I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Report Writing

2. Course Prefix & Number:
CRJU 1109

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course will teach the student the unique police report writing procedures required of MN Peace Officers. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation will be mandatory in this course. The focus will be on documenting the chain of evidence and chronological events applicable to criminal investigations. Application of oral interviewing and interrogations skills will also be included. Forms required for MN Peace Officers personnel will also be covered in class.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Name of Institution	Course Number and Title	Credits
Bemidji State University	Report Writing Law 1534	3

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

Name of Institution	Date of Acceptance	Discipline/Area/Program of Transfer
Bemidji State University	February 2023	Criminal Justice

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Name of Program(s)	Program Type
Criminal Justice	AAS

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Arrest and Investigation Reports
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Taking statements
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Understanding different characteristics of diverse cultures and environments will enable effective communication and interactions.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

Expected Outcome	MnTC Goal Area
Demonstrate proper use of punctuation and spelling.
Organize and complete clear and concise police reports.
Demonstrate filling out various police forms.
Describing details of events in sequential order.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills.
Complete a full background packet.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1.     An Introduction to Reports and Report Writing

• Reports Defined
• Types of Reports
• Uses of Reports
• Audience
• Common Problems with Many Police Reports

2.    Characteristics of a Well Written Report

• A Well Written Report
• Factual
• Accurate
• Objective
• Complete
• Elements of the Crime

3.   Characteristics of a Well Written Report

• A Well Written Report: Form
• Concise
• Clear
• Mechanically Correct
• Standard English
• Legible and On Time

4.   Steps In Report Writing

• The Five Basic Steps
• Gathering the Facts
• Taking Notes
• Organizing Your Information
• Structuring the Narrative

5.    Principles of Clear Writing

• First Person
• Active Voice
• Modification
• Pronoun Reference
• Parallelism

6.   Choosing the Right Words

• Word Choice
• Tone
• Conciseness

7.  Grammar

• Use of Pronouns
• Subject and Verb Agreement
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Negation
• Use of Articles

8. Sentences That Make Sense

• Sentences
• Sentence Fragments
• Run On Sentences
• Combining Sentences

9.  Spelling and Apostrophes

• Common Words with Difficult Spellings
• Words Frequently Used in Police Reports
• Homonyms
• Commonly Confused Words
• Apostrophes

10.    Abbreviations, Numbers and Capitalization

• Abbreviations
• Numbers
• Capitalization

11.  Commas

• Main Clause
• Introductory Phrases and Clauses
• Words in a Series