how to describe a police officer creative writing

• Rewrite Service
• Testimonials

How to Write a Believable Police Investigation Scene in a Script.

Expert advice from a former federal agent..

How to write a believable police investigation scene in your script.

Thankfully, screenwriting isn’t just about “writing what you know.” It’s obviously also about creating and recreating worlds that you might have zero experience of.

So let’s say you want to write a script that involves a crime scene or police investigation scene… But you’ve never been involved with law enforcement.

Many aspiring writers don’t see a problem here. They just dive into writing the script— and   fill in the blanks using their imagination.

They feel that because they’ve watched so many police procedural shows, they have a good enough idea of how crime scene investigators operate.

The vast majority then wind up suffering from a severe lack of believability .

Professional writers take a different tack.

They do research .

Writing a crime scene or a whole police investigation script with all the correct details in place will help make for a better story and, ultimately, a better chance of a sale .

Click to tweet this post.

Introducing Kirk Flashner: a law enforcement technical advisor…

One way of doing this is to enlist the help of a professional advisor who can read your script and let you know what you’re getting right in your crime scene and what you’re getting wrong.

If you’re writing a crime-based feature script or TV show, you should definitely consider hiring the expert services of a guy like Kirk Flashner.

For almost 27 years he was officially employed as a Federal Agent for the United States Government. He is now a technical advisor for film and TV —reviewing scripts to ensure technical accuracy for law enforcement practices and procedures.

Kirk has been kind enough to make a list of the more common misconceptions  he finds in scripts when it comes to police investigation scenes and you can find his contact details at the end of the post.

Even if you’re not writing a crime-based script, you can apply the points below to your own genre by always remembering to never be satisfied with “ I think that’s how it works .”

So without further ado, here’s Kirk on how to avoid the common mistakes writers make when writing a police investigation scene.

Mistake #1: Academy trainees conducting investigations.

Screenwriters sometimes have characters that are still trainees attending a law enforcement academy and at the same time conducting investigations.

The best example of this can be found in The Silence of the Lambs .

Agent Trainee Clarice Starling misses a considerable amount of her New Agent Training at the highly regimented FBI Academy, to work basically alone on a dangerous investigation with minimal supervision. In the end, she also somehow still graduates on time with her class.

In fact, trainees do not conduct investigations while in academy training.

Missing training to conduct outside investigations will almost certainly get them fired. Under the best of circumstances, the trainee would still have to go back and remediate the missed training.

Mistake #2: Arrests and searches without a warrant.

An immediate search or arrest without a warrant may be an exciting plot device, but it’s only very rarely done by investigators.

In most instances, searches and arrests are done with warrants . If the matter is urgent, locations to be searched and/or person(s) to be arrested are kept under surveillance while a warrant is obtained.

Searches and arrests without warrants are likely come under scrutiny afterward and will require the investigator to clearly state their reason for the urgency of circumstances to the prosecutor before acceptance for prosecution, in front of a grand jury, or in court.

The investigator must be able to clearly communicate a very good reason for the urgency of the case —such as the suspect is about to leave the country or immediately commit a crime. Otherwise, it can go bad fast.

Mistake #3: Use of minors as confidential informants.

When writers use a minor child character as a law Confidential Informant (CI) , they seem to leave out one very important fact. They’re minors!

Using minors as CIs is sometimes done by law enforcement. But it is not quite as easy as picking them up on the street and taking them somewhere for a discussion.

The use of minors by law enforcement is generally done very carefully, almost always under the guidance of the prosecutor and with the permission of their parent or guardian.

Law enforcement officers who use minors as CIs especially without formal permission from parents or guardians are generally looking at job termination or worse.

Mistake #4: Sloppy evidence handling.

Physical evidence is not generally just tossed in the trunk of an investigator’s vehicle and then left there for weeks without any official law enforcement custody records, and then admitted as evidence in court.

Law enforcement agencies have strict rules about recording who had the evidence, how long it was in their possession, and where it was stored.

When evidence is taken into custody during a search warrant, it is logged into an inventory list .

All of this together makes up what is called “chain of custody.” Not properly following these procedures can cause a prosecutor not to take the case, or drop it.

Click to tweet this post. 

A word from Kirk…

Screenwriters are only limited by their own imagination, and that is a good thing. However, misconceptions about how law enforcement really works is also limited by their imagination, but that is where I come in.

I can review your work and provide a review of what may not be technically correct , and let you decide what to do next with your story.

I can also work with you more in-depth to help you craft your story around correct law enforcement practices and procedures.

When I review a script, it is a bit like conducting an investigation. Each one is unique, and you never know what you are going to find.

Let’s see how we can work together. You can contact me via info[at]flashner.com or at my website . I look forward to hearing from you and learning about you and your story.

Conclusion.

Make sure you don’t fall into the same trap as many aspiring screenwriters out there:

Writing about crime scenes and police investigations while not being sure they’re correct. But leaving them as they appear in your imagination because “no one will know the difference.”

The thing is, some readers might .

And even if they don’t, they will like your script a hell of a lot more if they feel they’re in the hands of a writer who’s taken the time to thoroughly research their subject matter.

This not only shows dedication but also helps draw them into the story, putting you above all those writers who haven’t bothered to make sure their police investigation scene feels authentic.

How much research do you do before writing a crime scene or a police investigation? Do you dive into the writing, even though you only have a vague idea about the subject matter? Or do you do your research first? Let us know in the comments section below!

Enjoyed this post? Read more about scenes here…

How to Write a Fight Scene in a Script

8 Out of 10 Writers Have Been Told How to Write a Scene the Wrong Way

8 Keys to Writing a Scene That Pops Off the Page and Grabs the Reader

[© Photo credits: Unsplash , Flashner Consulting ]

Like it? Share it!

Search 10 years of help, blog post categories.

HOW TO WRITE A SCRIPT

HOW TO BECOME A SCREENWRITER

SCREENWRITING RESOURCES

Cliche-free script coverage, $200 off screenwriting course, most popular blog posts.

50 OF THE BEST SCREENPLAYS TO READ AND DOWNLOAD IN EVERY GENRE

HOW TO WRITE FOR TV: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO STARTING YOUR CAREER

BEST SCREENWRITING BOOKS TO READ FOR ASPIRING SCREENWRITERS

HOW TO GET A SCREENWRITING AGENT & MANAGER IN 10 PROVEN STEPS

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY THAT’S UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN 6 STEPS

Privacy overview.

Essay Sample on Why I Want to Be a Police Officer

When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a police officer. As I grew older, my dream of becoming an officer never faded away; in fact, it only grew stronger. Being a police officer is more than just enforcing the law and maintaining order in society; it’s about being part of something bigger and making a difference in people’s lives. In this essay, which is an example of custom writing , I will explain why I want to be a police officer and how my passion for this job will help me become successful at it. 

Becoming a Police Officer: Exploring My Aspirations to Be a Police Officer 

The main reason why I want to become a police officer is that I have always wanted to make a difference in the world. The idea of being able to help people in need and bring justice to those who deserve it has always been appealing to me. Furthermore, as an officer, you are given the opportunity to work with different communities and build relationships with them while still doing your job effectively. 

In addition to wanting to make a difference and build relationships with the community, I am driven by the challenge that comes with policing. Police work is complex and ever-changing, so officers must stay on their toes and be prepared for anything they may encounter out on the streets. This means having quick thinking skills, being able to adapt quickly, staying calm under pressure, and having excellent problem-solving abilities. All these traits are necessary for success as an officer, which makes the job both challenging and exciting for me at the same time. 

Why Pursue Law Enforcement? 

Law enforcement requires immense dedication and commitment, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. As a police officer, I would have the opportunity to make a significant impact on people’s lives. Every day would bring new opportunities to help people in need, bring criminals to justice, and serve my community. It is an incredibly honorable profession that requires an individual with strong moral principles and courage. 

What Does It Take? 

The road to becoming a police officer is not easy – it requires dedication, discipline, hard work, and sacrifice. It involves mastering both physical tasks such as firearms training, as well as mental tasks such as understanding different laws and regulations about policing. Training does not end when you are hired; it is continuous throughout your career so that you can stay up-to-date with the latest tactics and technologies used in law enforcement today. This means putting in long hours studying law books or practicing shooting with firearms on the range regularly. 

Making Sacrifices for Others 

To my mind, being a police officer also involves making sacrifices – both physically and mentally – for the greater good of protecting others. This means sacrificing time spent with family or friends because you are working extra shifts, or going above and beyond your job duties because someone needs help urgently. It also involves sacrificing safety while responding to dangerous situations, or even putting your life on the line while apprehending criminals or rescuing victims from harm’s way. All of these require tremendous courage, which is why I am eager to pursue this path despite any potential risks associated with it.  

My Qualifications for Becoming a Police Officer 

I believe I have the qualities necessary for becoming an excellent police officer. First of all, I am physically fit – something that is essential for any law enforcement job. Moreover, my academic record speaks for itself; in college, I earned top marks in various criminal justice classes – another key requirement of becoming a police officer. Finally, my volunteer experience has helped me develop strong interpersonal skills, which will come in handy when interacting with citizens on the streets or during investigations. 

My Plan For Achieving My Goal 

Now that I have outlined my qualifications for becoming a police officer, it’s time to talk about how I plan on achieving this goal. 

First of all, I am currently enrolled in an academy program that teaches students the basics of law enforcement such as self-defense tactics and firearms safety protocols. After graduating from the academy program with honors, I hope to join a local law enforcement agency where I can gain hands-on experience as well as obtain certifications related to crime scene investigation techniques and other areas of policing work.  

Ultimately, my mission is clear: become the best possible police officer I can be so that I can serve the public with integrity and honor while protecting those who need help most!  

Becoming a police officer requires more than just desire; it demands dedication, discipline, sacrifice, courage, and skill sets related to both physical abilities like firearms training as well as mental abilities like understanding complex laws and regulations about policing. 

Despite any potential risks involved in this profession, I am confident I could make an incredible impact on my community by helping those in need while bringing criminals to justice – all while doing something that brings me great satisfaction each day! That is why I want to be a police officer!

Writing a Good Police Officer Essay 

Writing an essay about a police officer’s work can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right approach and some helpful tips, you can craft a college personal statement essay   that will really stand out. Let’s take a look at what it takes to write a great police officer essay.

Planning Your Essay 

Before you start writing your essay, take some time to plan out exactly what you want to say. This will help ensure that your ideas are organized and coherent. Start by making a list of key points that you want to cover in your essay. This might include topics such as why you’re interested in becoming a police officer, what qualities make you suitable for the role, and how your experience has prepared you for this position. 

Write from Your Heart 

Your essay should reflect your passion for becoming a police officer and should showcase your commitment to serving others. Talk about why you want to join the force—is it because you want to protect citizens or because you believe in justice? What have been some of your most meaningful experiences (i.e., volunteering, internships) that have made you even more determined?

Use Simple Language

When writing your police officer essay, remember that clarity is key. Avoid using overly complex language or long-winded sentences; instead, focus on succinctly conveying your ideas with clear language and precise wording.

Choosing a career in law enforcement is a challenging and rewarding decision. It is not just a job, but a calling to serve and protect your community. In this table, we will outline some of the top reasons why individuals may choose to become police officers.

Related posts:

• What Does Rain Symbolize in Literature
• Healing with Heart: Essay About My Plans to Becoming a Doctor
• Why I Want to Be a Healthcare Administrator, Essay Sample
• Honoring the Contributions of African Americans: Importance of Black History Month

Improve your writing with our guides

Youth Culture Essay Prompt and Discussion

Why Should College Athletes Be Paid, Essay Sample

Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised Essay: Benefits for Workers, Society, and The Economy

Get 15% off your first order with edusson.

Connect with a professional writer within minutes by placing your first order. No matter the subject, difficulty, academic level or document type, our writers have the skills to complete it.

100% privacy. No spam ever.

A Guide to Descriptive Writing

by Melissa Donovan | Jan 7, 2021 | Creative Writing | 9 comments

What is descriptive writing?

