Police Report

Headings must include: Incident number, Name of officer and his/her badge number, Date and time report was written, Name of supervisor (sergeant, lieutenant, etc.) Format of the heading is open to your creativity

The police report must be signed by the officer and must include his/her badge #.

Narrative – Paragraph 1 Who you are, What you were doing, Where you were, When you did it, Why you decided to stop, How you were called to the scene Narrative – Paragraph 2 Who is (are) the subject(s), How you know who they are Narrative – Paragraph 3 What you said and what he/she/they told you Narrative – Further paragraphs What you did, any investigations, who you contacted, what law(s) was/were broken (if any), how the contact ended

Sample Report:

On Thursday, March 7, 2010, at approximately 2300 hours, I was working uniformed patrol for the La Palma Police Department. I was driving a marked black and white vehicle north on Walker Street, past La Palma Avenue. As I drove past Central Park, I noticed two subjects walking along the path northwest of the gazebo, drinking out of paper bags. I notified dispatch of my location, exited my vehicle, and contacted the subjects. As I approached, I identified myself and requested identification.

Both subjects provided their California Driver’s Licenses. I identified the subjects as Phillip Bryan Deep (DOB 10/1/93) and Thomas Michael Johnson (DOB 7/28/93). Deep was approximately 6’ tall, 210 pounds, wearing jeans, a red sweatshirt, and a red beanie. Johnson was approximately 6’2” tall, 185 pounds, wearing jeans, a black Members Only jacket, and a white baseball cap.

I asked the subjects what they were doing in the park at that hour, and Deep told me they were there watching their friend play basketball and they just stuck around afterward to talk. I asked them to put down the paper bags, and then I asked what they were drinking. They said they were drinking “Monsters.” I asked dispatch to run a records check. The check came back clear and valid for both subjects. Officer Smith arrived on scene.

I checked the bags for the contents of what they were drinking and found, in each bag, an open 24 ounce can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I asked them how they obtained the alcohol. Deep said, “The dude at 7-11 doesn’t even check.” I explained to them it was illegal for minors to possess and/or drink alcohol, pursuant to B&P Code 25662(a). I also explained the park had been closed since 10pm and they should not have been on site.

I had the suspects empty out the contents of the cans onto the grass and dispose of the containers and the bags in the nearby trash can. Both were cited for being minors in possession of an alcoholic beverage and released.

On Thursday, March 7, 2013, at approximately 2300 hours, I was working uniformed patrol for the La Palma Police Department. I was driving a marked black and white vehicle north on Walker Street, past La Palma Avenue. As I drove past Central Park, I noticed two subjects walking along the path northwest of the gazebo, drinking out of paper bags. I notified dispatch of my location, exited my vehicle, and contacted the subjects. As I approached, I identified myself and requested identification. Both subjects provided their California Driver’s Licenses. I identified the subjects as Phillip Bryan Deep (DOB 10/1/93) and Thomas Michael Johnson (DOB 7/28/93). Deep was approximately 6’ tall, 210 pounds, wearing jeans, a red sweatshirt, and a red beanie. Johnson was approximately 6’2” tall, 185 pounds, wearing jeans, a black Members Only jacket, and a white baseball cap. I asked the subjects what they were doing in the park at that hour, and Deep told me they were there watching their friend play basketball and they just stuck around afterward to talk. I asked them to put down the paper bags, and then I asked what they were drinking. They said they were drinking “Monsters.” I asked dispatch to run a records check. The check came back clear and valid for both subjects. Officer Smith arrived on scene. I checked the bags for the contents of what they were drinking and found, in each bag, an open 24 ounce can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I asked them how they obtained the alcohol. Deep said, “The dude at 7-11 doesn’t even check.” I explained to them it was illegal for minors to possess and/or drink alcohol, pursuant to B&P Code 25662(a). I also explained the park had been closed since 10pm and they should not have been on site. I had the suspects empty out the contents of the cans onto the grass and dispose of the containers and the bags in the nearby trash can. Both were cited for being minors in possession of an alcoholic beverage and released.

1)Create the format and the essential heading information 2)Come up with an “incident.” 3)Write a narrative using an unbiased, factual/informational tone which describes “your involvement” in the incident from beginning to end. 4)You may include anything that was SAID by any of the individuals involved. 5)Be sure to sign the bottom of the police report (and include your badge number if you are writing as a police officer).