Report Writing for Law Enforcement Officers
Hours: 1.25
As a law enforcement officer, you spend a significant amount of time writing reports. While report writing isn’t one of the most exciting tasks you will perform, it is an important one. Your reports will become part of a permanent record, be read and possibly scrutinized by people inside and outside your department, and can become evidence in criminal and civil legal proceedings. Therefore, it is important to write reports that are clear, concise, accurate, and professional. Writing reports can seem frustrating and time consuming when you struggle with writing or are given reports back from a supervisor to rewrite because it doesn’t contain or communicate the essential details effectively. In this course, you will learn why a well-written report is important, strategies for structuring a report, guidelines for improving your report writing skills, and how to evaluate a report according to the “5 Cs.” You will have opportunities to assess and apply your understanding of concepts through interactive exercises.
As a law enforcement officer, you spend a significant amount of time writing reports. While report writing isn’t one of the most exciting tasks you will perform, it is an important one. Your reports will become part of a permanent record, be read and possibly scrutinized by people inside and outside your department, and can become evidence in criminal and civil legal proceedings. Therefore, it is important to write reports that are clear, concise, accurate, and professional. Writing reports can seem frustrating and time consuming when you struggle with writing or are given reports back from a supervisor to rewrite because it doesn’t contain or communicate the essential details effectively. In this course, you will learn why a well-written report is important, strategies for structuring a report, guidelines for improving your report writing skills, and how to evaluate a report according to the “5 Cs.” You will have opportunities to assess and apply your understanding of concepts through interactive exercises.