Writing description is a necessary skill for most writers. Whether we’re writing an essay, a story, or a poem, we usually reach a point where we need to describe something. In fiction, we describe settings and characters. In poetry, we describe scenes, experiences, and emotions. In creative nonfiction, we describe reality. Descriptive writing is especially important for speculative fiction writers and poets. If you’ve created a fantasy world, then you’ll need to deftly describe it to readers; Lewis Carroll not only described Wonderland  (aff link); he also described the fantastical creatures that inhabited it.

But many writers are challenged by description writing, and many readers find it boring to read — when it’s not crafted skillfully.

However, I think it’s safe to say that technology has spoiled us. Thanks to photos and videos, we’ve become increasingly visual, which means it’s getting harder to use words to describe something, especially if it only exists in our imaginations.

What is Descriptive Writing?

One might say that descriptive writing is the art of painting a picture with words. But descriptive writing goes beyond visuals. Descriptive writing hits all the senses; we describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel (their tactile quality).

The term descriptive writing can mean a few different things:

• The act of writing description ( I’m doing some descriptive writing ).
• A descriptive essay is short-form prose that is meant to describe something in detail; it can describe a person, place, event, object, or anything else.
• Description as part of a larger work: This is the most common kind of descriptive writing. It is usually a sentence or paragraph (sometimes multiple paragraphs) that provide description, usually to help the reader visualize what’s happening, where it’s happening, or how it’s happening. It’s most commonly used to describe a setting or a character. An example would be a section of text within a novel that establishes the setting by describing a room or a passage that introduces a character with a physical description.
• Writing that is descriptive (or vivid) — an author’s style: Some authors weave description throughout their prose and verse, interspersing it through the dialogue and action. It’s a style of writing that imparts description without using large blocks of text that are explicitly focused on description.
• Description is integral in poetry writing. Poetry emphasizes imagery, and imagery is rendered in writing via description, so descriptive writing is a crucial skill for most poets.

Depending on what you write, you’ve probably experimented with one of more of these types of descriptive writing, maybe all of them.

Can you think of any other types of descriptive writing that aren’t listed here?

How Much Description is Too Much?

Classic literature was dense with description whereas modern literature usually keeps description to a minimum.

Compare the elaborate descriptions in J.R.R. Tolkien’s  Lord of the Rings  trilogy  with the descriptions in J.K. Rowling’s  Harry Potter series  (aff links). Both series relied on description to help readers visualize an imagined, fantastical world, but Rowling did not use her precious writing space to describe standard settings whereas Tolkien frequently paused all action and spent pages describing a single landscape.

This isn’t unique to Tolkien and Rowling; if you compare most literature from the beginning of of the 20th century and earlier to today’s written works, you’ll see that we just don’t dedicate much time and space to description anymore.

I think this radical change in how we approach description is directly tied to the wide availability of film, television, and photography. Let’s say you were living in the 19th century, writing a story about a tropical island for an audience of northern, urban readers. You would be fairly certain that most of your readers had never seen such an island and had no idea what it looked like. To give your audience a full sense of your story’s setting, you’d need pages of detail describing the lush jungle, sandy beaches, and warm waters.

Nowadays, we all know what a tropical island looks like, thanks to the wide availability of media. Even if you’ve never been to such an island, surely you’ve seen one on TV. This might explain why few books on the craft of writing address descriptive writing. The focus is usually on other elements, like language, character, plot, theme, and structure.

For contemporary writers, the trick is to make the description as precise and detailed as possible while keeping it to a minimum. Most readers want characters and action with just enough description so that they can imagine the story as it’s unfolding.

If you’ve ever encountered a story that paused to provide head-to-toe descriptions along with detailed backstories of every character upon their introduction into the narrative, you know just how grating description can be when executed poorly.

However, it’s worth noting that a skilled writer can roll out descriptions that are riveting to read. Sometimes they’re riveting because they’re integrated seamlessly with the action and dialogue; other times, the description is deftly crafted and engaging on its own. In fact, an expert descriptive writer can keep readers glued through multiple pages of description.

Descriptive Writing Tips

I’ve encountered descriptive writing so smooth and seamless that I easily visualized what was happening without even noticing that I was reading description. Some authors craft descriptions that are so lovely, I do notice — but in a good way. Some of them are so compelling that I pause to read them again.

On the other hand, poorly crafted descriptions can really impede a reader’s experience. Description doesn’t work if it’s unclear, verbose, or bland. Most readers prefer action and dialogue to lengthy descriptions, so while a paragraph here and there can certainly help readers better visualize what’s happening, pages and pages of description can increase the risk that they’ll set your work aside and never pick it up again. There are exceptions to every rule, so the real trick is to know when lengthy descriptions are warranted and when they’re just boring.

Here are some general tips for descriptive writing:

• Use distinct descriptions that stand out and are memorable. For example, don’t write that a character is five foot two with brown hair and blue eyes. Give the reader something to remember. Say the character is short with mousy hair and sky-blue eyes.
• Make description active: Consider the following description of a room: There was a bookshelf in the corner. A desk sat under the window. The walls were beige, and the floor was tiled. That’s boring. Try something like this: A massive oak desk sat below a large picture window and beside a shelf overflowing with books. Hardcovers, paperbacks, and binders were piled on the dingy tiled floor in messy stacks.  In the second example, words like  overflowing  and  piled are active.
• Weave description through the narrative: Sometimes a character enters a room and looks around, so the narrative needs to pause to describe what the character sees. Other times, description can be threaded through the narrative. For example, instead of pausing to describe a character, engage that character in dialogue with another character. Use the characters’ thoughts and the dialogue tags to reveal description: He stared at her flowing, auburn curls, which reminded him of his mother’s hair. “Where were you?” he asked, shifting his green eyes across the restaurant to where a customer was hassling one of the servers.

Simple descriptions are surprisingly easy to execute. All you have to do is look at something (or imagine it) and write what you see. But well-crafted descriptions require writers to pay diligence to word choice, to describe only those elements that are most important, and to use engaging language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Instead of spending several sentences describing a character’s height, weight, age, hair color, eye color, and clothing, a few, choice details will often render a more vivid image for the reader: Red hair framed her round, freckled face like a spray of flames. This only reveals three descriptive details: red hair, a round face, and freckles. Yet it paints more vivid picture than a statistical head-to-toe rundown:  She was five foot three and no more than a hundred and ten pounds with red hair, blue eyes, and a round, freckled face.

10 descriptive writing practices.

How to Practice Writing Description

Here are some descriptive writing activities that will inspire you while providing opportunities to practice writing description. If you don’t have much experience with descriptive writing, you may find that your first few attempts are flat and boring. If you can’t keep readers engaged, they’ll wander off. Work at crafting descriptions that are compelling and mesmerizing.

• Go to one of your favorite spots and write a description of the setting: it could be your bedroom, a favorite coffee shop, or a local park. Leave people, dialogue, and action out of it. Just focus on explaining what the space looks like.
• Who is your favorite character from the movies? Describe the character from head to toe. Show the reader not only what the character looks like, but also how the character acts. Do this without including action or dialogue. Remember: description only!
• Forty years ago we didn’t have cell phones or the internet. Now we have cell phones that can access the internet. Think of a device or gadget that we’ll have forty years from now and describe it.
• Since modern fiction is light on description, many young and new writers often fail to include details, even when the reader needs them. Go through one of your writing projects and make sure elements that readers may not be familiar with are adequately described.
• Sometimes in a narrative, a little description provides respite from all the action and dialogue. Make a list of things from a story you’re working on (gadgets, characters, settings, etc.), and for each one, write a short description of no more than a hundred words.
• As mentioned, Tolkien often spent pages describing a single landscape. Choose one of your favorite pieces of classic literature, find a long passage of description, and rewrite it. Try to cut the descriptive word count in half.
• When you read a book, use a highlighter to mark sentences and paragraphs that contain description. Don’t highlight every adjective and adverb. Look for longer passages that are dedicated to description.
• Write a description for a child. Choose something reasonably difficult, like the solar system. How do you describe it in such a way that a child understands how he or she fits into it?
• Most writers dream of someday writing a book. Describe your book cover.
• Write a one-page description of yourself.

If you have any descriptive writing practices to add to this list, feel free to share them in the comments.

Descriptive Writing

Does descriptive writing come easily to you, or do you struggle with it? Do you put much thought into how you write description? What types of descriptive writing have you tackled — descriptive essays, blocks of description within larger texts, or descriptions woven throughout a narrative? Share your tips for descriptive writing by leaving a comment, and keep writing!

Further Reading: Abolish the Adverbs , Making the Right Word Choices for Better Writing , and Writing Description in Fiction .

I find descriptions easier when first beginning a scene. Other ones I struggle with. Yes, intertwining them with dialogue does help a lot.

I have the opposite experience. I tend to dive right into action and dialogue when I first start a scene.

I came across this article at just the right time. I am just starting to write a short story. This will change the way I describe characters in my story.

Thank you for this. R.G. Ramsey

You’re welcome!

Great tips and how to practise and improve our descriptive writing skills. Thank you for sharing.

You’re welcome, Bella.

Hello Melissa

I have read many of your articles about different aspects of writing and have enjoyed all of them. What you said here, I agree with, with the exception of #7. That is one point that I dispute and don’t understand the reason why anyone would do this, though I’ve seen books that had things like that done to them.

To me, a book is something to be treasured, loved and taken care of. It deserves my respect because I’m sure the author poured their heart and soul into its creation. Marking it up that way is nothing short of defacing it. A book or story is a form of art, so should a person mark over a picture by Rembrandt or any other famous painter? You’re a very talented author, so why would you want someone to mark through the words you had spent considerable time and effort agonizing over, while searching for the best words to convey your thoughts?

If I want to remember some section or point the author is making, then I’ll take a pen and paper and record the page number and perhaps the first few words of that particular section. I’ve found that writing a note this way helps me remember it better. This is then placed inside the cover for future reference. If someone did what you’ve suggested to a book of mine, I’d be madder than a ‘wet hen’, and that person would certainly be told what I thought of them.

In any of the previous articles you’ve written, you’ve brought up some excellent points which I’ve tried to incorporate in my writing. Keep up the good work as I know your efforts have helped me, and I’m sure other authors as well.

Hi Stanley. Thanks so much for sharing your point of view. I appreciate and value it.

Marking up a book is a common practice, especially in academia. Putting notes in margins, underlining, highlighting, and tagging pages with bookmarks is standard. Personally, I mark up nonfiction paperbacks, but I never mark up fiction paperbacks or any hardcovers (not since college).

I completely respect your right to keep your books in pristine condition. And years ago, when I started college, I felt exactly the same way. I was horrified that people (instructors and professors!) would fill their books with ugly yellow highlighting and other markips. But I quickly realized that this was shortsighted.

Consider an old paperback that is worn and dog-eared. With one look, you know this book has been read many times and it’s probably loved. It’s like the Velveteen Rabbit of books. I see markups as the same — that someone was engaging with the book and trying to understand it on a deeper level, which is not disrespectful. It’s something to be celebrated.

Sometimes we place too much value on the book as a physical object rather than what’s inside. I appreciate a beautiful book as much as anyone but what really matters to me is the information or experience that it contains. I often read on a Kindle. Sometimes I listen to audio books. There is no physical book. The experience is not lessened.

I understand where you’re coming from. I used to feel the same way, but my mind was changed. I’m not trying to change yours, but I hope you’ll understand.

You’ve provided some great information and advice. One thing I might add–it is helpful to consider the POV character. For example, what will they notice in a restaurant? A police officer may notice the placement of the exits, the tattooed man carrying a side-arm, the security cameras on the ceiling, etc. The descriptive items he would notice would be very different from those of an elderly grandmother or a fifteen-year-old teenaged girl.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

• 7 Sites You’ve Got to Check Out About Journaling! | The NoteBook Blogairy - […] Writing Forward: This eight-year-old website has TONS of great writerly information to share including a really wonderful piece about…

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Subscribe and get The Writer’s Creed graphic e-booklet, plus a weekly digest with the latest articles on writing, as well as special offers and exclusive content.

Recent Posts

• Writing Tips: Kill Your Darlings
• Writing Resources: A Poetry Handbook
• 12 Nature-Inspired Creative Writing Prompts
• Poetry Writing Exercises to Engage the Senses
• Tips for Developing Story Writing Ideas

Write on, shine on!

