Page 47 - Argyle Police Officer Field Training Tips

If you end up going to court, ask the prosecutor if there was something that would have made your
report better. Prosecutors can give you guidance on how to improve your reports. There have been
cases lost in court because of poor reports. Also, there have been suspects that got away with serious
crimes because of poor reports. Don’t let this happen to you.

Make sure the report is as accurate as possible. Part of your job is documenting incidents, don’t forget
that. It’s not uncommon for defense attorneys to attack your credibility in order to win cases. Don’t
make it easy for them, double and triple check your reports for accuracy.

Write everything down, even if you think it might not be important.

Be honest everywhere, but especially in court. Do not ever make something up in court, if you don’t know, just be
honest about it. The defense attorney will attack your credibility no matter what you say anyway.

Don’t make yourself sound like you are better trained or experienced than you really are. The truth always comes
out in the end and if you misrepresented yourself, you would not look good.

Pg. 46 POLICE FIELD TRAINING CONCEPTS