As field training officers, we understand the challenges of training and evaluating a wide range of topics — from critical skills like officer safety to more abstract concepts like attitude toward the job. Report writing falls into a unique category: easy to evaluate, yet difficult to teach.
Whether you see report writing as a fundamental skill for a competent law enforcement officer or simply another task in an already demanding workload, its importance is undeniable. Reports serve as the foundation for prosecution, documenting investigative actions and findings. While assessing report quality may be straightforward, the real challenge lies in effectively training officers to write clear, detailed, and accurate reports within the limited time of a training program.
We often fall into a familiar routine: the trainee writes a report, the trainer reviews it, points out corrections and the trainee rewrites it. As trainers, we hope this process leads to improvement — but too often, it doesn’t. When we apply adult learning principles, it becomes clear that this method is ineffective. Instead of fostering real growth, it leaves trainers frustrated and trainees struggling to progress.
Here are three simple yet effective strategies, grounded in adult learning principles, to enhance report writing training and help your trainees produce stronger, more detailed reports.
1. Teach thorough note-taking
Every FTO and Supervisor should review the notes of officers struggling with detail and content in their reports. Encourage an orderly, detailed, chronological method of note-taking. It is important to allow your trainee to develop their style of notetaking or shorthand. It is your job to make sure that note-taking is legible, thorough, accurate and contains relevant information to complete the report. Encourage trainees to time-stamp, note the nature of the contact, and capture quotes in their note-taking. For example, when contacting a witness notes might look something like this:
CR 24-4567
1854 hours - WIT - Jennifer Smith DOB: 01/01/93-
1234 Main St -
SUS wearing blk mask and all blk clothing entered store - saw hand gun blk semi-auto - heard SUS say “give me all the money” - pointed firearm at VIC clerk-WIT was crying and said “feared for her life” - standing 15’ behind SUS in store near drinks. Hid behind shelf until SUS left.
PX(321) 123-4567
DL 12-3456-78
Even though these notes are brief, they serve as a useful prompt for trainees, helping them recall any additional details that should be included. They also provide valuable coaching opportunities before the report is even written.
2. Provide examples of well-written police reports
Give your trainee examples of well-written reports — either ones you have written or reports you have come across. If your agency has a skilled report writer, consider reviewing their work and selecting reports from their library. Provide multiple examples of common report types, such as domestic disputes, assaults, thefts, burglaries, robberies and death investigations. Don’t forget to include proactive reports as well.
Compile these reports into a binder for your trainees, ensuring they have a clear standard to reference. Take the time to discuss what makes a report effective and where improvements can be made.
If you do not have access to examples or your agency records management system doesn’t allow for searching and printing of reports, then provide your trainee with a report guide. I want to be clear, I am not in favor of templates. A template is a “model” report where details are “filled in.” For example, a template may look like this:
On XXXX, I XXXX responded to the report of a theft at XXXX. Upon arrival, I spoke with the reporting party XXXX.
XXXX stated, the suspect, described as XXXX…
This template only requires officers to replace the Xs with details specific to this incident. Just like AI writing reports for us this creates laziness and lack of details in a report. The officer will rely on the template without expanding on the details.
A writing guide provides prompts for details. An excerpt from a writing guide might look like:
1. Opening paragraph: Date, time and other information important to how officer became involved (dispatched to a call, flagged down, or did officer observe something?
2. Victim’s account
a. Brief summary from victim/complainant
b. Time frame of theft
c. Means of theft
d. Location
3. Focus on interviewing
Outside of pro-active police work, much of our reports document what a victim, witness and suspect told us and the evidence that either corroborates or conflicts with those statements. Asking the right questions in the right manner can illicit the best, most detailed recollection of a victim and witness account. Proper interviewing technique is a series of articles itself, but you can have your folks practice a few good interview techniques:
- Don’t allow your trainee to interrupt or correct: Allow the interviewee to start wherever they would like and provide a full account. Then allow your trainee to ask clarifying questions. Make sure your trainee doesn’t correct the interviewee but rather captures their statements accurately.
- Encourage feedback: From those detailed notes we spoke about, have your trainee go back and review the account with the interviewee. Have your trainee practice this to ensure they are capturing the statements accurately.
Report writing can be a skill that is difficult to train on. We often get stuck in the cycle of review and rejection rather than looking for training opportunities that rely on adult learning concepts. I hope these simple yet effective training tips gives you some insight and inspire you to train in report writing.