Pin It on Pinterest

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Additional menu

The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

Writing Tips: Common Mistakes In Police Procedurals

posted on November 27, 2019

Accuracy and authenticity are important in every kind of story but this is particularly true in crime, thriller and police procedural novels that involve law enforcement. Author and police officer, Patrick O'Donnell , walks us through the most common mistakes he sees in books and television that involve police forces.

As an author, researching police procedure can be a tricky proposition. The world of police procedure is often veiled behind a blue curtain. Most of us who work in law enforcement keep to ourselves and often see an outsider asking questions as someone who doesn’t always have good intentions.

Unfortunately, many people rely on what they see on television or in the movies to be accurate depictions of police work. Nothing could be further than the truth.

Many police stories are nothing but fiction. Of course, you could search the Internet and hope whatever article is accurate. Unfortunately, individuals often spin the facts to further their agenda write many of these articles.

Here are some common errors I see in crime-related stories:

1. Police Related Shootings

I have been involved in six police-related shootings where an officer was required to use deadly force. I have seen and experienced the trauma and emotions related to these incidents first hand. It is common to read a story or see a movie where the main character (usually a detective) shoots and kills a suspect. Most police-related shootings involve a police officer, not a detective.

In these stories, it is common for the officer or detective to be back out on the street in a couple of days, or even the same day as the incident! Nothing could be further than the truth.

These investigations take months , up to a year to complete. During that time, the officer is assigned desk duty until the investigations are complete. That means they are still armed working police officers, they just cannot go out and take assignments until their shooting investigation is complete.

This is a tremendous strain on the officer, their families, the department, community, and the suspect’s families and friends. This is a time when officers' marriages often fall apart, relationships with their children often fail, and the officer alienates themselves from family and friends.

Interrogating A Suspect

It is a common trope for writers to use the angry detective screaming at the suspect in a small room and eventually striking the suspect or doing bodily harm to them. Of course in the real world, that would get that detective fired and most likely criminally charged.

I was watching a popular crime drama on television with my wife where the detective took out her gun (police officers and detectives never go into an interview room armed) and forced it into the suspect mouth who was handcuffed behind his back, in an attempt to get a confession.

I’m not sure how he was going to talk with a mouth full of Glock, but it is Hollywood. I explained to my wife how ludicrous that was and almost every interrogation is recorded, either with audio and or video.

What is often missed is the way a confession is obtained. The detective or officer who is conducting the interrogation uses a combination of skill, empathy, sympathy and sometimes acting skills to obtain a confession. These interrogations often take hours or days, depending on the circumstances and severity of the crime.

The person conducting the interrogation has to “get inside the head” of the person they are interrogating. A skilled interrogator has to have the suspect believe that they understand why they committed whatever crime they are accused of.

As you can imagine, the more repulsive the crime, the more difficult it is to accomplish this. But it must be done and done correctly.

Miranda Warnings

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of cost. Do you understand these rights? Would you like to make a statement?

These are the Miranda warnings that are read to a person during a custodial interrogation. Most officers or detectives who read these warnings do so from a card they keep on them either in their pocket or memo book.

Almost every cop has the words memorized, but it has come up in motion hearings where a defense attorney will challenge the officer or detective on what they said to their client. That is why it is always read , instead of recited from memory.

Often in a police-related story, the detective arrests a suspect and starts to read them their rights on the street before they get into the squad. That is not correct. Miranda warnings are read to an arrestee before a custodial interrogation. This means they have to be under arrest and being interrogated.

When asking them their name and general information, you do not have to read them their rights.

The opposite of this is when the detective is questioning a suspect during an interrogation and they never advise the arrestee of their Miranda warnings. Any confession that the suspect gives would be thrown out in court.

A popular trope in crime stories is the rogue cop or detective that defies all of their bosses orders to get the bad guy. In the end, all is forgiven because they get their man.

In law enforcement, we start as police officers and promote or get appointed to higher ranks. This means we all have a boss.

Most police departments are paramilitary in structure. If a law enforcement officer disobeys a lawful direct order from a person of a higher rank, they are subject to discipline, termination and or criminal prosecution, depending on the situation. So much for the cop or detective going, rogue!

The next time you watch one of your favorite crime stories on T.V. or in the theatre, check out the ranks of the personnel at a crime scene. More than one time, I have seen all of the uniformed officers with sergeant stripes on their sleeves. It makes me laugh out loud. Sergeants are the supervisors at a crime scene. If everyone there is a sergeant, no one is investigating .

These are just some of the common errors that are in crime/police-related stories. Of course, your story is your story. You have some latitude with your story in regards to how things are done in real life. However, you should know what is complete fantasy and what is the truth, or close to it.

Do you write crime or police procedurals? What are your favorite resources for making sure your book is accurate? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

He is also an author and technical advisor helping authors and screenwriters get their police procedure right.

His latest book, Cops And Writers: From The Academy To The Street takes authors along with him into the world of police work. You can find him at his website .

Reader Interactions

November 28, 2019 at 5:38 am

That isn’t what I write, but I have found myself asking my ex-policeman husband for advice on the odd domestic burglary issue that has arisen in my short stories. As far as the interview room goes, it appears from many of the docu-series on TV that the only responses we need to field are ‘No Comment’.

November 28, 2019 at 10:41 am

I don’t write police procedurals, but I’ve had police officers in some of my stories, and I’m relieved that I got it right. I did a little research before I wrote about cops, but I’m looking forward to reading Mr. O’Donnel’s book for a more in depth look.

November 28, 2019 at 12:24 pm

Great post! I will be buying a copy of Cops and Writers. My latest novel ‘A Vintage Year for Libel and Slander” involves the disappearance of a $50 million diamond ring during a Crush party in Sonoma, California. Although I’m a lawyer-author, I had to seek criminal law specialist advice about how the theft of a valuable piece of jewelry would be investigated by local, Federal and international law enforcement agencies. I attended the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference in Corte Madera, California and was able to consult several criminal law specialists who attended and spoke at this conference. They included a deputy public defender, former FBI Special Agent, and several lawyers and judges. Many of these specialists are also authors, so this conference proved very useful.

May 12, 2023 at 10:43 am

Decent post. I have his books, but there is a reason it’s called FICTION. You can’t have a year of dead space waiting for an officer involved shooting to be cleared. How boring would it be to, ” did you kill him.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Connect with me on social media

Sign up for your free author blueprint.

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn!

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

How to Describe a Police Car in a Story

By Isobel Coughlan

Are you searching the web for tips on how to describe a police car in a story? This post is for you. In it, we explain 10 words you can use to describe a cool police car in your novel .

Something that moves very fast.

“The swift police car weaved amongst the traffic with ease. A standard car wouldn’t be able to navigate the busy streets so smoothly.”

“Let’s go now! But make sure you choose the swift police car. We need to get there quickly.”

How it Adds Description

Police cars often have the capability to drive fast, and “swift” shows how your fictional police car is faster than others on the street. “Swift” also has connotations of effortlessness, which can signal the driver is attuned to the car or very talented behind the wheel. If a character drives a “swift” police car, they might be more important than others, as they have access to a good motor.

Something very large or great.

“The immense police car rolled into the gas station, and everybody stopped to stare.”

“It was an immense police car, and she’d never seen such large wheels in her life.”

If you want to give a strong visual of the police car, “immense” can signify how large the vehicle is. “Immense” can also show the car is of a superior quality, which might make other characters feel fear or awe when it arrives. It can also simply show the car is a new or impressive model, which can give your reader an insight into the technology in your fictional world.

3. Lustrous

Something that shines gently or brightly due to a shiny surface.

“The lustrous police car patrolled the block. Its perfect sheen didn’t fit in amongst the beat-up cars parked along the street.”

“He chose to ride in the lustrous police car because he knew it would make him look cool.”

“Lustrous” implies the police car is well-taken care of and polished. This shows its owners take pride in their jobs as police officers or have lots of time and money to complete smaller tasks. A “lustrous” police car can also contrast areas that are dirty or chaotic, and you can use this to show the difference in status between the residents and the police.

Something extremely old or has existed for a long time.

“She gasped when she saw the ancient police car. It was missing two windows, one seat, and it smelt like dust.”

“He had no choice but to get into the rust-ridden, ancient police car, and he was embarrassed for the entirety of the ride.”

Not all police cars are new, and “ancient” can show how your fictional police car has seen better days. “Ancient” implies your police need more funding, but you can also use this adjective to show the police won’t let go of old-school technology and ideas. If a character describes the car as “ancient,” it shows they’re not impressed with it and potentially embarrassed to be seen with it.

Something that’s new or made recently .

“Gosh, what a fresh police car! If I get arrested, take me away in one of those beauties.”

“The man stepped out of the fresh police car with pride. It was obviously the latest model.”

“Fresh” is a colloquial term that shows something is new or impressive. When used with your police car, it shows the car is new, impressive, or very attractive. This could show your police have a large budget or lots of power in your fictional world. If a character calls the police car “fresh,” they appreciate its design. But when mixed with negative connotations, “fresh” can also show jealousy.

6. Intimidating

Something that’s frightening and makes others lose confidence .

“The intimidating police car appeared in her dreams again. She knew it was some kind of sign but didn’t know what it meant.”

“He shuffled away from the intimidating police car. He didn’t want to be near such a scary vehicle.”

“Intimidating” shows how other characters are fearful or suspicious of your fictional police car. This could be because of its scary design, but it could also be because your fictional police force is especially brutal. “Intimidating” can also foreshadow future negative plot points or create suspense for your reader.

Something that’s unimportant or small.

“The paltry police car wheeled around the corner, but no one even looked at it.”

“The woman laughed at the paltry police car, even though the policeman was angry.”

If you want to show your police car is low-quality or not a threat, “paltry” is a great word to use. This adjective shows how insignificant or physically small the car is. The word can also show how characters aren’t scared of it, and they might even poke fun at the car as a sign of disrespect.

8. Disappointing

Something not as impressive or good as expected to be.

“He glanced at the disappointing police car and winced. It was an embarrassment to the force.”

“The police car was disappointing . She’d expected a much larger vehicle.”

When people think of police cars, they often think of an impressive car with the latest tech. “Disappointing” shows that the car is low-quality or below your characters’ expectations. This adjective can even subtly signal that the police are lazy or unhelpful, as their vehicles aren’t up to standard.

Something ordinary or not special.

“The humble police car blended into the scenery.”

“The group took the humble police car so fewer people would notice them.”

“Humble” can stress that your police car is very ordinary or non-assuming. This can help your characters ride around without being noticed as the car blends in with others. “Humble” can also signal that the characters feel comfortable in it, as it’s a standard car.

10. Defective

Something that doesn’t work well.

“Don’t take the defective police car! It’ll crash!”

“She stayed away from the defective police car. It was a certain death trap.”

“Defective” shows your police car is broken or not working well, which can foreshadow future issues or potential danger for characters. A character might also call a police car “defective” to show they dislike it.

POLICE STATION

Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Setting Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

HELPFUL TIP:

Textures and sensations:, possible sources of conflict:, people commonly found in this setting:, setting notes and tips:, related settings that may tie in with this one:, setting description example:, techniques and devices used:, descriptive effects:.

Professional Writing Skills are Important in Law Enforcement

Writing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when we think about the skills needed for a career in law enforcement. Yet, police officers are expected to possess them, as they need to document their activities on a continuous basis.

In fact, some officers may have to write up to four lengthy reports per shift. That’s hours of work. Since those reports are used to enforce laws, the ability to write effectively and coherently is essential.

In this post, we’re going to talk about the connection between professional writing skills and a successful and fulfilling career in law enforcement.

Writing: Part of the Law Enforcement Routine

Television and media adaptation led us to believe that police work is all about chasing down criminals, high-speed vehicle pursuits, and dangerous shootouts.

The daily routine of a police officer – and other law enforcement officials – is quite different. Writing is a major part of that routine. A police officer needs to generate a report for every call of service to write down the details of events and investigations.

The reports are extremely important and used as evidence in court, investigating crimes, and even tracking criminal trends. A poorly written report thus can negatively affect a court case by failing to provide clear information about wrongdoing.

