I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Report Writing in Law Enforcement
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 law enforcement 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 law enforcement personnel will also be covered in class.
5. Placement Tests Required:
6. Prerequisite Courses:
CRJU 1109 - Report Writing in Law Enforcement
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
CRJU 1109 - Report Writing in Law Enforcement
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
|
June 2009
|
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 Diploma Certificate |
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 |
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.
|
|
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