cause twisting of facts and affecting the report. Fairness can also be
attained by keeping an open mind.

Police Report Writing – 7

1. Q. Police investigative reports are classified under:
A. Informal reports
B. Formal
C. Circulars
D. Memorandum
2. Q. A police report may either be:
A. Formal or informal
B. Memoranda or numbered memoranda
C. Investigative or reportorial
D. Initial or follow up
3. Q. Many of the prescribed communications in a police organization are the following EXCEPT:
A. Circulars
B. Special order
C. Numbered memoranda
D. Letter of instruction
4. Q. SPO1 Lukas Malakas was promoted to the next rank, and gave blow out to his teammates.
Unfortunately, his salary remains the same due to the absence of:
A. Salary adjustment
B. Memo
 C. Letter of instruction
D. Special order
5. Q. A general order contains only ONE of these answers:
A. Rank promotion
B. Compliance to directives
C. Retirement benefits
D. Skeletal modification of the organization
6. Q. A police communication that is temporary In nature.
A. Memoranda
B. Circulars
C. Numbered memoranda
D. Special order