Ultimately, writing skills have a major impact on a law enforcement officer’s career. Police officers are well-aware of their importance.

In fact, a survey of Ohio police chiefs revealed that the vast majority perceived them important “to the success of a police officer” and that they “impact an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission.”

Credit: Police Chief Magazine

Over 90 percent of the participants also agreed that writing skills:

● Affected the prosecution of cases ● Impacted supervisor’s perception of them as a law enforcement officer ● Influenced the decision to appoint officers for special assignments ● Impacted their promotion within their department.

These results show that writing affects both an officer’s career and their ability to do their job.

When asked about specific qualities of writing (grammar, clarity, etc.), the participants also saw them as “extremely” or ”very” important.

So, the police officers say their writing must be accurate, clear, grammatically correct, detail-oriented, complete, and have a professional tone. Also, about 40 percent of participants saw “creativity” as a relevant quality to write effectively.

Types of Written Communications in Law Enforcement

So, what types of documents do law enforcement officers write? During the course of their career, they are expected to work on:

A police officer needs to draft a report describing every response to a suspected criminal activity. The report contains details such as the incident summary, involved individuals, facts, etc., and serves as a starting point in criminal investigations.

The types of reports vary and include traffic collision reports, arrest reports, DUI reports, crime case reports, stolen vehicle reports, attempted suicide reports, and lots more.

Community Outreach

Emails, website announcements, social media posts, and others – police departments are using outreach to engage with their community members. Police officers also participate in communication activities.

Internal Communications

As indicated by the Ohio survey, poor writing skills can negatively impact the perception of the supervisor.

Also, clear communication between police officers helps them do their job more effectively and efficiently.

Next, let’s see how to improve skills to communicate as a law enforcement officer.

How to Build Writing Skills for Law Enforcement Officers

1. focus on simplicity in public outreach messaging.

Making reports or other written communications sound fancy by using complex words and sentences is a bad idea. They introduce ambiguity and waste the time of people who will read the report later.

To make your writing simple, therefore, clearer, focus on two things:

● Conciseness ● Organization.

Let’s see some examples.

Read this excerpt from a public outreach program supported by the police department in Parker, CO. It’s a perfect representation of a concise, clear, and organized text.

To write clearly and organize texts:

● Use bullet points when listing tips or instructions. They make texts easier to scan and read ● Avoid informal language. Everyday, simple language is best for outreach because the public prefers it ● Start with a verb to give advice. Verbs eliminate repeating words in bullet points ● Use “you” and “your” in public outreach documents. It’s important to create a sense of a conversation with them ● Use headings and subheadings. They help to break up long texts, which applies to all kinds of public outreach writing.

Remember, the job of a law enforcement officer is to inform, not to impress.

Pro tip: Avoid “text speak” (e.g., “your” or “u” instead of “you are” and “you,” respectively) in all kinds of writing. Although it’s good for making writing shorter and more informal, it also makes it sound like an advertiser wrote it.

2. Use the “5-W 1-H” Formula for Report Writing

The “5-W & 1-H” formula is a common method used by law enforcement officers to achieve the most precise wording. The abbreviation stands for Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. By addressing these questions, an officer can address all details necessary for effective reporting:

● Persons ● Events/incidents ● Places ● Times ● Reasons.

Let’s see an example.

Version I – a poor example

“Victim states he was robbed at the Webster Square shopping center parking lot on 12th Street. The suspects fled down Washington Street toward Beaver Brook park.”

Version II – example written with “5-W & 1-H” formula

“Stephen Rowe stated that on 11/08/19 at approximately 8:45 pm, he was leaving Webster Square shopping center on 12th Street. Two males approached him in the parking lot with a gun and demanded to give them all the money he had. Stephen gave the men his wallet containing a credit card, after which the suspects fled toward beaver Brook park. Victim says the suspects were about 20-25 years of age, had a buzz cut, and wore black hoodies and blue jeans.”

The second version had much more details presented in an organized manner. This helps to organize the report and provide as many details as possible for investigation.

Pro tip: Andrew Rowe, a writing expert from TopEssayWriting : “Use between one and three commas per sentence. The second example follows this tip to avoid unnecessary complicated sentences and occasional punctuation errors.”

3. Use Chronological Order for Report Writing

Chronological order organizes events in a report according to the involvement of a law enforcement officer. This technique helps the reader understand the incident in order, as seen from the officer’s perspective.

Example without chronological order:

“I met with Ms. Morrison at 73 Shrewsbury Street regarding vehicle theft at about 3:10 pm. Ms. Morrison said she left her car parked by the piercing salon and went inside a nearby grocery store. When she returned to the parking lot beside the piercing salon, she found her car was missing.”

Example with chronological order:

“09/07/19 3:10 pm I arrived at the scene, located at 73 Shrewsbury Street. I interviewed the victim, Ms. Morrison, at 3:15 pm. Ms. Morrison stated that she left her car at the parking lot besides a piercing salon at about 2:30 pm. She said when she returned from the grocery store at about 2:45 pm, she found her car was missing.”

As you can see, each sentence contains a time to help the readers understand the timeline of the event.

Pro tip : begin every sentence with a noun (person, palace, or thing) as in the examples. It’s a normal structure in English that keeps sentences easy to understand.

4. Use an App to Organize Notes

Any law enforcement officer or civil investigator knows how important note taking is at the crime scene. This practice, however, is outdated and inefficient. The notes are usually taken on paper and then later need to be scanned and re-submitted to reports and other documents.

Using the  forensic notes app is a more efficient practice. It has ready-made documents for reports where an officer can make notes and add media like photos, videos, geolocation, weather, contacts, and signatures.

A major advantage of using an app like Forensic Notes, is that it is  purpose built for law enforcement.

Unlike many apps that simply save your notes, it uses a combination of timestamping and hashing.

Basically it means you can easily verify that notes were taken contemporaneously and not altered after the fact – which can be very difficult using popular consumer notetaking apps.

And which may be essential when it comes to court admissibility. 

And plus, if you don’t like typing on your mobile device, there’s a voice recording feature, too, so you can do interviews and transcribe them later.

Related: Documenting Evidence – Top 12 Best Practice Guidelines

Professional Writing Skills in Law Enforcement: Final Thoughts

A law enforcement officer with strong writing skills can create quality reports and effectively communicate with colleagues and community members.

Writing will continue to play a vital role in law enforcement, so anyone working or planning to work in the area is advised to hone their writing skills.

AUTHOR BIO (Guest Post)

Nicole Garrison works as a writing consultant for TrustMyPaper and bestessayseducation.com

For the past ten years, she has been advising on writing planning content strategies for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Nicole often hosts writing workshops and webinars to share their knowledge of writing for the web.

Table of Contents

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Writing Realistic Crime Scenes

These chats take place every Wed. from 3-4 p.m. EDT. You can send in your questions at any time by tweeting to me @SueColetta1  with the hashtag #ACrimeChat . They’ll be saved under the hashtag until our next chat, and you’ll be notified of the answers, as well as receiving a recap of the entire chat. Here’s how it works: I take the questions in the order they are received and RT, marking each question with Q1 (Question #1), Q2, Q3, etc. The experts answer with the corresponding A1 (Answer #1), A2, A3, etc., so those watching can follow along. We launched two weeks ago with Crime Scenes  (<- the link will take you to the recap). Last week, we covered Evidence. And this week, the topic is Forensics. At the conclusion of each chat I announce the following week’s topic. You can also find the topics under the hashtag in case you’re not with us live.

These chats are a lot of fun and very informative. Because all of the experts are writers and/or crime writing consultants, if the answer to your question isn’t what you hoped, often times we can help you create a logical, realistic way around it so your story still rings true. I hope you’ll join us by going to #ACrimeChat . Incidentally, I’ve linked each member’s name with their Twitter handle so you can follow them, if you wish. I’ve also included their websites.

Now, without further ado, please welcome Captain (Ret.) Joe Broadmeadow.

In Writing Realistic Crime Stories, It’s all about the Little Things

One mistake many writers make in attempting to create an interesting scenario is they try too hard. In the real world of homicide investigations, or any serious crime for that matter, it’s the little things that create the biggest problem.

Here are two examples of actual cases where investigators faced a crime scene which told them one story and, after wasting precious time looking in the wrong direction, turned out to be something entirely different.

These are actual cases with identifying information removed to protect privacy. By understanding real-life scenarios, the writer finds unlimited possibilities.

Okay, first case.

“911, what is the nature of your emergency?”

“Help, someone shot my wife, oh my god, help. She’s bleeding, there’s blood everywhere.”

“Hold on, sir. I have help on the way…”

Thus began a series of events which would bring a veteran police officer to his knees, his own department accusing him of murdering his wife while his newborn child lay sleeping nearby.

Rescue personnel arrived first. The two paramedics were experienced and well-versed in dealing with victims and their families. They began to work on the victim, a 32-year old female, noting a gunshot wound to the head. Within a short timeframe, it became apparent the victim was deceased.

Several issues complicated the scene.

The body had been moved, forcing investigators to recreate the original position to determine trajectory.

The husband, a police officer, discovered the body after returning home from the overnight shift. He worked as a dispatcher that night and had left work at 8:00 am. When he found his wife he tried to revive her. Because he had come in contact with her, his hands were stained with blood. He told investigators he left his service weapon at home since he knew he would not be on the road that night.

On the floor next to the victim laid his department service weapon. It had been fired only once. Later examination found the husband’s prints on the barrel as well as all six cartridges, including the expended bullet. The investigator’s recovered a single round lodged in the ceiling of the bedroom. Based on the position of the body, the round would have been fired from the side, below the level of the bed, as if someone had crawled along the floor and then pressed the weapon to her temple and fired.

Stippling and powder burns surrounded the wound, indicating close contact.

At the time, the couple was in the midst of a reconciliation. Their first-born child, age two months, was still asleep in the same room where his mother died.

Based on the physical evidence and known circumstances it appeared to investigators that this was a homicide staged to look like a suicide.

All they needed was a statement from the husband, who insisted his wife had been depressed and had shot herself. But once they began the interrogation, he asked to speak to a lawyer.

Investigators went back to the scene to search for something more definitive.

One aspect of any investigation is to have early arrivers re-enact their actions. Investigators had the rescue team return to the scene along with the first responding officer. As the rescue personnel took their positions around the bed, the husband told investigators he had gone to the far side of the bed in order to assist as best he could. When he did, he moved a small changing table, pushing it further away from the bed.

This was not in his original statement.

When CSI detectives put the table back into its original position, they noticed a clear dent on the edge of the table that appeared to be a ricochet mark from the round. Once the scene had been put back into the untouched condition, it changed the entire situation.

Investigators re-examined the trajectory, and it matched perfectly with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the temple.

Mary Jones repeatedly called her 17-year old daughter who was home sick from school. All she got was a busy signal. Concerned that something was wrong, she called a neighbor to go check.

The neighbor, an off-duty firefighter, went to the house. He knocked on the door and got no response. Sensing something was wrong, he sent his wife home to call the police.

The door was unlocked.

When he entered the residence he glanced down the hallway. Someone’s legs protruded from one of the bedrooms. Running quickly to the body, he then checked for a pulse and breathing .

Within seconds, Officers arrived on scene. The local firemen weren’t far behind. Unfortunately, it was no use. The woman had already succumbed to her injuries.

They secured the crime scene.

The firefighter who discovered the body was brought to the station for a statement. Investigators’ first impression of the crime scene showed no indication of forced entry. There was apparent sexual assault and the victim had been manually strangled.

Everything indicated the victim knew the perpetrator and let him in the house.

Under these circumstances, suspicion falls immediately on family and friends. Officers notified the father and asked him to come to the station. One of the most difficult tasks an officer faces is telling a parent their child is dead.

This is compounded when the parent is also considered a suspect. The reaction to the news can be telling and useful to the investigation.

In this case, the father showed genuine emotional responses to the news. Investigators were able to learn that the victim had stayed out of school, did not have a steady boyfriend, and there was no concern on the parent’s part that she would have someone over to the house without their knowledge.

The circumstances still lent itself to a person known to the victim.

Investigators again returned to the scene to continue their search.

