Bulletproof Report Writing - Blue to Gold

Goal

To teach students how to write a police report that causes the reader to believe that your actions were reasonable, appropriate, and defensible.

Outcome

Students who complete the course will:

• Discourage filings for motions to suppress evidence

• Encourage guilty pleas

• Serve as a roadmap for the prosecution

• Provide for a basis to fully refresh your memory for trial

Training Modules

1. Learn the Three Golden Rules of report writing.

2. Explain the four goals of a police report, along with the eight audiences who typically read your reports.

3. Learn straight-forward and effective report writing techniques, including:

   • Whether or not you should use CAPS

   • When to use paragraphs

   • Learn why a true professional writer uses topic headings to subdivide your report

   • When to use bullet points to make important legal conclusions

   • The value of identifying people by their role in the incident, not just their name

   • How to write short and direct sentences

   • Learn the seven elements of an effective synopsis

   • Describe how a true chronological report is written

   • Learn how to write a report summary (hint: it’s not like a college paper summary)

4. Students will also learn how to articulate criminal elements in their reports, including two “hidden” elements for every crime

5. Discuss how to effectively narrate on BWC without offending rules of evidence

6. Learn the Rule of 5 for RS and PC articulation

7. Learn how to “reverse engineer” case law in order to write better reports

8. Explain how the importance of articulating legal conclusions

9. Throughout the training students will do several engaging articulation exercises (this part is unique to our training)

The goal of Bulletproof Report Writing is to teach experienced police officers solid fundamentals that will help them write defensible police reports. Additionally, officers need the skills to write a report that will allow prosecutors to charge defendants without asking for follow-up information. Law enforcement officers need to know how to be fully prepared to not only answer the direct questions asked by the prosecutor, but also answer the cross-examination questions by the defense attorney and know how to respond to impeachment attempts.