Effective Police Report Writing, Tip #4

The Prosecutor reviews your report over a cup of coffee.

Tom Beadle, an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Wayne County (Detroit) Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, reminds us that the prosecutor wasn’t at the arrest scene. Neither was the jury. Rather, the Prosecutor reviews your report in a climate-controlled office while sipping a cup of coffee. As Tom says, “I want to smell the person. And I want the jury to smell the defendant and hear the defendant. Your report should take me back to the scene.” Part of your job as a professional is to prepare a comprehensive, accurate, and descriptive report. The prosecutor, the judge, and the jury rely on you to take them back to the scene.