A uniform sergeant, who’d been at the scene within minutes of the call, told investigators he had picked up a small table next to the door and placed the telephone back on the table. When he first arrived the phone was lying on the floor. Which explained the busy signal when the mother tried to call. Before this, he had not spoken to investigators.

Once investigators learned this new information, it changed how they viewed the crime scene.

By talking to the parents, they learned the table was normally located next to the door. From the position described by the sergeant and with the table moved back into its original position, it became apparent that someone had forced themselves through the open door, knocking the table over.

Once again, a tiny detail changed by someone who should have known better sent investigators down the wrong path.

In this case, armed with a new theory, investigators were able to locate a subject on prison work release, attending a training program in the area.

How The Murder Really Happened

The subject was attempting to break into the house. Knocking at the door, he was startled when the girl opened it. Panicked that he was not supposed to be away from his assigned training location, he forced his way inside, knocking the table over and the phone off the hook. At trial, the jury convicted him, the judge sentencing him to life.

When creating scenarios for your characters, the force combining to create tension and drama do not have to be complex or labyrinthine, often it’s the simplest things that work best. They’re also what will bite you every time if you get them wrong. Television and movies give a false impression of the nature of criminal investigations. Experience taught everyone a lesson here. The smallest detail can have serious consequences, giving writers many opportunities to wreak havoc on their characters.

Joe Broadmeadow retired with the rank of Captain from the East Providence, Rhode Island Police Department after twenty years. Assigned to various divisions within the department, including Commander of Investigative Services, he also worked in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and on special assignment to the FBI Drug Task Force. He has testified in State and Federal Court as an expert in Electronic Surveillance and Computer Forensics.

You can learn more about Joe and his books at his website and   Amazon author page .

If you enjoyed this post, please share. Thank you!

• StumbleUpon
• Share on Tumblr

Sue Coletta

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as “Best 100 Crime Blogs on the Net.” She also blogs on the Kill Zone (Writer's Digest "101 Best Websites for Writers"), Writers Helping Writers, and StoryEmpire. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series (books 1-3) and Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction. Now, she exclusively writes eco-thrillers, Mayhem Series (books 4-9 and continuing). Sue's appeared on the Emmy award-winning true crime series, Storm of Suspicion, and three episodes of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery. When she's not writing, she loves spending time with her murder of crows, who live free but come when called by name. And nature feeds her soul.

You May Also Like

Serial Killer Couples: Madness Shared by Two

Talking Crime with Detective (Ret.) Kim McGath

20 comments.

EVE ANDERSON

Just little details change the whole perspective. Here we had a crime & the justice official in charge (a novice), let the family clean, removed & burn the mattress.

To this day the Justice Department try to convict someone & 2 times the Judges say Um, No.

Something is fishy & is clear that the Justice Dept. is trying to deviate the attention. The Lawyer & his group (Defensors of Poor Peiple) of the supposely murderer Lcdo. Moczó, just crush the opposition in 2 turns at the bat..

Poor child as of today the criminal is free.

Oh, how sad, Eve. Sounds like that official really messed up that crime scene…to the point where a conviction would be nearly impossible now. And unfortunately, it’s the family who suffers.

Jennifer Chase

Great post! Interesting details as the cases unfolded. Thanks for posting 🙂

Thanks, Jen. It’s nice to see you. 🙂

Extremely intriguing to see how these scenes played out and the minute details that made a difference in the findings. Thank you, Richard, for sharing your knowledge and experience with us, and thank you, Sue for having such a wonderful guest.

BTW, I think the #ACrimeChat is an awesome idea. I hope to be tweeting questions once I have some time to focus on my WIPs. I’m assuming that it’s best to only ask questions related to the topic at the time? Thanks for organizing it, Sue, and to all your experts for taking the time to share their knowledge!

We try to stay on topic, Mae, but if you reach a point in your story where you need an answer, just tweet it to me regardless of topic. The whole crew is easy-going. We all want this to work for writers, so that’s the most important thing.

I’m glad you enjoyed Joe’s post. Enjoy your week!

Joe Broadmeadow

Mae, We are always looking for topics to explore. If you have a question ask it on #ACrimeChat and we’ll add it to our list of topics

Very cool post. I assumed they weren’t all intricately woven layers of plot and false evidence. There is a balance between making things obvious and getting enough mystery to tell a good story.

Exactly, Craig. Totally agree.

As to case #1 It shows how important it is to get detailed statements from all involved. One reason why (in Canada) we don’t let anyone but the forensic investigators onto the scene while investigating is too many cooks in the kitchen. I’ve had something similar and furniture that has been moved recently usually leaves a tell. carpet leaves indentation marks, floors, lack of dust or dirt where the legs or base was located. We use the right hand rule on scenes. start to your right and go completely around the room examining and photographing everything. It is time consuming but works. The forensic investigator should have found the table to be moved and the mark left by the bullet. that information could then be brought to the husband. Never let the suspect onto the scene.

I had what looked like a natural death. the body was on the bed and was supposedly discovered by the tenant who was renting the main house while the deceased stayed in the cottage. the tenant stated that he had tried to knock on the door but when he got no response he went to the back of the cottage and looked into the room. when he saw the deceased on the bed he stated to the police officers that he opened the window and climbed in. The man was still at the scene when I arrived and I noticed he was acting strange. after hearing his story i ordered the officers to remove him. the rear window was indeed open but an examination of the siding and the window trim showed no evidence that anyone had climbed in. fingerprint examination showed only the tenants prints on the bottom of the window frame but reversed. (the prints were made while standing inside the room) further investigation of the bed sheets and pillow case showed that the deceased had been smothered. A conviction was registered.

Forensic Investigation isnt just about photographing and collecting evidence. you have to read the scene, read the evidence and go through a process of eliminations.

I enjoyed reading about your two cases, Richard. We can never have too much information for crime writers, so I thank you!

Richard, One of the problems within most agencies is the immediacy of the moment often clouds the best-laid plans. In Case #1 the position of the table in the initial view appeared to be normal. There was no reason to move it. The realities of crime scene procedures and the expectations of the perfect scene are often far apart

Garry Rodgers

Great points, Joe. Definitely coming from someone who’s been there. In my experience, most crime scenes are fairly straightforward as long as they’re investigated objectively. A big mistake I’ve seen investigators make is to form a theory and then try to make the details fit, rather than just look at what the details are saying. Like you point out, one of the biggest hindrances is when a scene has been disturbed. (Hate it when that happens 🙂

Interpretation of crime scene details is an art on its own and is something I think most crime readers enjoy working out. I guess that’s why red herrings have been such a popular device and why the “Ah-ha!” moments are so rewarding.

Thanks for weighing in, Garry. Always happy to hear your two-cents. As you know, I watch a ton of true crime on ID. My favorite is Homicide Hunter. I mention him because often times when his team gets off track they go back to the beginning and start again. It helps him clear any misconceptions that’ve crept up in the investigation and many times, he finds new information that leads him to the correct conclusion, like the cases here.

Garry, There’s an interesting case in Rhode Island that illustrates this point. A woman is found murdered. There’s some significant injuries to the victim indicating rage and perhaps a personal connection.

The body was found by an off-duty officer.

The attention focuses on the police officer who was having an affair with the woman and lied to investigators about it. The investigators, from the officer’s own department, made certain assumptions and ignored normal procedures.

To make a long story short, the officer was convicted after trial. Six years later, another man walked into State Police Headquarters and confessed to the crime. He knew aspects of the case that only the killer would know. Investigators were able to determine he was also involved with the victim.

The officer served 6 years, convicted of a homicide he did not commit. Based on his lying to investigators about an affair, they assumed his guilt and manipulated the evidence to fit the theory.

This is one of the cases that changed my support of the death penalty.

Wow. It’s hard to recover after a homicide conviction. Did he get his job back? Or was his career ruined for good? He must have been bitter, sitting in that prison cell. I know I’d be.

No. Fought with the agency for back pay and a wrongful conviction suit

Margot Kinberg

This is so helpful Thanks very much to both of you. Those little details can make all of the difference; and in a crime novel, they can be effective ways to leave clues and create a plausible way for sleuths to get information.

I agree, Margot. The magic is in the tiny details. Unfortunately, it’s those same details that really derail a story, especially if a member of law enforcement is reading our book(s).

Privacy Preference Center

Consent management.

Privacy Policy & Cookie Consent

Please read the Privacy Policy & Cookies page. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.

Cookies Used

7 easy steps to improving police use of force reports

Even a reasonable, properly performed use of force incident can come under scrutiny if the report describing the situation is not effectively written.

When it comes to subject control, what matters is exactly what the officer knew at the time force was used.

Photo/PoliceOne

The PoliceOne Academy features several hours of coursework on police report writing including how to write effective use-of-force incident reports, narrative skills for report writing and keys to time management when writing reports. Complete the courses to improve and retain critical skills to help improve your written documentation of events in the field. Visit the PoliceOne Academy to learn more and for an online demo.

To be safe and effective, a modern law enforcement officer must possess a variety of skills. Physical and verbal communication skills must be complemented with the ability to clearly articulate enforcement actions in the form of written police reports . In this article, I will discuss a specific type of report – use of force or subject control – and offer seven ways officers can improve their reports.

1. Setting the foundation

When it comes to subject control , what matters is exactly what the officer knew at the time their force was used. For this reason, a good subject control report includes everything the officer knew up to the point of the incident. Information obtained after the fact, while important to the overall criminal investigation, is not relevant in terms of the officer’s decision to use force. Things the officer was aware of that absolutely should be included in the report are;

• The nature of the call;
• The officer’s knowledge of past history with the subject;
• Witness statements given to the officer about the subject’s demeanor prior to the incident;
• Any information the officer received about weapons at the scene.

2. Painting the picture

One of the most common mistakes I see when reviewing use of force reports is overgeneralized descriptions that fail to adequately paint the picture of what took place. For example, lines such as “the subject started to become aggressive” or “the subject began to cause a disturbance” must be accompanied by specific descriptions of the subject’s actions. Failure to do this allows too much room for interpretation and argument when it comes time to explain the reasonableness of the actions taken. By describing that “the subject bladed his stance, clenched his fists, rotated his shoulders, screamed, yelled profanities (exact quotes), and stared at the officer without speaking” the officer paints a visual picture for the reader that allows them to understand how the subject was aggressive and why the incident was described as a disturbance.

3. Describe the actions of others, not their intentions

A common question, and often point of confusion, is how and when to report other officers’ actions. Some officers mistakenly think they only need to report what they did, and that it is up to the other officers involved to report what actions they took. Officers think by doing this, there will be less chance of confusion. The problem is, many times one officer’s actions dictate how and why another officer acted in a certain way. So as a general rule, officers should describe what actions they observed from other officers, but never attempt to articulate why those officers took those actions. By following that guideline, the officer can properly describe what happened, without the added confusion of having to explain why another officer acted in a certain way.

4. Articulate the event without sugarcoating

Incidents involving force are most definitely fluid and rapidly evolving. What they rarely are is picture perfect. Too many officers try to “sugar coat” subject control incidents to make them appear less violent or heated. I have seen lines such as “I gently assisted the suspect to the ground” when in fact the suspect (justifiably) was rapidly tackled to the ground. There is nothing wrong describing forcibly taking someone to the ground by tackling them. Officers are expected to use a reasonable amount of force to control or maintain order in a given situation. When officer’s attempt to downplay their actions by describing them in more gentle terms, it often has the reverse effect and makes the reader question whether or not the officer is attempting to hide something. Clearly and decisively describing the actions taken is the most appropriate way to describe police use of force incidents.

5. Understand the role of video

Some agencies allow officers to review videos of incidents before writing reports, while others do not. In terms of use of force, the important thing to remember about videos, including body cameras, is that they are only one piece of the equation. Far too many people think that the video of an incident tells the complete story. This is categorically false. Human beings do not view incidents in the same way cameras do, from the same angles, with the same internal and external stress mechanisms, and with the additional stimulations of the other senses. Video can be a helpful tool in understanding what took place, but a video alone is not enough to properly document, much less fully understand, a use of force incident.

6. Proofread, get a second opinion and read other officer’s reports

The following tip applies not just to subject control reports, but to all reports an officer will ever write. After writing the report, an officer should take a few minutes to accomplish other tasks, then come back to it and proofread it thoroughly. This sounds simple, but in the rush of modern law enforcement, it is far too easy to type it, click send and let the sergeant deal with it. This can result in sloppy reports that increase workload for both the sergeant and the officer when it comes to making corrections. Furthermore, asking other officers, preferably ones who were not on scene, to read reports and check for clarity is an excellent idea. This easy tactic will be beneficial for both the report writer and reviewer. Finally, it is beneficial to review other officer’s reports frequently. It is amazing how much reviewing other reports improves police report-writing abilities.

7. Thoroughly document after-action procedures

A well-written subject control report is not complete without documentation of the measures taken once the force was stopped and compliance was gained. Noting when and if medical staff responded to the scene, what injuries were observed or described, and what measures or security watches were put in place after the subject was placed into custody are excellent conclusions to a thorough report.

Even a reasonable, properly performed force incident can raise questions and come under scrutiny if the report describing the situation is not effectively written. If an officer keeps the previous seven concepts in mind, I have no doubt the clarity, accuracy and overall quality of their subject control reports will improve. The result of quality reports is a better officer, a better agency and a better-served community.

The 10 ESSENTIAL Steps to Writing a Police Procedural Script

Table of Contents

What is a police procedural, the 10 essential steps to writing a police procedural, 1. do your research, 2. interesting protagonist(s), 3. equally as interesting antagonist(s), 5. point of view, 6. the set up, 7. the interaction between protagonist and antagonist, 8. make the police procedure complex and challenging, 9. adding a deeper connection between the protagonist and the case, 10. focus on pace, in conclusion.

A police procedural is a sub-genre of the police drama. It’s also often referred to as an inverted detective story or a ‘ howcatchem ‘. Police procedural scripts highlight the investigative procedure of the police department and/or officer who acts as the main protagonist .

This differs from a ‘ whodunnit ‘, which emphasises finding out who committed the crime through uncovering the mystery. A police procedural often starts with a crime committed by our antagonists, so we know straight away who we’re looking for.

The police procedural is about coming along for the ride with the police as they investigate the criminals. It takes a traditional crime drama and uses a different structure to change how we see the narrative. It can allow for a more complex experience than a straightforward murder mystery and often favors in-depth characterisation.

Most police procedural scripts follow similar steps to ensure they are as entertaining, captivating and thrilling as possible.

Three examples that excellently highlight the importance of these 10 essential steps are:

• 2018’s BlacKkKlansman , the Spike Lee joint following an African-American detective setting out to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan group.
• Heat (1995), the Michael Mann film following the conflict between an LAPD officer and a career thief. In this, a game of cat and mouse ensues, taking a toll on both their professional and personal lives.
• Fargo (1996), directed by the Coen brothers, which follows police chief, Marge. She investigates homicides due to a botched kidnapping ploy by car salesman Jerry, who is seeking to extort money from his wealthy father-in-law.

Let’s look at how 10 essential steps can help you create a cleverly crafted police procedural script, and how these examples use them in their storytelling. Spoilers ahead!

Before writing anything, it’s imperative to do some screenplay research to accurately portray a police investigation. Most of what audiences know about the police is from films and TV . So by using factual, realistic police techniques, your screenplay will be much more believable.

Moreover, proper research will free you from relying on tropes or cliches and consequently lead to more originality. It might also lead you to unique characters, storylines, settings or plot ideas. Truth is typically stranger than fiction after all.

Research takes time, but it’s worth it in the end. Luckily, there are plenty of different resources to find useful information to use in your script:

• Movies / TV shows/ Documentaries
• Books and memoirs
• YouTube videos
• Visiting police stations
• Interviewing/talking with police or detectives

Seeing how real-life investigations operate will help you craft a more realistic script. However, it’s still the job of the writer to make the characters that use those police techniques actually interesting. Don’t rest on your laurels.

Police procedurals that follow one detective need to make this detective wholly complex. Both through their professional and personal lives, often our protagonists are troubled and/or deeply consumed in their work.

A typical cliche is that this is the source of their trouble in their personal lives. It’s a cliche though because it works. It helps to add layers to a typical by-the-books cop and to flesh them out as a human beyond their job role.

Our protagonist is who we follow along for the ride. The person we trust most in the whole entire story. So they need to be interesting, relatable and complex. Let’s look at how our three films portray captivating protagonists:

• Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman is the first African-American detective in his Colorado police department. Therefore he is fighting not only racism in the form of the Ku Klux Klan, but the prejudice and challenges against him personally.
• Lt Vincent Hanna is an eccentric yet brilliant LAPD officer in Heat . His troubled relationship with his ex-wife and estranged daughter is a result of his extreme commitment to his work. This gives his character layers and internal conflict because the deeper he dives into catching thief Neil McCauley, the more his relationships seem to fade away from him.
• In Fargo , pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson appears shy and timid on the surface but is really an expert and ruthless police officer who excels at her job. She has a sweet home life that lies in stark contrast with the harsh world she deals with doing her job.

An interesting protagonist is vital to separating your screenplay from every other run of the mill police script. And it’s important to resist the typical grizzled detective in favour of a nuanced, original character.

Police procedurals often follow our protagonist ‘s investigation and our antagonist ‘s crimes simultaneously. Therefore it’s equally important to have a compelling and captivating antagonist also.

In BlacKkKlansman , our main antagonist is Grand Wizard David Duke and his racist followers whom Ron Stallworth is actively trying to take down.

• Duke is a powerful antagonist because he is constantly proven to be stupid, arrogant and blindingly ignorant but holds influence and power.
• Moreover, racism in wider society becomes the antagonist of the story too. So the stakes are very high.

Heat ‘s main antagonist Neil McCauley is complex because crime has been his entire life. So he struggles to live normally when given the chance. McCauley lives by the motto:

“Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”

This means he can never commit to a true relationship, and no amount of money he steals can ever fill that void. Therefore, when he falls for Eady, an internal struggle ensues.

Fargo has a multitude of antagonists.

• The two criminals tasked with the kidnapping, Carl and Gaear, are ruthlessly, unnecessarily violent, always at the wrong times.
• Both are brash and indecisive and struggle to work together, creating a lively dynamic between the two.

However, Jerry Lundegaard, our main antagonist , is the most compelling out of all.

• Jerry is completely inexperienced with committing serious crimes.
• He never knows when to overstep and be authoritative. He doesn’t even want to know all the details of the plan.
• He’s a coward and borderline sociopath who tries to have his own wife kidnapped for money.
• Jerry is not only captivating but a painfully comedic antagonist that ultimately creates pathos.

The environment and world you create needs to be just as creative as your characters. If your environment is uninspired and unimportant, then the characters lose any realism they had.

Setting and character need to work in unison together. They should complement each other. For example…

• Set in 1970s Colorado, which is racist despite the strides the anti-racism movement has made, BlacKkKlansman ‘s setting is hostile and confrontational, creating tension and high stakes. The civil rights groups constantly have to fight for what they believe in against oppression and violence.
• The cold, wintery setting of Fargo, North Dakota feels desolate in the landscapes, yet populated in its intimate and warm small towns. The sky and the snow match colour, making for an atmosphere that engulfs the audience.
• The bustling Los Angeles is always crowded, giving the overwhelming feeling that our criminals could be hiding anywhere. It gives this sense that another crime is taking place right around the corner.

Having an exciting world can propel both the tension your audience feels, and help craft your characters as more realistic and grounded in your screenplay.

Police procedural scripts often switch back and forth between the protagonist ‘s investigating, and the antagonist ‘s committing of the crimes.

By showing our antagonist ‘s perspective, we either:

• detest them and their actions more
• understand where their actions stem from
• see the true threat they pose.

Often when we show both perspectives of our characters in the screenplay, similarities between the two begin to appear. The line between good and bad starts to become increasingly blurred, making for a more compelling and interesting script overall.

Showing us a different perspective from just the ‘good guys’ is a great way to play around with how you structure your narrative. By revealing clues sooner than others, you can really shift the way the audience sees the story.

We begin to put ourselves in the position of the characters, which is vital for captivating an audience. Or seeing the antagonist ‘s point of view demystifies them, making them seem more pathetic in their actions.

Police procedurals often start with the crime being committed first, making us instantly connect with the antagonist . It establishes their motives early on in the script and gives them more depth. This makes their threat more convincing and palpable, therefore raising the stakes for the protagonist .

• In Fargo , we don’t meet our protagonist Marge until a while into the film. We’ve already established the cruel world of the crimes being committed and then we go to Marge and her more wholesome life. This establishes a stark contrast.
• BlacKkKlansman opens with a shot of Dr Kennebrew Beauregard delivering a racist hate speech. This sets the stakes high, giving us a clear idea of the hate the protagonist has to fight against.
• And Heat begins with our antagonists pulling off a heist. This demonstrates their skill and professionalism, showing what the protagonist is up against.

Opening with a gripping incident whilst also setting up the story is one of the best ways to establish setting, introduce characters and compel the audience into sticking around. It’s one of the most important parts of the script, so it needs to be engaging and tense. Set the stakes high and pull the audience in.

Where two worlds collide. The interaction between your protagonist and antagonist can be one of the most compelling and tense scenes in the entire screenplay. It’s where anything could happen, where both characters surrender themselves to each other’s company.

Some of the best scenes where opposites finally meet include:

• Clarice meeting Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs .
• Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley meeting in a bustling restaurant in Heat .
• Batman interrogating the Joker in The Dark Knight .

Adding an interaction between your protagonist and antagonist in your police procedural script is a great way to show their personalities and how they act in pressured situations. This adds a side to them the audience hasn’t seen before.

This scene can be a showpiece, putting together two characters that we’ve anticipated meeting throughout the story. It’s where a clash of ideals can take place and where the protagonist or antagonist finds something new out about each other or themselves.

Moreover, as the above examples demonstrate, it can be a great opportunity for the actors to flex their muscles. And this can be a great asset for your screenplay to have.

As we see the crimes being committed, there’s no complexity and mystery as to the exact how – this would be a ‘ whodunnit ‘.

However, the journey the police take and the clues they use still have to be compelling and puzzling enough to show how skilled the investigators really are. The audience needs to feel invested in the mystery that the characters are uncovering, even if we know the outcome already. Furthermore, it helps ground our protagonists as actual police officers who essentially don’t know it all.

An uninteresting or simple investigation that the audience can solve early is going to leave them bored and unsatisfied – even if your characters are great. If we know the who, the gripping aspects will be in the why and how.

Truly challenge your protagonist . This has to feel like the steepest test they have probably ever faced in their career. This justifies its presence at the centre of the story and why we are watching in the first place.

It’s essential in your police procedural script to give layers to the protagonist (s). An easy way of doing this is to give them an ulterior motive to solving the case. A deeper reason, something often personal, that drives them to catch the criminal. For example…

• In BlacKkKlansman , Ron feels the responsibility of fighting racism on his shoulders, making us root for his character even more. He also has to wrestle with his identity as a police officer, being that he has to lie to the civil rights group he goes undercover at.
• Al Pacino’s character, Lt Hanna, has a failing marriage due to his commitment to catching criminals like Neil McCauley. Therefore it could be argued that every case he takes on is personal, because it’s constantly ruining his relationships with everyone else – evident by his three previous divorces.
• Fargo’s Marge Gunderson is pregnant and therefore doesn’t want to bring a baby into the world where senseless violent crimes against civilians are being committed. Again, this makes every case she takes personal. She has a wider concern of the motivations and actions of people in the world she’s bringing a child into.

All three of the main protagonists have both an external and internal struggle, something personal in the case to them. This makes the journey we take with them that much more complex, as pursuing one struggle often impacts the other simultaneously.

What separates forgettable police characters from those we are compelled to watch is the personal story. How their work and personal lives tangle together is a great way of adding personality and conveying a whole range of emotions springing from the detective work.

A good police procedural script focuses on both the protagonist and antagonist ‘s arc, by switching back and forth between them. But if one narrative is stronger and more interesting than the other, when you switch to the latter, the audience will become bored and long for you to go back.

It’s vital that each narrative arc has interesting events, no matter how small, to keep the audience engaged and maintain a great pace. They could be:

• Discovering a new clue
• A new crime scene
• Pursuing a new lead
• New aspects to either the protagonist or antagonist revealed
• A mistake the criminals have made
• A twist in the tale

It could be as big as an officer revealed to be working for the opposition for example, or as small as a fingerprint on a phone. Adding vital events in your police procedural script is essential to keeping the pace of the entire narrative captivating, interesting and most of all, entertaining.

Don’t substitute any part of the procedure when writing a police procedural script. Creating an outline of how everything works together is a great way of starting a well-rounded script. Everything should work in unison to build a cohesive world, with creative characters and an interesting narrative that will keep the audience hooked from start to finish.

Films like BlacKkKlansman , Heat and Fargo were all written with a grounded reality at the forefront. Then, it’s up to the imagination of the writers to populate that world with compelling characters and surprising storylines.

With a police procedural, you can create a whole range of interesting characters to play around with; from good cops to gangsters, to unwilling criminals. They can all have different backgrounds, motivations and personalities. Use the freedom of not having to reveal the plot (the who of the crime) to explore the depth of the story world and characters.

Police procedurals are an opportunity to tell a detective story with a wider thematic reach. They’re not just about the crime itself, but everything that surrounds it. They can explore an array of new possibilities that a standard police drama can’t. So lean into the satisfying complexity that a police procedural can bring and make your detective story stand out.

A police procedural is a sub-genre of a police drama. Police procedural scripts highlight the investigative procedure of the police department and/or officer who acts as the main protagonist . This differs from a ‘ whodunnit ‘, which emphasises finding out who committed the crime. A police procedural often starts with a crime committed by our antagonists, so we know straight away who we’re looking for and focus instead on the how and why rather than the who .

There are 10 essential steps to writing a police procedural script: 1. Do Your Research 2. Create Interesting Protagonist (s) 3. Create equally as Interesting Antagonist (s) 4. Lean into the Setting 5. Establish and Play With the Point of View 6. Nail the Setup 7. Include Protagonist and Antagonist Interaction 8. Make the Police Procedure Complex and Challenging 9. Create a Deeper Connection Between the Protagonist and the Case 10. Focus on Pace

– What did you think of this article?  Share It ,  Like It , give it a rating, and let us know your thoughts in the comments box further down… – Struggling with a script or book? Story analysis is what we do, all day, every day… check out our range of  script coverage  services for writers &  filmmakers .

This article was written by Shey Wade and edited by IS staff.

Get *ALL* our FREE Resources

Tackle the trickiest areas of screenwriting with our exclusive eBooks. Get all our FREE resources when you join 60,000 filmmakers on our mailing list!

Success! Thanks for signing up, now please check all your email folders incl junk mail!

Something went wrong.

We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

1 thought on “The 10 ESSENTIAL Steps to Writing a Police Procedural Script”

Hello–on the website, it mentions consulting with a police officer for insight, knowledge and experience in law enforcement to create more realistic scripts and screenplays. Do you ever hire experienced officers in house to achieve maximum expertise? Thank you.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

• Writing About
• Tips For Writers

June 15, 2015

Writing about: a police station + creative blogger award.

FYI: On top of these places, there’s also a garage, a gun range where police officers practice shooting, and booking rooms where prisoners are searched, photographed, and are read their rights before being led to a cell.

79 comments:

Yes! I have been in a poice station, when my youngest son was injured playing football. Most interesting to read and informative to those who have never been "Inside". Yvonne.

Thanks, Yvonne. Did you notice that I nominated you for the Creative Blogger award? :)

I had to go to the police station to be fingerprinted for the foster parent program, but I don't really remember what it looked like. Your guest post is up today. I'm sorry I forgot on Friday.

Thanks, L. Diane! And that's okay. :)

Have visited the jail part of a police station, and a prison, as a visitor. But never got to see anything useful beyond that. So this valuable info - thanks Chrys. Have got to find out whether local police (Heddlu) operate from a similar station, here In North Wales, where current mystery is set.

I image some things would be similar and yet some things would be different in Wales or other parts of the world.

I don't think I've ever even been inside a real police station. I worked for government for 19 years, though, so I know how pared down everything always is in government!

I've never been in one either, so a lot of research was needed for this and my stories.

Congrats on the award, I liked the 5 lies you listed. Oh gosh, sadly, yes inside of a police station for incidents I won't get into, they can be just a bit intimidating. betty

Thank you, Betty! Oh jeez. I hope everything worked out fine in the end.

Congratulations on the award. I've never been in a police station, although I've been in a courthouse to pay for a speeding ticket. More than once I might add...

Thanks, Alex! You little speed demon. haha

I went inside a police station for cubs way back when. Wrote them in a few times in my books. An award you say, thanks from my bay. Telling 5 things, even one thing, is hard as the cat has already told everything lol

You're welcome, Pat! I know. It was hard to come up with five thing. That's why I chose lies. They were a lot easier. lol

Wow, thanks for the nomination. I shall do an acceptance post later this week. As for police station, I don't recall ever being in one, except to buy parking stickers for my car. The closest I've ever spent to spending any reasonable amount of time in a police station is I once had breakfast in a Dunkin' Donuts shop for breakfast and a few cops came in to get donuts and were discussing a case. PS - I did post those Anne journal entries. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how odd Jeffrey Scott wrote when he was only 19. Let me know if you can't find them. I gave description in the comments of your Anne post.

You're very welcome, Jeffery. :) It would've been neat to eavesdrop on those cops' conversation. Hmm...I didn't get an email notification for your journal post. I will check them out soon. :)

You probably didn't get the email because I back dated them to 1989. It seems whenever I do that, an email is never sent out.

Ah...that could be why.

Yes, that's why when I post new chapters to my story, you probably don't get updates either, because I back date those too. And there is specific reasons why I back-date some posts.

I've never been in a police station os that was cool to read! Way to go with the research :D

Thank you, SK! :D

I went to the local police station when I got my identity stolen some years back. It was kind of eerie to see the jail cell so close. I can't remember if I ever visited a police station as part of a field trip.

I never went as part of a field trip, but I think it would've done good for some students who ended up doing bad things when they got older to see a police station and jail cells.

The police station in our little town probably doesn't have half those things but I know they share some resources with other municipalities nearby. Where I live we don't have police and have to call the state police if we need them.

Yes, smaller stations don't have as much as rely on stations in bigger cities for resources. Not having police in your area must be a pain when you do need them.

I love you five lies. So I will tell you one. No, I have never been in a police station. LOL Great post! sherry @ fundinmental

HAHAHA! Nice lie, Sherry. ;)

Hi Chrys, Congrats on the blog award :) This post is great because I may need to reference how a police station operates in my next project (I don't like to say book because I'm not sure where this is going). It might be a short story or a series...but this character popped into my head one day while I was driving. A little old lady who works on contract, undercover for the police. She is an unlikely investigator who has an uncanny way of getting to the suspect. Anyhow, she often visits one of the hunky police officers to get details of her next case. She enjoys flirting with him, too. I haven't written any crime so I have to research a little on tips for that. I didn't realize the crime lab was right at the station. I picture CSI Miami when I think of crime lab although that is pretty slick and probably not very realistic.I don't think I've ever been inside a police station. That's a good thing, right?

I understand about not wanting to say book because many of my projects end up being a short story or novella. I LOVE that concept, Lisa! I have a post about undercover operations coming up soon because I have written about that, so stay posted for those tips. :D And that is a very good thing. ;)

Fantastic! I look forwar to that one, Chrys!

This was useful! I've never actually been in a police station before. I feel like I need to visit one eventually to get a better feel. I figure a small town station might actually be a lot different from a bigger city one though. Funds and all that, they may not have all those features. Hm.

You're right, this post is more for what a big city station would be like. Smaller stations outside of big cities may have to rely on stations in the city for certain things.

Ah, yeah.. that's true!

Well, you seem to know your way around the police station, wanna tell us about it? ;) I think the jail in a police station is normally referred to as a holding cell, where prisoners are only held until transferred to a larger jail (or until they sleep it off). Thanks for the Blogging Award! It's a honor to know that you think I'm creative!

Haha! Just a lot of research. I've never even been inside a police station before. Yes, they can be called a jail cell or a holding cell.

Great advice! In one of my books someone has to report a crime, (it's in first person so we won't actually see the suspect getting arrested) so I'll have to keep some of this in mind! Congrats on the award!

Great! I love it when people say something one of their WIPs will benefit from one of my posts. :D

I've never been in a police station. I wonder if someone wanted to visit for research would they be allowed?

I think so. If someone had to, they could always call before hand and see if it was okay to get a little tour.

Thanks for the nomination :-) I agree, it's a very cool award to receive, so congrats! I've never been in a police station either - you obviously know a lot of law-abiding bloggers, Chrys :-)

You're so very welcome, Annalisa! And thank you! I am so proud of my law-abiding blogger friends. :D

Interesting post, Chrys. I've written about police stations before, and I'm sure I will again, so I'll be bookmarking this one. A cop source who will check your facts is always helpful too, and one of my closest friends is an RCMP officer (Mountie). Thanks, too, for the blog award! That's A LOT of people to tag, but I'll see what I can do. :)

A cop source really is the best thing you can have to make sure you're doing it right. You're very welcome! The rules initially said 15-20 bloggers but I thought that was too much, so I changed it to 10-20.

I did research back in January on the whole police/arrest procedure. It stopped my novel for three whole weeks because I became obsessed with every little detail. i did end up taking some creative liberties, but it has to be believable, at least! As always, great info. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the award:)

Creative liberties are good and needed for fiction but being authentic is important, especially when it comes to police procedures. Thanks, Quanie! :)

Great info, Chrys. You've hit all the important parts! I use a sheriff's station in one of my wips. Congrats on the creative blogger award!

Thank you, Ava! :)

Great post! I've never been in a police station. I've peeked in a few really small ones, though. Congrats on the award!

Thank you, Christine!

Information desk! OMG I was writing a scene and my MC walked into a police station and I could not remember what to call that area. Great timing with this post. Thanks. Thanks for the nomination. =)

When I was writing my WIP, I called it a front desk a time. :) You're welcome for this bit of information and for the much-deserved nomination. :)

Chrys, you always give the best advice for writing about certain people and places we are unfamiliar with. I have never been inside a police station other than the entrance to pay for tickets. Never been arrested but have had quite a few tickets, lol. Congratulations on the award! I, too, love heights. My goals one of these days is to skydive... Oh my!

At least you've never been arrested. Now if only you'd get less tickets. ;) Thank you! Tehe....the part about me loving heights was a lie...all of those were lies. :P

Some interesting stuff about police stations, and yes, I've been in them before .On more than one occasion. To be fingerprinted for an FBI background check before deploying to the G-8 with Georgia Emergency Management. (Quite an experience!) Also to spend the night for Y2K, when the powers that be around here were concerned about a possible disruption in service. Amateur radio operators were set up in vital operations centers all over the country. My hubby and I were chosen for the police station. But the BEST police station story is when I dragged my two sons there to have an officer talk to them. They didn't believe ME when I told them how dangerous throwing stars are. I told them they could NOT have any of those things, and then discovered they bought them, anyway. I chatted with an officer on the phone, and he said he'd be happy to set them straight. Scared the bejeezus out of them when I told them to get in the car, and then drove them to the station. (Trust me, they DID believe what the police officer told them!) Congrats on the award! Thanks for thinking of me, but I received it not that long ago, so I'm gonna pass this time around.

You're the second person to mention that had to go to one to be fingerprinted for something. I wanted to be fingerprinted...but you know, for fun and for research. :P That story about your son's is great. That is parenting at it's best! Good for you! Thank you, Susan. You're welcome and that's okay. I wasn't sure if you received it or not. :)

Very helpful. I've set some scenes inside a police station, but I was vague. I did use Google, but this list is way more helpful. Congrats on the award.

Sometimes being vague is appropriate when the characters don't work there or have to go to all of these different areas. I've been vague in some stories and in other I gave more detail. Thank you! :)

This post is so helpful for me as I know I'm going to be including a police station several times in my WIP. Going to bookmark this - thanks!

I'm glad you'll be able to use this post, Julie. :D

Love the post, Chrys. It was very helpful. :-) Anna from Elements of Writing

Thanks, Anna. :)

I love the posts that examine an element that can be used in your writing. It's a great idea and you own it! Good job, Chrys! Congrats to all the folks on their Creative Blogger Award! I think the badges are fun ways to pat someone on the back and all these bloggers definitely deserve it. Well done!

THANK YOU, CHERDO! :D I love the awards and to recognize great bloggers. It's so much fun and it's nice to give bloggers pats on their backs, as you said. :)

Great information, as always. I have been in a police station, very weird feeling because as soon as I see a police car - I feel guilty! I had to give my fingerprints for a job, ever since I've lived with this fear that my prints will materialize in a place they shouldn't! LOL

HAHA! That is an interesting fear and would make a great story...you're great at murder-mysteries...maybe you can turn it into one. ;)

"Lizards are awesome.." Ha! You are funny! Interesting post, this kind of research sure never hurts and is perfect when writing as a detective. We have a great many retired cops, detectives, EMTs., etc who speak at our Mystery Writer's Luncheons but their stories are never about the station itself ;-)

I put that little lie in there just for you, Diedre. ;) Those luncheons must be really interesting. I wish I could go to them.

As you know, much of the action in my MS takes place in a police station. This was excellent information. I may do some editing to incorporate the activity in this place more clearly!!!

Yes, I do know! And I thought you did good with it. :)

Great information. I'm saving it in case some of my characters get in trouble some day and end up at the police department. :) Our small town, population 6,000, doesn't have all of this, but the nearby larger town does.

And may your character get into trouble. ;)

Excellent information, particularly since readers of police procedurals tend to be very picky about details. I have been in a police station. With two cop brothers, and a job where I worked with police to permit events for a city on the West Coast, I had no choice. :-) VR Barkowski

Haha! You can't escape police stations, VR! ;)

Thanks Chrys. We learn so much about police precincts from our favourite TV shows, but it was great seeing the breakdown here. I'd hate to be in that cell!! Denise :-)

Sometimes, TV shows aren't totally accurate. I've heard that cops actually hate those shows because they aren't accurate or real.

Our local Sheriff's department used to always give a tour to students in high school. I suppose to learn and to try to dissuade you from ending up there. They ran a few driver's licenses for us and one fellow submitted his and the ticker just kept going, and going and going. He had a whole drawer of tickets at home. To their credit, they didn't hold him. I Saw it on Facebook @ Life & Faith in Caneyhead .

Oh gosh, it was nice of them not to hold him for having that many unpaid tickets.

You were right, I totally missed this :P I usually get an email when someone comments on my blog but there are some people for whom that doesn't happen (namely you, Robyn Engel and Gorilla Bananas). Don't feel like a jerk for the Inspiring Blogger Award - you're right, this is a MUCH better one to win. Thank you :)

I was wondering why you were silent about this. I didn't think you would be. That is weird that you don't get an email when I comment. I'm using blogger...nothing else. Hmm...

New comments are not allowed.

Search for creative inspiration

19,898 quotes, descriptions and writing prompts, 4,964 themes

police car - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

• an FBI agent
• car insurance
• defund the police
• police heroes
• police reform
• police reforms
• police training
• self drive cars

I pass through the high-beams in front of the black grille to the other side. In my favourite cop shows the bad guy is hand-cuffed and goes in with bobbed head, all out of balance before he's lost from view behind white metal and blackened glass. But apparently I don't warrant that. The officer in front opens the door, no different than being offered a ride in a taxi, but behind me every curtain twitches. This isn't some inner-city dive. It's leafy suburbia and the cops only come to check out errant house alarms and the odd actual break in. The damp evening disappears with the slam of the door. Everything is black inside; black seats, black floor, and a black metal bars between me and the officers. It's not a fast run with flashing lights, just a slow ride to be questioned. The officers call in a status report to their radio and show not the slightest interest that I'm even there. No small talk. I'm just a parcel for delivery.

In the twilight a glimpse of any ghostly sedan would send Ryan's heart rate higher. The white body work was always the first warning flash, even in the pools of yellow street-light they glow, advertising themselves. Without the accompanying cop car lights on top he would instantly dismiss it and carry on. He had much to do, customers to get to, business was brisk. But if it had that lumpy rectangular outline on top he would dip his head to the sidewalk and continue walking, even if that meant going right past his next rendez-vous. Once it passed he would wait a few minutes before resuming his route. It paid to be careful, clients scared more easily than he did.

Skylar turns the radio up, jiggling up and down to the beat. The highway yawns wide before her with only a light smattering of traffic. It's eight thirty, meeting starts at nine. Not being on time is going to upset Rita and without her blessing she can kiss her ambitions to lead a new division goodbye. Soon she's on track, passing, under-taking, weaving, punching the gas pedal. From behind there is a sudden blast from a siren and a police cruiser appears in her mirror, the red and blue lights flashing brightly in the gathering gloom of the summer evening. "Shit." She pulls to the side, comes to a stop and waits for the officer to get out and make his approach, flashlight in hand. How fast had she been going anyway? One twenty? One thirty? Damn it. The minutes drag on slowly and her heat rate is faster than it's ever been. If he checks the trunk she's not seeing the light of day until she's thirty-five. Then the officer climbs out and rests her notepad on the black trunk...

The blue and red lights are little more than smudgy illuminations in the slanting rain. But beneath their glow is the white bodywork of a police car. It's yellow-white headlights spotlight the dense hedgerow to the side of the lane where the tail-lights sit unusually high off the ground and tipping upwards into the night sky.

Travis slumped on the old brick wall, his hand held up like he was catching faeries. He thought the flashing blue lights of the cop car was an extension of the rave lights, all he kept asking was, "Where d'music go, Dot?" Holding his frigid hand I gave him a tug and we began to walk over the fall leaves. The white hood crept along side us, headlights piecing the night. I held my breath, eyes fixed unnaturally ahead, ignoring the un-ignorable right next to us. Travis craned his head around, "Oh, pretty! Me want ride!" "No, Travis, you don't want a ride. We're nearly there." That's when he put on the siren just for a second and stopped, flashers still on.

The cop car is a subtle as a freshly popped zit and just as welcome. It sits squat to the rain washed tarmac, its black paint sun-bleached with age. If this wasn't such a very bad time I'd admire it as a classic, talk sports team with the cop. Not today. Time to turn tail down the alley way, make like the noon time shadows.

A police car comes screeching down the hill, a knight in his white charger, black tires squealing on the grey as he skids to block the street. He doesn't yet know it but the kidnappers have chosen this street and this will be the defining moment of his life. In seconds he's behind his vehicle, black vest stark against the white paint, weapon drawn. His radio crackles a quick warning before the dark sedan flies into view.

Under the morning dew, pale in the watery light is a police car. Travis walks slowly closer, his eye drawn to the grey bullet holes that mar the sides in a streak. This wasn't done by a rouge burglar with a pistol, only a machine gun could make such tracks. The tires on the near side are both burst causing the cruiser to list like a sinking ship. On top the blue lights are shattered and the headlamps still shine weakly onto the scared asphalt ahead. What's most odd is how the vehicle still sits on the street, untaped, unguarded, evidence free to wash away in the next rain shower.

Sign in or sign up for Descriptionar i

Sign up for descriptionar i, recover your descriptionar i password.

Keep track of your favorite writers on Descriptionari

We won't spam your account. Set your permissions during sign up or at any time afterward.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Finance and Business
• Legal Matters
• Law Enforcement

How Do I Write a Police Report?

Last Updated: May 24, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS . Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 13 testimonials and 85% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,151,143 times.

If you're a police officer or security guard, knowing how to write up a detailed and accurate report is important. A well written incident report gives a thorough account of what happened and sticks to the facts. If you're trying to write a police report, or are curious about how the police put together their reports, learning what to include and how to format the report is helpful.

Police Report Writing

Start writing your report as soon as possible after the incident, so it’s still fresh in your mind. Recount the events that occurred in detail, including the date, time, and location of the incident, as well as the names of other officers who were present. Focus on the facts, and be as thorough as possible.

Following Protocol

• Try to do your write-up using word processing software. It will look neater and you'll be able to use spellcheck to polish it when you're finished. If you write your report by hand, print clearly instead of using cursive.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Did You Know? If you call 911, a police report may or may not be generated, depending on the outcome of the call. If a police report isn't generated and you want to file one later, you can call the non-emergency number, and an officer will come out and take the report. However, if you're ever in need of emergency services, call 911.

• If you can’t write the report on the day that the incident happened, record some notes about what happened to help you when you do write the report.

• The time, date and location of the incident (Be specific. Write the exact street address, etc.).
• Your name and ID number
• Names of other officers who were present

• For example, a report might say: On 8/23/10 at approximately 2340, officer was assigned to 17 Dist. response vehicle. Officer was notified via radio by central dispatch of a 911 call at 123 Maple Street. Officer was also informed by central dispatch that this 911 call may be domestic in nature.

Describing What Happened

• For example, an officer's report could say: Upon arrival, I observed a 40 year old white male, known as Johnny Doe, screaming and yelling at a 35 year old white female, known as Jane Doe, in the front lawn of 123 Maple Street. I separated both parties involved and conducted field interviews. I was told by Mr. Johnny that he had come home from work and discovered that dinner was not ready. He then stated that he became upset at his wife Mrs. Jane for not having the dinner ready for him.

• Use specific descriptions. For example, instead of saying "I found him inside and detained him," write something like, "I arrived at 2005 Everest Hill at 12:05. I walked to the house and knocked on the door. I tried the knob and found it to be unlocked..."

• Police officers often have to write reports about auto accidents. It can be much clearer to illustrate with a picture or a diagram how the accident occurred. You can draw a picture of the street and use arrows to show how where each car was headed when they hit each other.

• For example, instead of saying “when I arrived, his face was red,” you could say, “when I arrived, he was yelling, out of breath, his face was red, and he seemed angry.” The second example is better than the first because there are multiple reasons someone’s face is red, not just that they are angry.

• Even though it is hearsay, make sure to write down what each individual at the scene said to you. It may be important, even if he or she is lying. Include any information about the witness’ demeanor, in case what he or she told you becomes controversial.

• Use the party’s name when possible, so you can avoid confusion when talking about multiple people. Also, spell out abbreviations. For example, say “personal vehicle” instead of “P.O.V.” (personally owned vehicle), and “scene of the crime” instead of “code 11,” which is a police term for “on the scene.”

• Preserve your integrity and the institution you represent by telling the truth.

Editing Your Report

• For example, if you forget to include the one party's reason why the argument started, then that would leave a gap.

• For example, if you included phrases that start with "I feel" or "I believe," then you would want to remove these to eliminate any bias in your report.

• If you have to mail or email your report, follow up with a phone call within a 10 day period. Do this to make sure your report was received.

Sample Police Report and Things to Include

Expert Q&A

• Ask your department for any templates or forms that they use, in order to make sure the report is in the proper format. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
• Keep a copy of the report for your records. You may need to refer back to it in the future. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
• Add to the report, if new information comes to light. Add an addendum that reports the new information, rather than deleting information from your original report. That information may also be important. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• Make sure to proofread and check your report well for any errors or mistakes.

• Do not ignore facts as irrelevant. At the time of a preliminary police report, investigators may not know the motive or suspect, so it is important to give as much objective detail as possible. Some details that seem irrelevant, may be important with new evidence or testimony. Thanks Helpful 36 Not Helpful 13
• Do not use opinions in a police report, unless you are asked to do so. A police report should be objective rather than subjective. Thanks Helpful 18 Not Helpful 6

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.lapdonline.org/lapd_manual/
• ↑ http://www.securityguardtraininghq.com/how-to-write-a-detailed-incident-report/

About This Article

To write a police report, you should include the time, date, and location of the incident you're reporting, as well as your name and ID number and any other officers that were present. You should also include a thorough description of the incident, like what brought you to the scene and what happened when you arrived. If you're having trouble explaining something in words, draw a picture or diagram to help. Just remember to be as thorough, specific, and objective as possible. To learn what other important details you should include in a police report, keep reading. Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

Andre Robinson Sr.

Jan 7, 2022

Leah Dawson

Aug 14, 2016

Mar 25, 2017

Chelle Warnars

Sep 11, 2016

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter