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The calm nature of the police officer allowed those around her to co-regulate, to bring their own brains to a lower energy vibe and make better choices.

With the new mental health awareness training, the new mission to bond with communities and give them real assistance was great. For when a pan over boils one does not place a lid on more firmly yet acts to reduce the heat.

The police officer was always ready with a broad smile and a kind word, for lowering stress in the community was all part of the job.

The police officer walked her beat with an outward smile and the inner worry of a mother.

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Essay On Policeman – 10 Lines, Short & Long Essay For Kids

Key Points To Remember When Writing An Essay On A Policeman For Lower Primary Classes

10-line essay on a policeman for kids, a paragraph about a policeman for children, short essay on a policeman in english, long essay on a policeman for kids, what will your 1st, 2nd or 3rd grader learn from this essay.

Police are an integral part of our social system. When your child writes a police essay in English, their creative writing skills improve, and they learn about the importance of the police in a community. Writing an essay on a policeman for classes 1, 2 and 3 will make kids understand the relevance of the role and functions of police in society. Moreover, essay writing activity lays the foundation of English grammar for kids. It improves their vocabulary and helps them structure their thoughts and put them on paper in short and simple sentences. The earlier you introduce the act of writing to your child, the better it is.

Your child needs to know a few important points while writing about the police and people serving in this department. Let us help your child get a hint of the work policemen dp through these pointers:

• Let your kids structure the ideas they want to write while referring to the role of the police in the first step.
• The second step is to note the ideas to form an outline to cover all the points while writing the essay.
• In the third step, they will make short and simple sentences from the pointers.
• Motivate your kid not to get too deep writing about any single idea. It will help them to maintain the word count.
• Help your kid write with the flow, making them cherish every bit of writing the essay.
• Your little one can write about the functions of the police, the skills required to join the police force, what kind of work they do, etc.

Police officers have a major role to play, as they are crucial to maintaining law and order in society. Let us help your kid to write a short essay for class 1 and class 2 by writing a simple few lines about a policeman:

• The police play a very important role in society.
• Police officers protect everyone.
• They bring peace and order to the community or town.
• They sort out problems like burglary, snatching, theft, misconduct, etc.
• The police officers wear the uniform that gives them a unique identification.
• They carry pistols for the protection of the people.
• They also carry batons sometimes.
• They travel and conduct routine rounds in their police car.
• The police officers are strong and courageous people.
• They have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.

The role of the police in society is massive and cannot be undervalued. Let us help your child write the policeman essay in 100 words:

The police play a very important role in maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in society, town, or community. Police officers are responsible for protecting everyone. Whenever anyone tries to harm law and order in the country, the police mediate. Police officers are trained to solve problems and issues of the people living in a community. Policemen wear uniforms, which provide them with a unique identification. They carry pistols for the protection of the public, and they also carry batons sometimes. They patrol in their police car. Being in the police force requires strength and immense courage. They have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders to safeguard society and its people.

The importance of police can’t be undermined. Therefore, kids get regular assignments or essays on policemen to make them aware of their role in society. Let us help your kid to write an essay for classes 1, 2 and 3:

The police play a very important role in maintaining an atmosphere free from disturbances and unwanted violence in society. Policemen have the duty of protecting the citizens of the country. Therefore, they get posted all across the country. Whenever anyone breaks law and order in the country, the police intervene, catch culprits, and put them behind bars. The police have their uniform, and the most common colour of the police uniform is khaki. Policemen are allowed to carry pistols to protect the common people in extreme situations. The government provides police personnel with police cars, which they use for patroling and reaching out to various places. Being in the police force is a responsible task. It requires strength and immense courage as they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders to safeguard society and its people. The police hold a major role in upholding the peace of a nation.

The role of the police is significant in our society. Let us help your little one write an essay for class 3 on the police force:

There are two kinds of people in this world. While most people abide by the state’s law and order, some people try to break it. When someone violates a law, the police get into the picture. The common citizens cannot take the law of the state into their own hands. They can only seek help from the police if needed. The police handle issues like burglary, snatching, theft, misconduct, etc. Whenever a crime occurs in society, the cops reach the spot and take charge.

What Is The Role And Importance Of The Policeman?

The police force has many responsibilities as they protect common people from danger, prevent crimes and tackle cases of robbery and misconduct. There is a lot of importance to police in our life. Police have to do various types of tasks on a daily basis. A policeman is responsible for ensuring the community stays safe and criminals remain put. There is a big role of police in society. Police officers enforce the law, prevent crime, fight criminal activities, and maintain order. They also control situations when there are natural disasters or large-scale protests. Sometimes they risk their lives while carrying out their duty. Police are the first branch to come into action in case of an emergency. Policemen are expected to be honest and sincere at their work. They get postings across the country. Policemen are given some tools to carry out their tasks efficiently, such as rifles, pistols, batons, and handcuffs, to name a few. The police cars with many special features also form an important part of their duty. It is these cars that they use for patrolling. There is also the INTERPOL Police force that works across countries at the international level.

When your little one writes an essay on the police, they learn about the significance of police in society. They understand that the police force is mandatory to maintain peace and order around us. The essay writing process also plays a major role in developing children’s creative writing skills.

Let us discuss some frequently asked questions below regarding policemen.

1. How Do Policemen Help Us?

The police officers are a group of specially trained people who maintain peace and order, enforce laws, protect public and private properties, help with emergencies, solve criminal cases, etc. Policemen are trained in rescue and first aid. The reason behind this training is that police officers are often one of the first people to reach a place where people are injured or in danger, such as an accident, a fire, etc. Sometimes we also see police personnel providing special security to VIPs.

2. What Skills Do You Need To Become A Police Officer?

Being in the police is not an easy task. A police officer needs to have a few skills. Let us discuss them below.

• Ability to handle the responsibility
• Ability to remain calm in dangerous or challenging situations.
• Assertiveness
• Open-mindedness
• Good interpersonal Skills

3. What Is the Full Form Of Police?

Police stand for Public Officer for Legal Investigations and Criminal Emergencies. The term Police can also be segregated as Polite, Obedient, Loyal, Intelligent, Courageous, and Efficient.

4. Which Is The Highest Post In The Police Department?

The highest post in the Police Department is the Director-General of Police (DGP).

We hope the above essay on policemen will help your child write an interesting essay on the topic and help them realise the value of police in society.

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The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

Writing Tips: Common Mistakes In Police Procedurals

posted on November 27, 2019

Accuracy and authenticity are important in every kind of story but this is particularly true in crime, thriller and police procedural novels that involve law enforcement. Author and police officer, Patrick O'Donnell , walks us through the most common mistakes he sees in books and television that involve police forces.

As an author, researching police procedure can be a tricky proposition. The world of police procedure is often veiled behind a blue curtain. Most of us who work in law enforcement keep to ourselves and often see an outsider asking questions as someone who doesn’t always have good intentions.

Unfortunately, many people rely on what they see on television or in the movies to be accurate depictions of police work. Nothing could be further than the truth.

Many police stories are nothing but fiction. Of course, you could search the Internet and hope whatever article is accurate. Unfortunately, individuals often spin the facts to further their agenda write many of these articles.

Here are some common errors I see in crime-related stories:

1. Police Related Shootings

I have been involved in six police-related shootings where an officer was required to use deadly force. I have seen and experienced the trauma and emotions related to these incidents first hand. It is common to read a story or see a movie where the main character (usually a detective) shoots and kills a suspect. Most police-related shootings involve a police officer, not a detective.

In these stories, it is common for the officer or detective to be back out on the street in a couple of days, or even the same day as the incident! Nothing could be further than the truth.

These investigations take months , up to a year to complete. During that time, the officer is assigned desk duty until the investigations are complete. That means they are still armed working police officers, they just cannot go out and take assignments until their shooting investigation is complete.

This is a tremendous strain on the officer, their families, the department, community, and the suspect’s families and friends. This is a time when officers' marriages often fall apart, relationships with their children often fail, and the officer alienates themselves from family and friends.

Interrogating A Suspect

It is a common trope for writers to use the angry detective screaming at the suspect in a small room and eventually striking the suspect or doing bodily harm to them. Of course in the real world, that would get that detective fired and most likely criminally charged.

I was watching a popular crime drama on television with my wife where the detective took out her gun (police officers and detectives never go into an interview room armed) and forced it into the suspect mouth who was handcuffed behind his back, in an attempt to get a confession.

I’m not sure how he was going to talk with a mouth full of Glock, but it is Hollywood. I explained to my wife how ludicrous that was and almost every interrogation is recorded, either with audio and or video.

What is often missed is the way a confession is obtained. The detective or officer who is conducting the interrogation uses a combination of skill, empathy, sympathy and sometimes acting skills to obtain a confession. These interrogations often take hours or days, depending on the circumstances and severity of the crime.

The person conducting the interrogation has to “get inside the head” of the person they are interrogating. A skilled interrogator has to have the suspect believe that they understand why they committed whatever crime they are accused of.

As you can imagine, the more repulsive the crime, the more difficult it is to accomplish this. But it must be done and done correctly.

Miranda Warnings

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of cost. Do you understand these rights? Would you like to make a statement?

These are the Miranda warnings that are read to a person during a custodial interrogation. Most officers or detectives who read these warnings do so from a card they keep on them either in their pocket or memo book.

Almost every cop has the words memorized, but it has come up in motion hearings where a defense attorney will challenge the officer or detective on what they said to their client. That is why it is always read , instead of recited from memory.

Often in a police-related story, the detective arrests a suspect and starts to read them their rights on the street before they get into the squad. That is not correct. Miranda warnings are read to an arrestee before a custodial interrogation. This means they have to be under arrest and being interrogated.

When asking them their name and general information, you do not have to read them their rights.

The opposite of this is when the detective is questioning a suspect during an interrogation and they never advise the arrestee of their Miranda warnings. Any confession that the suspect gives would be thrown out in court.

A popular trope in crime stories is the rogue cop or detective that defies all of their bosses orders to get the bad guy. In the end, all is forgiven because they get their man.

In law enforcement, we start as police officers and promote or get appointed to higher ranks. This means we all have a boss.

Most police departments are paramilitary in structure. If a law enforcement officer disobeys a lawful direct order from a person of a higher rank, they are subject to discipline, termination and or criminal prosecution, depending on the situation. So much for the cop or detective going, rogue!

The next time you watch one of your favorite crime stories on T.V. or in the theatre, check out the ranks of the personnel at a crime scene. More than one time, I have seen all of the uniformed officers with sergeant stripes on their sleeves. It makes me laugh out loud. Sergeants are the supervisors at a crime scene. If everyone there is a sergeant, no one is investigating .

These are just some of the common errors that are in crime/police-related stories. Of course, your story is your story. You have some latitude with your story in regards to how things are done in real life. However, you should know what is complete fantasy and what is the truth, or close to it.

Do you write crime or police procedurals? What are your favorite resources for making sure your book is accurate? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

He is also an author and technical advisor helping authors and screenwriters get their police procedure right.

His latest book, Cops And Writers: From The Academy To The Street takes authors along with him into the world of police work. You can find him at his website .

Reader Interactions

November 28, 2019 at 5:38 am

That isn’t what I write, but I have found myself asking my ex-policeman husband for advice on the odd domestic burglary issue that has arisen in my short stories. As far as the interview room goes, it appears from many of the docu-series on TV that the only responses we need to field are ‘No Comment’.

November 28, 2019 at 10:41 am

I don’t write police procedurals, but I’ve had police officers in some of my stories, and I’m relieved that I got it right. I did a little research before I wrote about cops, but I’m looking forward to reading Mr. O’Donnel’s book for a more in depth look.

November 28, 2019 at 12:24 pm

Great post! I will be buying a copy of Cops and Writers. My latest novel ‘A Vintage Year for Libel and Slander” involves the disappearance of a $50 million diamond ring during a Crush party in Sonoma, California. Although I’m a lawyer-author, I had to seek criminal law specialist advice about how the theft of a valuable piece of jewelry would be investigated by local, Federal and international law enforcement agencies. I attended the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference in Corte Madera, California and was able to consult several criminal law specialists who attended and spoke at this conference. They included a deputy public defender, former FBI Special Agent, and several lawyers and judges. Many of these specialists are also authors, so this conference proved very useful.

May 12, 2023 at 10:43 am

Decent post. I have his books, but there is a reason it’s called FICTION. You can’t have a year of dead space waiting for an officer involved shooting to be cleared. How boring would it be to, ” did you kill him.”

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A Guide to Descriptive Writing

by Melissa Donovan | Jan 7, 2021 | Creative Writing | 9 comments

What is descriptive writing?

Writing description is a necessary skill for most writers. Whether we’re writing an essay, a story, or a poem, we usually reach a point where we need to describe something. In fiction, we describe settings and characters. In poetry, we describe scenes, experiences, and emotions. In creative nonfiction, we describe reality. Descriptive writing is especially important for speculative fiction writers and poets. If you’ve created a fantasy world, then you’ll need to deftly describe it to readers; Lewis Carroll not only described Wonderland  (aff link); he also described the fantastical creatures that inhabited it.

But many writers are challenged by description writing, and many readers find it boring to read — when it’s not crafted skillfully.

However, I think it’s safe to say that technology has spoiled us. Thanks to photos and videos, we’ve become increasingly visual, which means it’s getting harder to use words to describe something, especially if it only exists in our imaginations.

What is Descriptive Writing?

One might say that descriptive writing is the art of painting a picture with words. But descriptive writing goes beyond visuals. Descriptive writing hits all the senses; we describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel (their tactile quality).

The term descriptive writing can mean a few different things:

• The act of writing description ( I’m doing some descriptive writing ).
• A descriptive essay is short-form prose that is meant to describe something in detail; it can describe a person, place, event, object, or anything else.
• Description as part of a larger work: This is the most common kind of descriptive writing. It is usually a sentence or paragraph (sometimes multiple paragraphs) that provide description, usually to help the reader visualize what’s happening, where it’s happening, or how it’s happening. It’s most commonly used to describe a setting or a character. An example would be a section of text within a novel that establishes the setting by describing a room or a passage that introduces a character with a physical description.
• Writing that is descriptive (or vivid) — an author’s style: Some authors weave description throughout their prose and verse, interspersing it through the dialogue and action. It’s a style of writing that imparts description without using large blocks of text that are explicitly focused on description.
• Description is integral in poetry writing. Poetry emphasizes imagery, and imagery is rendered in writing via description, so descriptive writing is a crucial skill for most poets.

Depending on what you write, you’ve probably experimented with one of more of these types of descriptive writing, maybe all of them.

Can you think of any other types of descriptive writing that aren’t listed here?

How Much Description is Too Much?

Classic literature was dense with description whereas modern literature usually keeps description to a minimum.

Compare the elaborate descriptions in J.R.R. Tolkien’s  Lord of the Rings  trilogy  with the descriptions in J.K. Rowling’s  Harry Potter series  (aff links). Both series relied on description to help readers visualize an imagined, fantastical world, but Rowling did not use her precious writing space to describe standard settings whereas Tolkien frequently paused all action and spent pages describing a single landscape.

This isn’t unique to Tolkien and Rowling; if you compare most literature from the beginning of of the 20th century and earlier to today’s written works, you’ll see that we just don’t dedicate much time and space to description anymore.

I think this radical change in how we approach description is directly tied to the wide availability of film, television, and photography. Let’s say you were living in the 19th century, writing a story about a tropical island for an audience of northern, urban readers. You would be fairly certain that most of your readers had never seen such an island and had no idea what it looked like. To give your audience a full sense of your story’s setting, you’d need pages of detail describing the lush jungle, sandy beaches, and warm waters.

Nowadays, we all know what a tropical island looks like, thanks to the wide availability of media. Even if you’ve never been to such an island, surely you’ve seen one on TV. This might explain why few books on the craft of writing address descriptive writing. The focus is usually on other elements, like language, character, plot, theme, and structure.

For contemporary writers, the trick is to make the description as precise and detailed as possible while keeping it to a minimum. Most readers want characters and action with just enough description so that they can imagine the story as it’s unfolding.

If you’ve ever encountered a story that paused to provide head-to-toe descriptions along with detailed backstories of every character upon their introduction into the narrative, you know just how grating description can be when executed poorly.

However, it’s worth noting that a skilled writer can roll out descriptions that are riveting to read. Sometimes they’re riveting because they’re integrated seamlessly with the action and dialogue; other times, the description is deftly crafted and engaging on its own. In fact, an expert descriptive writer can keep readers glued through multiple pages of description.

Descriptive Writing Tips

I’ve encountered descriptive writing so smooth and seamless that I easily visualized what was happening without even noticing that I was reading description. Some authors craft descriptions that are so lovely, I do notice — but in a good way. Some of them are so compelling that I pause to read them again.

On the other hand, poorly crafted descriptions can really impede a reader’s experience. Description doesn’t work if it’s unclear, verbose, or bland. Most readers prefer action and dialogue to lengthy descriptions, so while a paragraph here and there can certainly help readers better visualize what’s happening, pages and pages of description can increase the risk that they’ll set your work aside and never pick it up again. There are exceptions to every rule, so the real trick is to know when lengthy descriptions are warranted and when they’re just boring.

Here are some general tips for descriptive writing:

• Use distinct descriptions that stand out and are memorable. For example, don’t write that a character is five foot two with brown hair and blue eyes. Give the reader something to remember. Say the character is short with mousy hair and sky-blue eyes.
• Make description active: Consider the following description of a room: There was a bookshelf in the corner. A desk sat under the window. The walls were beige, and the floor was tiled. That’s boring. Try something like this: A massive oak desk sat below a large picture window and beside a shelf overflowing with books. Hardcovers, paperbacks, and binders were piled on the dingy tiled floor in messy stacks.  In the second example, words like  overflowing  and  piled are active.
• Weave description through the narrative: Sometimes a character enters a room and looks around, so the narrative needs to pause to describe what the character sees. Other times, description can be threaded through the narrative. For example, instead of pausing to describe a character, engage that character in dialogue with another character. Use the characters’ thoughts and the dialogue tags to reveal description: He stared at her flowing, auburn curls, which reminded him of his mother’s hair. “Where were you?” he asked, shifting his green eyes across the restaurant to where a customer was hassling one of the servers.

Simple descriptions are surprisingly easy to execute. All you have to do is look at something (or imagine it) and write what you see. But well-crafted descriptions require writers to pay diligence to word choice, to describe only those elements that are most important, and to use engaging language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Instead of spending several sentences describing a character’s height, weight, age, hair color, eye color, and clothing, a few, choice details will often render a more vivid image for the reader: Red hair framed her round, freckled face like a spray of flames. This only reveals three descriptive details: red hair, a round face, and freckles. Yet it paints more vivid picture than a statistical head-to-toe rundown:  She was five foot three and no more than a hundred and ten pounds with red hair, blue eyes, and a round, freckled face.

10 descriptive writing practices.

How to Practice Writing Description

Here are some descriptive writing activities that will inspire you while providing opportunities to practice writing description. If you don’t have much experience with descriptive writing, you may find that your first few attempts are flat and boring. If you can’t keep readers engaged, they’ll wander off. Work at crafting descriptions that are compelling and mesmerizing.

• Go to one of your favorite spots and write a description of the setting: it could be your bedroom, a favorite coffee shop, or a local park. Leave people, dialogue, and action out of it. Just focus on explaining what the space looks like.
• Who is your favorite character from the movies? Describe the character from head to toe. Show the reader not only what the character looks like, but also how the character acts. Do this without including action or dialogue. Remember: description only!
• Forty years ago we didn’t have cell phones or the internet. Now we have cell phones that can access the internet. Think of a device or gadget that we’ll have forty years from now and describe it.
• Since modern fiction is light on description, many young and new writers often fail to include details, even when the reader needs them. Go through one of your writing projects and make sure elements that readers may not be familiar with are adequately described.
• Sometimes in a narrative, a little description provides respite from all the action and dialogue. Make a list of things from a story you’re working on (gadgets, characters, settings, etc.), and for each one, write a short description of no more than a hundred words.
• As mentioned, Tolkien often spent pages describing a single landscape. Choose one of your favorite pieces of classic literature, find a long passage of description, and rewrite it. Try to cut the descriptive word count in half.
• When you read a book, use a highlighter to mark sentences and paragraphs that contain description. Don’t highlight every adjective and adverb. Look for longer passages that are dedicated to description.
• Write a description for a child. Choose something reasonably difficult, like the solar system. How do you describe it in such a way that a child understands how he or she fits into it?
• Most writers dream of someday writing a book. Describe your book cover.
• Write a one-page description of yourself.

If you have any descriptive writing practices to add to this list, feel free to share them in the comments.

Descriptive Writing

Does descriptive writing come easily to you, or do you struggle with it? Do you put much thought into how you write description? What types of descriptive writing have you tackled — descriptive essays, blocks of description within larger texts, or descriptions woven throughout a narrative? Share your tips for descriptive writing by leaving a comment, and keep writing!

Further Reading: Abolish the Adverbs , Making the Right Word Choices for Better Writing , and Writing Description in Fiction .

I find descriptions easier when first beginning a scene. Other ones I struggle with. Yes, intertwining them with dialogue does help a lot.

I have the opposite experience. I tend to dive right into action and dialogue when I first start a scene.

I came across this article at just the right time. I am just starting to write a short story. This will change the way I describe characters in my story.

Thank you for this. R.G. Ramsey

You’re welcome!

Great tips and how to practise and improve our descriptive writing skills. Thank you for sharing.

You’re welcome, Bella.

Hello Melissa

I have read many of your articles about different aspects of writing and have enjoyed all of them. What you said here, I agree with, with the exception of #7. That is one point that I dispute and don’t understand the reason why anyone would do this, though I’ve seen books that had things like that done to them.

To me, a book is something to be treasured, loved and taken care of. It deserves my respect because I’m sure the author poured their heart and soul into its creation. Marking it up that way is nothing short of defacing it. A book or story is a form of art, so should a person mark over a picture by Rembrandt or any other famous painter? You’re a very talented author, so why would you want someone to mark through the words you had spent considerable time and effort agonizing over, while searching for the best words to convey your thoughts?

If I want to remember some section or point the author is making, then I’ll take a pen and paper and record the page number and perhaps the first few words of that particular section. I’ve found that writing a note this way helps me remember it better. This is then placed inside the cover for future reference. If someone did what you’ve suggested to a book of mine, I’d be madder than a ‘wet hen’, and that person would certainly be told what I thought of them.

In any of the previous articles you’ve written, you’ve brought up some excellent points which I’ve tried to incorporate in my writing. Keep up the good work as I know your efforts have helped me, and I’m sure other authors as well.

Hi Stanley. Thanks so much for sharing your point of view. I appreciate and value it.

Marking up a book is a common practice, especially in academia. Putting notes in margins, underlining, highlighting, and tagging pages with bookmarks is standard. Personally, I mark up nonfiction paperbacks, but I never mark up fiction paperbacks or any hardcovers (not since college).

I completely respect your right to keep your books in pristine condition. And years ago, when I started college, I felt exactly the same way. I was horrified that people (instructors and professors!) would fill their books with ugly yellow highlighting and other markips. But I quickly realized that this was shortsighted.

Consider an old paperback that is worn and dog-eared. With one look, you know this book has been read many times and it’s probably loved. It’s like the Velveteen Rabbit of books. I see markups as the same — that someone was engaging with the book and trying to understand it on a deeper level, which is not disrespectful. It’s something to be celebrated.

Sometimes we place too much value on the book as a physical object rather than what’s inside. I appreciate a beautiful book as much as anyone but what really matters to me is the information or experience that it contains. I often read on a Kindle. Sometimes I listen to audio books. There is no physical book. The experience is not lessened.

I understand where you’re coming from. I used to feel the same way, but my mind was changed. I’m not trying to change yours, but I hope you’ll understand.

You’ve provided some great information and advice. One thing I might add–it is helpful to consider the POV character. For example, what will they notice in a restaurant? A police officer may notice the placement of the exits, the tattooed man carrying a side-arm, the security cameras on the ceiling, etc. The descriptive items he would notice would be very different from those of an elderly grandmother or a fifteen-year-old teenaged girl.

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How to Write a Believable Police Investigation Scene in a Script.

Expert advice from a former federal agent..

How to write a believable police investigation scene in your script.

Thankfully, screenwriting isn’t just about “writing what you know.” It’s obviously also about creating and recreating worlds that you might have zero experience of.

So let’s say you want to write a script that involves a crime scene or police investigation scene… But you’ve never been involved with law enforcement.

Many aspiring writers don’t see a problem here. They just dive into writing the script— and   fill in the blanks using their imagination.

They feel that because they’ve watched so many police procedural shows, they have a good enough idea of how crime scene investigators operate.

The vast majority then wind up suffering from a severe lack of believability .

Professional writers take a different tack.

They do research .

Writing a crime scene or a whole police investigation script with all the correct details in place will help make for a better story and, ultimately, a better chance of a sale .

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Introducing Kirk Flashner: a law enforcement technical advisor…

One way of doing this is to enlist the help of a professional advisor who can read your script and let you know what you’re getting right in your crime scene and what you’re getting wrong.

If you’re writing a crime-based feature script or TV show, you should definitely consider hiring the expert services of a guy like Kirk Flashner.

For almost 27 years he was officially employed as a Federal Agent for the United States Government. He is now a technical advisor for film and TV —reviewing scripts to ensure technical accuracy for law enforcement practices and procedures.

Kirk has been kind enough to make a list of the more common misconceptions  he finds in scripts when it comes to police investigation scenes and you can find his contact details at the end of the post.

Even if you’re not writing a crime-based script, you can apply the points below to your own genre by always remembering to never be satisfied with “ I think that’s how it works .”

So without further ado, here’s Kirk on how to avoid the common mistakes writers make when writing a police investigation scene.

Mistake #1: Academy trainees conducting investigations.

Screenwriters sometimes have characters that are still trainees attending a law enforcement academy and at the same time conducting investigations.

The best example of this can be found in The Silence of the Lambs .

Agent Trainee Clarice Starling misses a considerable amount of her New Agent Training at the highly regimented FBI Academy, to work basically alone on a dangerous investigation with minimal supervision. In the end, she also somehow still graduates on time with her class.

In fact, trainees do not conduct investigations while in academy training.

Missing training to conduct outside investigations will almost certainly get them fired. Under the best of circumstances, the trainee would still have to go back and remediate the missed training.

Mistake #2: Arrests and searches without a warrant.

An immediate search or arrest without a warrant may be an exciting plot device, but it’s only very rarely done by investigators.

In most instances, searches and arrests are done with warrants . If the matter is urgent, locations to be searched and/or person(s) to be arrested are kept under surveillance while a warrant is obtained.

Searches and arrests without warrants are likely come under scrutiny afterward and will require the investigator to clearly state their reason for the urgency of circumstances to the prosecutor before acceptance for prosecution, in front of a grand jury, or in court.

The investigator must be able to clearly communicate a very good reason for the urgency of the case —such as the suspect is about to leave the country or immediately commit a crime. Otherwise, it can go bad fast.

Mistake #3: Use of minors as confidential informants.

When writers use a minor child character as a law Confidential Informant (CI) , they seem to leave out one very important fact. They’re minors!

Using minors as CIs is sometimes done by law enforcement. But it is not quite as easy as picking them up on the street and taking them somewhere for a discussion.

The use of minors by law enforcement is generally done very carefully, almost always under the guidance of the prosecutor and with the permission of their parent or guardian.

Law enforcement officers who use minors as CIs especially without formal permission from parents or guardians are generally looking at job termination or worse.

Mistake #4: Sloppy evidence handling.

Physical evidence is not generally just tossed in the trunk of an investigator’s vehicle and then left there for weeks without any official law enforcement custody records, and then admitted as evidence in court.

Law enforcement agencies have strict rules about recording who had the evidence, how long it was in their possession, and where it was stored.

When evidence is taken into custody during a search warrant, it is logged into an inventory list .

All of this together makes up what is called “chain of custody.” Not properly following these procedures can cause a prosecutor not to take the case, or drop it.

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A word from Kirk…

Screenwriters are only limited by their own imagination, and that is a good thing. However, misconceptions about how law enforcement really works is also limited by their imagination, but that is where I come in.

I can review your work and provide a review of what may not be technically correct , and let you decide what to do next with your story.

I can also work with you more in-depth to help you craft your story around correct law enforcement practices and procedures.

When I review a script, it is a bit like conducting an investigation. Each one is unique, and you never know what you are going to find.

Let’s see how we can work together. You can contact me via info[at]flashner.com or at my website . I look forward to hearing from you and learning about you and your story.

Conclusion.

Make sure you don’t fall into the same trap as many aspiring screenwriters out there:

Writing about crime scenes and police investigations while not being sure they’re correct. But leaving them as they appear in your imagination because “no one will know the difference.”

The thing is, some readers might .

And even if they don’t, they will like your script a hell of a lot more if they feel they’re in the hands of a writer who’s taken the time to thoroughly research their subject matter.

This not only shows dedication but also helps draw them into the story, putting you above all those writers who haven’t bothered to make sure their police investigation scene feels authentic.

How much research do you do before writing a crime scene or a police investigation? Do you dive into the writing, even though you only have a vague idea about the subject matter? Or do you do your research first? Let us know in the comments section below!

Enjoyed this post? Read more about scenes here…

How to Write a Fight Scene in a Script

8 Out of 10 Writers Have Been Told How to Write a Scene the Wrong Way

8 Keys to Writing a Scene That Pops Off the Page and Grabs the Reader

[© Photo credits: Unsplash , Flashner Consulting ]

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9 Real Police Officer Resume Examples That Worked in 2024

Police Officer

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Police Officer Resume

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Police Officer Resume FAQs

You’re a defender of the police and a protector of the innocent; you’re a police officer, and keeping people safe is what you do. 

As a police officer, you’re used to discipline and organization, so your resume should also reflect those qualities. But what else does a good resume include?  Making an amazing resume  and writing an effective cover letter may feel more exhausting than chasing a suspect through the night, but it doesn’t have to be mysterious.

For this reason,  we’ve created nine police officer resume samples that will help get you hired in 2024 . These resumes contain everything you need to know about writing a police officer resume, including the essential details you’ll want to include or omit so that you can turn in your current job resignation letter and get hired faster!

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Peppering your masterpiece with metrics such as “reducing crime rates in the city by 15%” and “monitored 64 security cameras per shift” is an amazing hack to grab the recruiter’s attention and give them a glimpse of your impressive capabilities.
• About customizing your police office resume to match the job description, tossing in phrases like “maintain safety for people and property” and “ensuring functionality” lets the cat out of the bag about your relevant skills and your enthusiasm for the role (you went the extra mile, after all).
• You’re pretty sure you cut the mustard as a police officer, don’t you? Then, why not jazz up your job descriptions with must-have skills for law enforcers, like courage, good judgment,problem-solving, and weapons handling?
• Before hitting the “send” button, make sure action verbs like “Patrolled”, “Coordinated”, and “Exercised” are calling the shots in your bullet lists. Do they have to? Absolutely—otherwise, how will the hiring team catch the wind of the proactive moves you made in previous positions?

Experienced Police Officer Resume

• “Supervised and coordinated a team of 12 patrol officers” and “reducing road accidents in school zones by 50%” are potential examples of tangible, eye-catching results.
• We’d recommend listing six to eight highly relevant skills such as “search & seizure” and “teamwork.”

Entry-Level Police Officer Resume

• The key to a good objective is customizing it for each job for which you apply. Include the name of the employer, the role you’re seeking, and the skills you hope to use in your future position to stand out and get noticed by hiring personnel.
• For example, mentioning soft skills like “managed,” “handled,” “analyzed,” or “trained” shows leadership and is a great way to book your spot for an interview!

Retired Police Officer Resume

• For a part-time bailiff position, shape your career objective around your proven ability to follow protocol—a must in courtroom settings.

Auxiliary Police Officer Resume

• Don’t forget to include your criminal justice degree on this resume. It reveals a longstanding dedication to the mission of the police department.

NYPD Police Officer Resume

• For instance, did you achieve the status of sergeant or captain? Include it on your resume, highlighting your most recent and relevant experience first in reverse-chronological order.
• What does this mean? Use strong verbs and active voice to demonstrate your leadership. For example, instead of saying, “Aided other officers in patrols by taking calls,” say “Monitored radio calls during night shift to assist officers during patrols.”

Federal Police Officer Resume

• Start by putting your work experience in reverse-chronological order, then lay out the rest of your information according to importance.
• For example, keep your contact header at the very top of your resume, and put your skills section after your education.
• You’d be surprised to discover the fine details interviewers notice when searching for the perfect candidate, so always  check your resume  for errors before you hit submit!

Public Safety Officer Resume

• For instance, have you moved from completing some tasks to supervising various teams completing many tasks? Ensure your resume shows a progression in your ability to handle more responsibilities.
• The goal with your skills should be to show employers you’ve got more than just head knowledge. A great example would be “administered first aid to 32 injured students” because it shows how you applied your abilities at first aid.

Campus Police Officer Resume

• Make the job description your roadmap for skills and experience to include. Are they looking for someone to train new recruits? Mention how you mentored cadets in the past. Do they want someone who can maintain their own police vehicle? Include any maintenance experience you have. Customizing your resume is the number one way to get noticed!
• Your employer likely expects you to have experience dealing with adolescents or college students, so, try to mention your communication skills. This kind of resume alteration will help employers realize you’re the one.

Related resume guides

• Security Officer
• Investigator
• Security Guard
• Firefighter

What employers don’t want to see is a list of job duties. They already know what a police officer does; instead, use your job description bullet points to speak to accomplishments in your law enforcement career. What situations did you encounter, how did you respond to those situations, and what was the result or impact? Whenever possible, quantify those statements.

Be detailed and specific in your resume, but save the story-telling aspect for your police officer cover letter .

This depends on the job description. If you’re applying to work as a public safety officer, you might consider skills like firearm safety and security equipment maintenance. If you’re planning to serve at a college campus, crowd control is an excellent skill to have. And working for a traditional police department, search and seizure will be important. The point is to understand what the job requires and to tailor your police resume accordingly.

Since law enforcement leaves room for an upward trajectory, it makes the most sense to format your resume in reverse-chronological order. What’s “above the fold” of your resume is what hiring teams will focus their attention on most, which means if you’re currently a sergeant, you shouldn’t start by listing your first job right out of the police academy.

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How to Describe a Police Car in a Story

By Isobel Coughlan

Are you searching the web for tips on how to describe a police car in a story? This post is for you. In it, we explain 10 words you can use to describe a cool police car in your novel .

Something that moves very fast.

“The swift police car weaved amongst the traffic with ease. A standard car wouldn’t be able to navigate the busy streets so smoothly.”

“Let’s go now! But make sure you choose the swift police car. We need to get there quickly.”

How it Adds Description

Police cars often have the capability to drive fast, and “swift” shows how your fictional police car is faster than others on the street. “Swift” also has connotations of effortlessness, which can signal the driver is attuned to the car or very talented behind the wheel. If a character drives a “swift” police car, they might be more important than others, as they have access to a good motor.

Something very large or great.

“The immense police car rolled into the gas station, and everybody stopped to stare.”

“It was an immense police car, and she’d never seen such large wheels in her life.”

If you want to give a strong visual of the police car, “immense” can signify how large the vehicle is. “Immense” can also show the car is of a superior quality, which might make other characters feel fear or awe when it arrives. It can also simply show the car is a new or impressive model, which can give your reader an insight into the technology in your fictional world.

3. Lustrous

Something that shines gently or brightly due to a shiny surface.

“The lustrous police car patrolled the block. Its perfect sheen didn’t fit in amongst the beat-up cars parked along the street.”

“He chose to ride in the lustrous police car because he knew it would make him look cool.”

“Lustrous” implies the police car is well-taken care of and polished. This shows its owners take pride in their jobs as police officers or have lots of time and money to complete smaller tasks. A “lustrous” police car can also contrast areas that are dirty or chaotic, and you can use this to show the difference in status between the residents and the police.

Something extremely old or has existed for a long time.

“She gasped when she saw the ancient police car. It was missing two windows, one seat, and it smelt like dust.”

“He had no choice but to get into the rust-ridden, ancient police car, and he was embarrassed for the entirety of the ride.”

Not all police cars are new, and “ancient” can show how your fictional police car has seen better days. “Ancient” implies your police need more funding, but you can also use this adjective to show the police won’t let go of old-school technology and ideas. If a character describes the car as “ancient,” it shows they’re not impressed with it and potentially embarrassed to be seen with it.

Something that’s new or made recently .

“Gosh, what a fresh police car! If I get arrested, take me away in one of those beauties.”

“The man stepped out of the fresh police car with pride. It was obviously the latest model.”

“Fresh” is a colloquial term that shows something is new or impressive. When used with your police car, it shows the car is new, impressive, or very attractive. This could show your police have a large budget or lots of power in your fictional world. If a character calls the police car “fresh,” they appreciate its design. But when mixed with negative connotations, “fresh” can also show jealousy.

6. Intimidating

Something that’s frightening and makes others lose confidence .

“The intimidating police car appeared in her dreams again. She knew it was some kind of sign but didn’t know what it meant.”

“He shuffled away from the intimidating police car. He didn’t want to be near such a scary vehicle.”

“Intimidating” shows how other characters are fearful or suspicious of your fictional police car. This could be because of its scary design, but it could also be because your fictional police force is especially brutal. “Intimidating” can also foreshadow future negative plot points or create suspense for your reader.

Something that’s unimportant or small.

“The paltry police car wheeled around the corner, but no one even looked at it.”

“The woman laughed at the paltry police car, even though the policeman was angry.”

If you want to show your police car is low-quality or not a threat, “paltry” is a great word to use. This adjective shows how insignificant or physically small the car is. The word can also show how characters aren’t scared of it, and they might even poke fun at the car as a sign of disrespect.

8. Disappointing

Something not as impressive or good as expected to be.

“He glanced at the disappointing police car and winced. It was an embarrassment to the force.”

“The police car was disappointing . She’d expected a much larger vehicle.”

When people think of police cars, they often think of an impressive car with the latest tech. “Disappointing” shows that the car is low-quality or below your characters’ expectations. This adjective can even subtly signal that the police are lazy or unhelpful, as their vehicles aren’t up to standard.

Something ordinary or not special.

“The humble police car blended into the scenery.”

“The group took the humble police car so fewer people would notice them.”

“Humble” can stress that your police car is very ordinary or non-assuming. This can help your characters ride around without being noticed as the car blends in with others. “Humble” can also signal that the characters feel comfortable in it, as it’s a standard car.

10. Defective

Something that doesn’t work well.

“Don’t take the defective police car! It’ll crash!”

“She stayed away from the defective police car. It was a certain death trap.”

“Defective” shows your police car is broken or not working well, which can foreshadow future issues or potential danger for characters. A character might also call a police car “defective” to show they dislike it.

Professional Writing Skills are Important in Law Enforcement

Writing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when we think about the skills needed for a career in law enforcement. Yet, police officers are expected to possess them, as they need to document their activities on a continuous basis.

In fact, some officers may have to write up to four lengthy reports per shift. That’s hours of work. Since those reports are used to enforce laws, the ability to write effectively and coherently is essential.

In this post, we’re going to talk about the connection between professional writing skills and a successful and fulfilling career in law enforcement.

Writing: Part of the Law Enforcement Routine

Television and media adaptation led us to believe that police work is all about chasing down criminals, high-speed vehicle pursuits, and dangerous shootouts.

The daily routine of a police officer – and other law enforcement officials – is quite different. Writing is a major part of that routine. A police officer needs to generate a report for every call of service to write down the details of events and investigations.

The reports are extremely important and used as evidence in court, investigating crimes, and even tracking criminal trends. A poorly written report thus can negatively affect a court case by failing to provide clear information about wrongdoing.

Ultimately, writing skills have a major impact on a law enforcement officer’s career. Police officers are well-aware of their importance.

In fact, a survey of Ohio police chiefs revealed that the vast majority perceived them important “to the success of a police officer” and that they “impact an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission.”

Credit: Police Chief Magazine

Over 90 percent of the participants also agreed that writing skills:

● Affected the prosecution of cases ● Impacted supervisor’s perception of them as a law enforcement officer ● Influenced the decision to appoint officers for special assignments ● Impacted their promotion within their department.

These results show that writing affects both an officer’s career and their ability to do their job.

When asked about specific qualities of writing (grammar, clarity, etc.), the participants also saw them as “extremely” or ”very” important.

So, the police officers say their writing must be accurate, clear, grammatically correct, detail-oriented, complete, and have a professional tone. Also, about 40 percent of participants saw “creativity” as a relevant quality to write effectively.

Types of Written Communications in Law Enforcement

So, what types of documents do law enforcement officers write? During the course of their career, they are expected to work on:

A police officer needs to draft a report describing every response to a suspected criminal activity. The report contains details such as the incident summary, involved individuals, facts, etc., and serves as a starting point in criminal investigations.

The types of reports vary and include traffic collision reports, arrest reports, DUI reports, crime case reports, stolen vehicle reports, attempted suicide reports, and lots more.

Community Outreach

Emails, website announcements, social media posts, and others – police departments are using outreach to engage with their community members. Police officers also participate in communication activities.

Internal Communications

As indicated by the Ohio survey, poor writing skills can negatively impact the perception of the supervisor.

Also, clear communication between police officers helps them do their job more effectively and efficiently.

Next, let’s see how to improve skills to communicate as a law enforcement officer.

How to Build Writing Skills for Law Enforcement Officers

1. focus on simplicity in public outreach messaging.

Making reports or other written communications sound fancy by using complex words and sentences is a bad idea. They introduce ambiguity and waste the time of people who will read the report later.

To make your writing simple, therefore, clearer, focus on two things:

● Conciseness ● Organization.

Let’s see some examples.

Read this excerpt from a public outreach program supported by the police department in Parker, CO. It’s a perfect representation of a concise, clear, and organized text.

To write clearly and organize texts:

● Use bullet points when listing tips or instructions. They make texts easier to scan and read ● Avoid informal language. Everyday, simple language is best for outreach because the public prefers it ● Start with a verb to give advice. Verbs eliminate repeating words in bullet points ● Use “you” and “your” in public outreach documents. It’s important to create a sense of a conversation with them ● Use headings and subheadings. They help to break up long texts, which applies to all kinds of public outreach writing.

Remember, the job of a law enforcement officer is to inform, not to impress.

Pro tip: Avoid “text speak” (e.g., “your” or “u” instead of “you are” and “you,” respectively) in all kinds of writing. Although it’s good for making writing shorter and more informal, it also makes it sound like an advertiser wrote it.

2. Use the “5-W 1-H” Formula for Report Writing

The “5-W & 1-H” formula is a common method used by law enforcement officers to achieve the most precise wording. The abbreviation stands for Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. By addressing these questions, an officer can address all details necessary for effective reporting:

● Persons ● Events/incidents ● Places ● Times ● Reasons.

Let’s see an example.

Version I – a poor example

“Victim states he was robbed at the Webster Square shopping center parking lot on 12th Street. The suspects fled down Washington Street toward Beaver Brook park.”

Version II – example written with “5-W & 1-H” formula

“Stephen Rowe stated that on 11/08/19 at approximately 8:45 pm, he was leaving Webster Square shopping center on 12th Street. Two males approached him in the parking lot with a gun and demanded to give them all the money he had. Stephen gave the men his wallet containing a credit card, after which the suspects fled toward beaver Brook park. Victim says the suspects were about 20-25 years of age, had a buzz cut, and wore black hoodies and blue jeans.”

The second version had much more details presented in an organized manner. This helps to organize the report and provide as many details as possible for investigation.

Pro tip: Andrew Rowe, a writing expert from TopEssayWriting : “Use between one and three commas per sentence. The second example follows this tip to avoid unnecessary complicated sentences and occasional punctuation errors.”

3. Use Chronological Order for Report Writing

Chronological order organizes events in a report according to the involvement of a law enforcement officer. This technique helps the reader understand the incident in order, as seen from the officer’s perspective.

Example without chronological order:

“I met with Ms. Morrison at 73 Shrewsbury Street regarding vehicle theft at about 3:10 pm. Ms. Morrison said she left her car parked by the piercing salon and went inside a nearby grocery store. When she returned to the parking lot beside the piercing salon, she found her car was missing.”

Example with chronological order:

“09/07/19 3:10 pm I arrived at the scene, located at 73 Shrewsbury Street. I interviewed the victim, Ms. Morrison, at 3:15 pm. Ms. Morrison stated that she left her car at the parking lot besides a piercing salon at about 2:30 pm. She said when she returned from the grocery store at about 2:45 pm, she found her car was missing.”

As you can see, each sentence contains a time to help the readers understand the timeline of the event.

Pro tip : begin every sentence with a noun (person, palace, or thing) as in the examples. It’s a normal structure in English that keeps sentences easy to understand.

4. Use an App to Organize Notes

Any law enforcement officer or civil investigator knows how important note taking is at the crime scene. This practice, however, is outdated and inefficient. The notes are usually taken on paper and then later need to be scanned and re-submitted to reports and other documents.

Using the  forensic notes app is a more efficient practice. It has ready-made documents for reports where an officer can make notes and add media like photos, videos, geolocation, weather, contacts, and signatures.

A major advantage of using an app like Forensic Notes, is that it is  purpose built for law enforcement.

Unlike many apps that simply save your notes, it uses a combination of timestamping and hashing.

Basically it means you can easily verify that notes were taken contemporaneously and not altered after the fact – which can be very difficult using popular consumer notetaking apps.

And which may be essential when it comes to court admissibility. 

And plus, if you don’t like typing on your mobile device, there’s a voice recording feature, too, so you can do interviews and transcribe them later.

Related: Documenting Evidence – Top 12 Best Practice Guidelines

Professional Writing Skills in Law Enforcement: Final Thoughts

A law enforcement officer with strong writing skills can create quality reports and effectively communicate with colleagues and community members.

Writing will continue to play a vital role in law enforcement, so anyone working or planning to work in the area is advised to hone their writing skills.

AUTHOR BIO (Guest Post)

Nicole Garrison works as a writing consultant for TrustMyPaper and bestessayseducation.com

For the past ten years, she has been advising on writing planning content strategies for small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Nicole often hosts writing workshops and webinars to share their knowledge of writing for the web.

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June 15, 2015

Writing about: a police station + creative blogger award.

FYI: On top of these places, there’s also a garage, a gun range where police officers practice shooting, and booking rooms where prisoners are searched, photographed, and are read their rights before being led to a cell.

79 comments:

Yes! I have been in a poice station, when my youngest son was injured playing football. Most interesting to read and informative to those who have never been "Inside". Yvonne.

Thanks, Yvonne. Did you notice that I nominated you for the Creative Blogger award? :)

I had to go to the police station to be fingerprinted for the foster parent program, but I don't really remember what it looked like. Your guest post is up today. I'm sorry I forgot on Friday.

Thanks, L. Diane! And that's okay. :)

Have visited the jail part of a police station, and a prison, as a visitor. But never got to see anything useful beyond that. So this valuable info - thanks Chrys. Have got to find out whether local police (Heddlu) operate from a similar station, here In North Wales, where current mystery is set.

I image some things would be similar and yet some things would be different in Wales or other parts of the world.

I don't think I've ever even been inside a real police station. I worked for government for 19 years, though, so I know how pared down everything always is in government!

I've never been in one either, so a lot of research was needed for this and my stories.

Congrats on the award, I liked the 5 lies you listed. Oh gosh, sadly, yes inside of a police station for incidents I won't get into, they can be just a bit intimidating. betty

Thank you, Betty! Oh jeez. I hope everything worked out fine in the end.

Congratulations on the award. I've never been in a police station, although I've been in a courthouse to pay for a speeding ticket. More than once I might add...

Thanks, Alex! You little speed demon. haha

I went inside a police station for cubs way back when. Wrote them in a few times in my books. An award you say, thanks from my bay. Telling 5 things, even one thing, is hard as the cat has already told everything lol

You're welcome, Pat! I know. It was hard to come up with five thing. That's why I chose lies. They were a lot easier. lol

Wow, thanks for the nomination. I shall do an acceptance post later this week. As for police station, I don't recall ever being in one, except to buy parking stickers for my car. The closest I've ever spent to spending any reasonable amount of time in a police station is I once had breakfast in a Dunkin' Donuts shop for breakfast and a few cops came in to get donuts and were discussing a case. PS - I did post those Anne journal entries. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how odd Jeffrey Scott wrote when he was only 19. Let me know if you can't find them. I gave description in the comments of your Anne post.

You're very welcome, Jeffery. :) It would've been neat to eavesdrop on those cops' conversation. Hmm...I didn't get an email notification for your journal post. I will check them out soon. :)

You probably didn't get the email because I back dated them to 1989. It seems whenever I do that, an email is never sent out.

Ah...that could be why.

Yes, that's why when I post new chapters to my story, you probably don't get updates either, because I back date those too. And there is specific reasons why I back-date some posts.

I've never been in a police station os that was cool to read! Way to go with the research :D

Thank you, SK! :D

I went to the local police station when I got my identity stolen some years back. It was kind of eerie to see the jail cell so close. I can't remember if I ever visited a police station as part of a field trip.

I never went as part of a field trip, but I think it would've done good for some students who ended up doing bad things when they got older to see a police station and jail cells.

The police station in our little town probably doesn't have half those things but I know they share some resources with other municipalities nearby. Where I live we don't have police and have to call the state police if we need them.

Yes, smaller stations don't have as much as rely on stations in bigger cities for resources. Not having police in your area must be a pain when you do need them.

I love you five lies. So I will tell you one. No, I have never been in a police station. LOL Great post! sherry @ fundinmental

HAHAHA! Nice lie, Sherry. ;)

Hi Chrys, Congrats on the blog award :) This post is great because I may need to reference how a police station operates in my next project (I don't like to say book because I'm not sure where this is going). It might be a short story or a series...but this character popped into my head one day while I was driving. A little old lady who works on contract, undercover for the police. She is an unlikely investigator who has an uncanny way of getting to the suspect. Anyhow, she often visits one of the hunky police officers to get details of her next case. She enjoys flirting with him, too. I haven't written any crime so I have to research a little on tips for that. I didn't realize the crime lab was right at the station. I picture CSI Miami when I think of crime lab although that is pretty slick and probably not very realistic.I don't think I've ever been inside a police station. That's a good thing, right?

I understand about not wanting to say book because many of my projects end up being a short story or novella. I LOVE that concept, Lisa! I have a post about undercover operations coming up soon because I have written about that, so stay posted for those tips. :D And that is a very good thing. ;)

Fantastic! I look forwar to that one, Chrys!

This was useful! I've never actually been in a police station before. I feel like I need to visit one eventually to get a better feel. I figure a small town station might actually be a lot different from a bigger city one though. Funds and all that, they may not have all those features. Hm.

You're right, this post is more for what a big city station would be like. Smaller stations outside of big cities may have to rely on stations in the city for certain things.

Ah, yeah.. that's true!

Well, you seem to know your way around the police station, wanna tell us about it? ;) I think the jail in a police station is normally referred to as a holding cell, where prisoners are only held until transferred to a larger jail (or until they sleep it off). Thanks for the Blogging Award! It's a honor to know that you think I'm creative!

Haha! Just a lot of research. I've never even been inside a police station before. Yes, they can be called a jail cell or a holding cell.

Great advice! In one of my books someone has to report a crime, (it's in first person so we won't actually see the suspect getting arrested) so I'll have to keep some of this in mind! Congrats on the award!

Great! I love it when people say something one of their WIPs will benefit from one of my posts. :D

I've never been in a police station. I wonder if someone wanted to visit for research would they be allowed?

I think so. If someone had to, they could always call before hand and see if it was okay to get a little tour.

Thanks for the nomination :-) I agree, it's a very cool award to receive, so congrats! I've never been in a police station either - you obviously know a lot of law-abiding bloggers, Chrys :-)

You're so very welcome, Annalisa! And thank you! I am so proud of my law-abiding blogger friends. :D

Interesting post, Chrys. I've written about police stations before, and I'm sure I will again, so I'll be bookmarking this one. A cop source who will check your facts is always helpful too, and one of my closest friends is an RCMP officer (Mountie). Thanks, too, for the blog award! That's A LOT of people to tag, but I'll see what I can do. :)

A cop source really is the best thing you can have to make sure you're doing it right. You're very welcome! The rules initially said 15-20 bloggers but I thought that was too much, so I changed it to 10-20.

I did research back in January on the whole police/arrest procedure. It stopped my novel for three whole weeks because I became obsessed with every little detail. i did end up taking some creative liberties, but it has to be believable, at least! As always, great info. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the award:)

Creative liberties are good and needed for fiction but being authentic is important, especially when it comes to police procedures. Thanks, Quanie! :)

Great info, Chrys. You've hit all the important parts! I use a sheriff's station in one of my wips. Congrats on the creative blogger award!

Thank you, Ava! :)

Great post! I've never been in a police station. I've peeked in a few really small ones, though. Congrats on the award!

Thank you, Christine!

Information desk! OMG I was writing a scene and my MC walked into a police station and I could not remember what to call that area. Great timing with this post. Thanks. Thanks for the nomination. =)

When I was writing my WIP, I called it a front desk a time. :) You're welcome for this bit of information and for the much-deserved nomination. :)

Chrys, you always give the best advice for writing about certain people and places we are unfamiliar with. I have never been inside a police station other than the entrance to pay for tickets. Never been arrested but have had quite a few tickets, lol. Congratulations on the award! I, too, love heights. My goals one of these days is to skydive... Oh my!

At least you've never been arrested. Now if only you'd get less tickets. ;) Thank you! Tehe....the part about me loving heights was a lie...all of those were lies. :P

Some interesting stuff about police stations, and yes, I've been in them before .On more than one occasion. To be fingerprinted for an FBI background check before deploying to the G-8 with Georgia Emergency Management. (Quite an experience!) Also to spend the night for Y2K, when the powers that be around here were concerned about a possible disruption in service. Amateur radio operators were set up in vital operations centers all over the country. My hubby and I were chosen for the police station. But the BEST police station story is when I dragged my two sons there to have an officer talk to them. They didn't believe ME when I told them how dangerous throwing stars are. I told them they could NOT have any of those things, and then discovered they bought them, anyway. I chatted with an officer on the phone, and he said he'd be happy to set them straight. Scared the bejeezus out of them when I told them to get in the car, and then drove them to the station. (Trust me, they DID believe what the police officer told them!) Congrats on the award! Thanks for thinking of me, but I received it not that long ago, so I'm gonna pass this time around.

You're the second person to mention that had to go to one to be fingerprinted for something. I wanted to be fingerprinted...but you know, for fun and for research. :P That story about your son's is great. That is parenting at it's best! Good for you! Thank you, Susan. You're welcome and that's okay. I wasn't sure if you received it or not. :)

Very helpful. I've set some scenes inside a police station, but I was vague. I did use Google, but this list is way more helpful. Congrats on the award.

Sometimes being vague is appropriate when the characters don't work there or have to go to all of these different areas. I've been vague in some stories and in other I gave more detail. Thank you! :)

This post is so helpful for me as I know I'm going to be including a police station several times in my WIP. Going to bookmark this - thanks!

I'm glad you'll be able to use this post, Julie. :D

Love the post, Chrys. It was very helpful. :-) Anna from Elements of Writing

Thanks, Anna. :)

I love the posts that examine an element that can be used in your writing. It's a great idea and you own it! Good job, Chrys! Congrats to all the folks on their Creative Blogger Award! I think the badges are fun ways to pat someone on the back and all these bloggers definitely deserve it. Well done!

THANK YOU, CHERDO! :D I love the awards and to recognize great bloggers. It's so much fun and it's nice to give bloggers pats on their backs, as you said. :)

Great information, as always. I have been in a police station, very weird feeling because as soon as I see a police car - I feel guilty! I had to give my fingerprints for a job, ever since I've lived with this fear that my prints will materialize in a place they shouldn't! LOL

HAHA! That is an interesting fear and would make a great story...you're great at murder-mysteries...maybe you can turn it into one. ;)

"Lizards are awesome.." Ha! You are funny! Interesting post, this kind of research sure never hurts and is perfect when writing as a detective. We have a great many retired cops, detectives, EMTs., etc who speak at our Mystery Writer's Luncheons but their stories are never about the station itself ;-)

I put that little lie in there just for you, Diedre. ;) Those luncheons must be really interesting. I wish I could go to them.

As you know, much of the action in my MS takes place in a police station. This was excellent information. I may do some editing to incorporate the activity in this place more clearly!!!

Yes, I do know! And I thought you did good with it. :)

Great information. I'm saving it in case some of my characters get in trouble some day and end up at the police department. :) Our small town, population 6,000, doesn't have all of this, but the nearby larger town does.

And may your character get into trouble. ;)

Excellent information, particularly since readers of police procedurals tend to be very picky about details. I have been in a police station. With two cop brothers, and a job where I worked with police to permit events for a city on the West Coast, I had no choice. :-) VR Barkowski

Haha! You can't escape police stations, VR! ;)

Thanks Chrys. We learn so much about police precincts from our favourite TV shows, but it was great seeing the breakdown here. I'd hate to be in that cell!! Denise :-)

Sometimes, TV shows aren't totally accurate. I've heard that cops actually hate those shows because they aren't accurate or real.

Our local Sheriff's department used to always give a tour to students in high school. I suppose to learn and to try to dissuade you from ending up there. They ran a few driver's licenses for us and one fellow submitted his and the ticker just kept going, and going and going. He had a whole drawer of tickets at home. To their credit, they didn't hold him. I Saw it on Facebook @ Life & Faith in Caneyhead .

Oh gosh, it was nice of them not to hold him for having that many unpaid tickets.

You were right, I totally missed this :P I usually get an email when someone comments on my blog but there are some people for whom that doesn't happen (namely you, Robyn Engel and Gorilla Bananas). Don't feel like a jerk for the Inspiring Blogger Award - you're right, this is a MUCH better one to win. Thank you :)

I was wondering why you were silent about this. I didn't think you would be. That is weird that you don't get an email when I comment. I'm using blogger...nothing else. Hmm...

New comments are not allowed.

3 simple ways to instantly improve your report writing

Tactics keep you alive, but report writing keeps you out of trouble.

Last year, I attended a weeklong regional technical training course tailored for first-line supervisors. The course covered best practices in managing large-scale chaotic scenes and conducting after-action reviews . After the training, I spoke to one of the instructors, a retired LEO, for more information on after-action reports. I was quickly met with an interesting and borderline discouraging comment: “Officer’s don’t care about reports; they care about tactics. Focus on tactics, and someone else will do the after-action report.”

“Officers don’t care about reports; they care about tactics.” Was that statement true?

I returned to work and decided to review my internal training records. I had plenty of advanced defensive tactics, active shooter and mass casualty response training but to my surprise, I had nothing related to law enforcement report writing. My external training records were just as slim – lots of courses on teaching, fraud investigations and accounting, but very few on how to write a better police report.

My colleagues were in the same boat: lots of tactics training with little to no police report writing training.

Tactics keep you alive, but a well-written police report keeps you out of trouble; however, report writing is something most agencies dismiss as an important officer survival skill.

Luckily, there are three techniques you can do to instantly improve your police report writing, avoid case dismissal and protect yourself as an officer. And the best part is that you do not need formal training and it only takes minutes a day.

1. Don’t write when you are tired

OK, I hear you: “I am always tired, so how can I write when I am not tired?”

Police exhaustion is such a major concern for police agencies that Police1 dedicated an entire podcast segment to fighting fatal fatigue in law enforcement . Unfortunately, being tired is part of the career. So, let me rephrase the heading: Write when you are less tired.

Writing while alert is necessary because the police report-writing process is mentally taxing. An officer starts by reviewing their mental and physical notes, then progresses through a series of prewriting, writing, responding, revising, editing and publishing (sending the report to a supervisor for review). When an officer is mentally exhausted or physically tired, this will lead to mistakes. Note I didn’t say, “this may lead to mistakes.” Being tired will lead to mistakes.

Most police agencies make bad report writing worse with write-it-before-you-go-home policies. After a 10+ hour shift, the last thing any officer wants to do is sit down and write a shoplifting or found property report. Of course, some investigations should be written before going home because of due process rights, immediate follow-up, or investigators are still on scene. But most police reports can be held until the officer returns the next day.

Having a small break between shifts gives an officer’s mind time to process the information and organize their thoughts subconsciously. When an officer is alert and their thoughts are organized, they will be prepared to write accurate accounts of what happened.

Time helps the mind process information.

Even if your agency requires same-day reports, there is a little trick to help mitigate mistakes. In these cases, try to write your report directly after the incident but wait two to three hours to proofread it. You will be surprised at how much extra information your brain will naturally find during that short break. If you think of any additional information after you submitted your police report, just write a supplemental report when you get in the next day.

2. Use spelling and grammar checkers

Over the past five years, I have read thousands of police reports from around the United States. Many of these reports are packed full of simple grammar and spelling mistakes that a word processor’s spellcheck would have caught.

I know that many of these agencies, including mine, use Microsoft Word’s spellcheck feature. So why do we continue making basic spelling and grammar mistakes? I decided to do some digging, and each time I read an exceptionally bad report, I called the agency, not to complain or call them out, but to ask questions. I found that most poorly written reports from 2010 to the present day share three traits:

• The officer wrote the report directly in the agency’s records management system (RMS);
• The officer did not configure spellcheck; or,
• The officer wrote in UPPERCASE.

RMS spell checkers are improving, especially in the new AI integrated RMS 3.0 versions. But as of right now, even the most basic version of Microsoft’s Word spellcheck outperforms any RMS spellchecker. Try to write your report in a word processor first, then copy and paste it into your agency’s RMS.

(If you want to learn more about how to set up spellcheck correctly, read the next article in this series, How to set up spellcheck to proofread your police report , available for Police1 members only.)

Writing in uppercase is an unnecessary annoyance. If you are writing in uppercase, please stop. Your boss, your prosecutor and all the agencies reading your report will thank you. Writing in uppercase is an old technique used to correct bad penmanship, but since we are writing in a word processor, all uppercase writing is not needed. Spellcheck also must be configured correctly for it to catch mistakes in uppercase.

3. Read your report aloud

The best advice I ever received in school is to read reports aloud. Even if your spoken grammar is not perfect, reading your report aloud will help you catch many small grammar and sentence mistakes not caught by spellcheck. If a sentence sounds weird, change it. Nine times out of 10, you will be correct.

Just remember, you don’t need to read LOUD, just aloud. Be courteous of those around you by just whispering.

Good report-writing skills protect officers

You don’t have to become a novelist or a professional writer to be a good writer. But you should put a little effort into becoming a better writer than where you are now. These three techniques are simple and easy to apply and more importantly, they work. Good police report-writing skills will not only protect you on the street from overzealous anti-police lawyers but also in the courtroom, internal affairs investigations and school.

Bonus content: How to train your ear to catch writing mistakes

If you spend time training your ear for writing, you will catch even more mistakes. An excellent way to train your ear for good sentence structure and grammar is to read good literature aloud. I recommend “ The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov ” not because it is an enjoyable read but because his sentences are as close to perfect as they come, and he really focuses on the sound of a sentence. Read one page a day aloud. Ignore the content, just listen to the words and sounds. Your mind will automatically notice sentence parallelism, assonance, rhythm and alliteration – all critical features of a good sentence. When you read your police report aloud, your ear will suddenly pick up the smaller mistakes in your writing.

This article, originally published on April 13, 2021, has been updated.

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How Do I Write a Police Report?

Last Updated: May 24, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS . Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 13 testimonials and 85% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,157,698 times.

If you're a police officer or security guard, knowing how to write up a detailed and accurate report is important. A well written incident report gives a thorough account of what happened and sticks to the facts. If you're trying to write a police report, or are curious about how the police put together their reports, learning what to include and how to format the report is helpful.

Police Report Writing

Start writing your report as soon as possible after the incident, so it’s still fresh in your mind. Recount the events that occurred in detail, including the date, time, and location of the incident, as well as the names of other officers who were present. Focus on the facts, and be as thorough as possible.

Following Protocol

• Try to do your write-up using word processing software. It will look neater and you'll be able to use spellcheck to polish it when you're finished. If you write your report by hand, print clearly instead of using cursive.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Did You Know? If you call 911, a police report may or may not be generated, depending on the outcome of the call. If a police report isn't generated and you want to file one later, you can call the non-emergency number, and an officer will come out and take the report. However, if you're ever in need of emergency services, call 911.

• If you can’t write the report on the day that the incident happened, record some notes about what happened to help you when you do write the report.

• The time, date and location of the incident (Be specific. Write the exact street address, etc.).
• Your name and ID number
• Names of other officers who were present

• For example, a report might say: On 8/23/10 at approximately 2340, officer was assigned to 17 Dist. response vehicle. Officer was notified via radio by central dispatch of a 911 call at 123 Maple Street. Officer was also informed by central dispatch that this 911 call may be domestic in nature.

Describing What Happened

• For example, an officer's report could say: Upon arrival, I observed a 40 year old white male, known as Johnny Doe, screaming and yelling at a 35 year old white female, known as Jane Doe, in the front lawn of 123 Maple Street. I separated both parties involved and conducted field interviews. I was told by Mr. Johnny that he had come home from work and discovered that dinner was not ready. He then stated that he became upset at his wife Mrs. Jane for not having the dinner ready for him.

• Use specific descriptions. For example, instead of saying "I found him inside and detained him," write something like, "I arrived at 2005 Everest Hill at 12:05. I walked to the house and knocked on the door. I tried the knob and found it to be unlocked..."

• Police officers often have to write reports about auto accidents. It can be much clearer to illustrate with a picture or a diagram how the accident occurred. You can draw a picture of the street and use arrows to show how where each car was headed when they hit each other.

• For example, instead of saying “when I arrived, his face was red,” you could say, “when I arrived, he was yelling, out of breath, his face was red, and he seemed angry.” The second example is better than the first because there are multiple reasons someone’s face is red, not just that they are angry.

• Even though it is hearsay, make sure to write down what each individual at the scene said to you. It may be important, even if he or she is lying. Include any information about the witness’ demeanor, in case what he or she told you becomes controversial.

• Use the party’s name when possible, so you can avoid confusion when talking about multiple people. Also, spell out abbreviations. For example, say “personal vehicle” instead of “P.O.V.” (personally owned vehicle), and “scene of the crime” instead of “code 11,” which is a police term for “on the scene.”

• Preserve your integrity and the institution you represent by telling the truth.

Editing Your Report

• For example, if you forget to include the one party's reason why the argument started, then that would leave a gap.

• For example, if you included phrases that start with "I feel" or "I believe," then you would want to remove these to eliminate any bias in your report.

• If you have to mail or email your report, follow up with a phone call within a 10 day period. Do this to make sure your report was received.

Sample Police Report and Things to Include

Expert Q&A

• Ask your department for any templates or forms that they use, in order to make sure the report is in the proper format. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
• Keep a copy of the report for your records. You may need to refer back to it in the future. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
• Add to the report, if new information comes to light. Add an addendum that reports the new information, rather than deleting information from your original report. That information may also be important. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• Make sure to proofread and check your report well for any errors or mistakes.

• Do not ignore facts as irrelevant. At the time of a preliminary police report, investigators may not know the motive or suspect, so it is important to give as much objective detail as possible. Some details that seem irrelevant, may be important with new evidence or testimony. Thanks Helpful 36 Not Helpful 13
• Do not use opinions in a police report, unless you are asked to do so. A police report should be objective rather than subjective. Thanks Helpful 18 Not Helpful 6

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.lapdonline.org/lapd_manual/
• ↑ http://www.securityguardtraininghq.com/how-to-write-a-detailed-incident-report/

About This Article

To write a police report, you should include the time, date, and location of the incident you're reporting, as well as your name and ID number and any other officers that were present. You should also include a thorough description of the incident, like what brought you to the scene and what happened when you arrived. If you're having trouble explaining something in words, draw a picture or diagram to help. Just remember to be as thorough, specific, and objective as possible. To learn what other important details you should include in a police report, keep reading. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Flashfire07 Active Member

Describing firearms and gunfights.

Discussion in ' Research ' started by Flashfire07 , May 15, 2011 .

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); While writing my story recently I encountered a hitch when describing firearms, because the character has an extensive knowledge of firearms but when I write I find myself just putting down the name of the gun, instead of describing it as I don't know how to describe firearms! My other issue is that I don't know how to describe a gunfight from this characters perspective as I have never fired a firearm before and he is supposed to be highly trained. I've included an example if my issue below. "I fell down on one knee, drawing my Llama M-82, I rolled aside as his leg swept out in an effort to catch me, I fired two shots upwards into his groin and abdomen, his Protecta clattering the down as my third shot took him in the head. I leaped to my feet and immediately dove for the car as his companion filled the air with pellets behind me"  

barnz New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); The motherland has your answers. http://world.guns.ru/main-e.htm tons of detailed info on guns, that should be a bookmark for anyone writing with guns playing a major part. Watch videos on youtube, see if there's a gun range near you where you can try it out for size. This isn't quite the right section for workshop, but for the piece you included, i don't think technical knowledge is very necessary here, as it's a fast paced gunfight. The character's aren't going to be admiring their pieces and giggling at the technical specifics while blowing each other away. Or would they? "I fell down on one knee, drawing my Llama M-82. The knurled grip felt at home in my palm, the trigger biting into the calloused pad of my first finger. It felt all too comfortable in my palm for me, but nevertheless I couldn't wait to feel that ear-shattering roar as it the .45 ACP bullet snickered through the air and into his flesh. I rolled aside as his leg swept out in an effort to catch me, I fired two shots upwards into his groin and abdomen, his Protecta (I mean, come on, a Protecta? This guy, did his mother pick out his guns for him? Those little .22 LR it shoots couldn't punch through a leather jacket.) clattering the down as my third shot took him in the head. I leaped to my feet and immediately dove for the car as his companion filled the air with behind me." Yeah, I feel the technical aspects just get in the way here. Even naming the guns in this instance feels a bit much. "I drew my piece" or "his handgun clattered to the ground" works better IMHO.  

Mxxpower New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); I generally describe equipment that is used over and over throughout the story as if they were another character sort of. Meaning, when I introduce the weapon into the story I give it two or three sentences of description and from there just use the name of the gun or equipment going forward. This is what I do for most things a reader may have no familiarity with but are crucial to understand through the story. As for never having shot a firearm, well I guess youtube is your friend. I would bet there is shooting footage of any real life weapon you searched for on there, including military vehicles and weapons.  

psychotick Contributor Contributor

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Hi, I don't know much about firearms either. New Zealand doesn't allow them for the most part and we may be one of the last countries on Earth where our police are unarmed. However when it comes to fantasy weapons I check out the Fantasy Forum and there's loads of stuff about them including making them, using them, what they can do etc. I would imagine there would be a similar forum for writers of modern warfare etc, as well as loads on particular handguns. Google away. Cheers.  

Velox Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Mxxpower said: ↑ I generally describe equipment that is used over and over throughout the story as if they were another character sort of. Meaning, when I introduce the weapon into the story I give it two or three sentences of description and from there just use the name of the gun or equipment going forward. This is what I do for most things a reader may have no familiarity with but are crucial to understand through the story. Click to expand...

muscle979 Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); If you stick with pretty common weapons I wouldn't think you'd need to describe them much at all. Most books I can recall reading with firefights spend little to no time talking about the weapons. As a former military guy I can tell you that most people don't realize how hard it is to fire accurately while moving. Even at close range. It is surprisingly difficult. Keep that in mind if you're going for realism. Of course at point blank it is not unrealistic to think he'd make the groin shots.  

Forest Girl New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); My kid is a peace officer, soldier, and gun owner. He knows quite a bit about guns. I know nothing. I've read a couple of books by a bestselling writer about a vampire killer. And she ALWAYS goes on and on about how the female MC puts on her guns and other gear and she names the types of guns over and OVER and OVER. I don't need that. Rather than adding to the story it is a big distraction, I skip over it. Unless all the readers are expected to know all about guns I agree that too much information and detail isn't going to help much.  

dizzyspell Active Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); psychotick said: ↑ Hi, I don't know much about firearms either. New Zealand doesn't allow them for the most part and we may be one of the last countries on Earth where our police are unarmed. However when it comes to fantasy weapons I check out the Fantasy Forum and there's loads of stuff about them including making them, using them, what they can do etc. I would imagine there would be a similar forum for writers of modern warfare etc, as well as loads on particular handguns. Google away. Cheers. Click to expand...

VegasGeorge New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); As a person who actually knows a thing or two about guns, I just wanted to say that every now and then it becomes painfully obvious to me that the writer I happen to be reading at the time doesn't. I find my reaction to that sort of interesting. I don't normally expect others to know about firearms. But when I'm reading a novel that makes a point of describing or talking about guns, I get really contemptuous and dismissive of an author who apparently doesn't know his guns. It almost seems like a betrayal, as if someone shouldn't write about such an important subject without the necessary background and understanding. For me it's a touchy subject. I wouldn't feel the same about an author botching up the description of cooking a soufflé. Thanks for posting this question. It has given me increased personal insight!  

Lord Malum New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Flashfire07 said: ↑ While writing my story recently I encountered a hitch when describing firearms, because the character has an extensive knowledge of firearms but when I write I find myself just putting down the name of the gun, instead of describing it as I don't know how to describe firearms! My other issue is that I don't know how to describe a gunfight from this characters perspective as I have never fired a firearm before and he is supposed to be highly trained. I've included an example if my issue below. "I fell down on one knee, drawing my Llama M-82, I rolled aside as his leg swept out in an effort to catch me, I fired two shots upwards into his groin and abdomen, his Protecta clattering the down as my third shot took him in the head. I leaped to my feet and immediately dove for the car as his companion filled the air with pellets behind me" Click to expand...

SeverinR New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); I was at one base that decided they wanted every person to be able to give a indepth report on the weapon they were assigned too. This is an M16A1, it is a gas operated air cooled, magazine fed weapon... Trust me, if I wanted too, I could still repeat the specifics of the weapon. It is long, drawn out and does nothing to help in the daily scheme of things. I would suggest learn the basics of the weapons your story uses. Learn the weaknesses of the weapon. The AK is a great weapon for the untrained to use, it can take severe abuse and still function. Its weakness is found in its strength. It is generally not as accurate as other weapons, because the moving parts are not as precise. Before someone jumps on this, the AK is accurate, but if a marksman uses an AK and a tighter weapon, the tighter weapon will deliver tighter groupings. But dirt in the tighter weapon will render it useless. ----disclaimer: All firearms should be properly maintained to prevent misfire or deadly mishaps.(dirt in the barrel can cause extreme pressure in the barrel causing the barrel to expand or rupture.) -------  

StrangerWithNoName Longobard duke

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); SeverinR said: ↑ I was at one base that decided they wanted every person to be able to give a indepth report on the weapon they were assigned too. This is an M16A1, it is a gas operated air cooled, magazine fed weapon... Trust me, if I wanted too, I could still repeat the specifics of the weapon. It is long, drawn out and does nothing to help in the daily scheme of things. I would suggest learn the basics of the weapons your story uses. Learn the weaknesses of the weapon. The AK is a great weapon for the untrained to use, it can take severe abuse and still function. Its weakness is found in its strength. It is generally not as accurate as other weapons, because the moving parts are not as precise. Before someone jumps on this, the AK is accurate, but if a marksman uses an AK and a tighter weapon, the tighter weapon will deliver tighter groupings. But dirt in the tighter weapon will render it useless. ----disclaimer: All firearms should be properly maintained to prevent misfire or deadly mishaps.(dirt in the barrel can cause extreme pressure in the barrel causing the barrel to expand or rupture.) ------- Click to expand...

Lothgar New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Flashfire07 said: ↑ My other issue is that I don't know how to describe a gunfight from this characters perspective as I have never fired a firearm before and he is supposed to be highly trained. I've included an example if my issue below. "I fell down on one knee, drawing my Llama M-82, I rolled aside as his leg swept out in an effort to catch me, I fired two shots upwards into his groin and abdomen, his Protecta clattering the down as my third shot took him in the head. I leaped to my feet and immediately dove for the car as his companion filled the air with pellets behind me" Click to expand...

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); ^That was incredibly helpful, Lothgar, for the OP I'm sure, as well as myself.  

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); I'm here to help if I can.  

AvihooI Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); In a short story (well, don't think it's going to end up 'short' by standard convention - already 5k+ words and it's just the beginning of the story) that I write, which is about the military: I try to actually depict the sound that firearms make. I know it may not be correct traditionally to use text that isn't words. However, do check this out as an example: Dwight and his men were then running for the burning Humvee. Trrr, tata, tata. Returning fire as they go. As they reached the vehicle, it was already too late. I have fired and heard many firearms in my life and it's impossible to miss out on these sounds. They are a language of their own.  

Porcupine Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Lothgar said: ↑ The Uzi sang its song of death as it emptied its 32 word vocabulary from its magazine. The flying 9mm slugs punctuating the obituaries of the would be kidnappers, as they fell from the balcony and were no more. Click to expand...

Jessica_312 New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Lothgar said: ↑ The sound of a gunshot is a lot louder than most people who've never fired a weapon realize. A 9mm pistol makes a deafening BANG that will leave your ears ringing for a short while. A .45ACP pistol makes a deeper BOOM than a 9mm and leaves you equally deafened. By deafened, I mean that after firing a weapon without hearing protection, you WILL NOT be able to hear the sound of footsteps making the leaves crinkle as a bad guy sneaks up behind you. The ringing in your ears will go away after a short while. If you are writing a story about "old timers", veteran pros who have fired a lot of weapons in combat, it wouldn't be unrealistic to describe them as suffering from a life long bout of tinnitus (Lord knows after years of service as a combat vet, I've certainly had my share of tinnitus related issues). Click to expand...

martial_wolf New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Wow Lothgar! Just plain wow! And OP, really the best advice anyone could ever give in this exact circumstance to help out with your lack of gun knowledge is the shooting range and the internet are your friend. Shooting ranges (at least here in the U.S.) will let you rent a gun for the day. Everyone who said it is right, you run out of bullets quickly. Even if you are target shooting you run out faster than you realize. Guns can be so loud. I fired my first gun when I was thirteen, it was a 12 gauge shotgun. Pretty standard. I decided I was too manly to have ear protection on. Six years later I still hear better from my left.  

Sang Hee New Member

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('funpub_8e13b90d3c6ff367874fe793a3c93ac2'); }); Lothgar, I've read everything that you had written and it's awesome. I wish I could figure the same depth of knowledge about medieval fighting. The world I'm writing about has no guns :/  

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What I Learned at the Police Academy

Officers are trained to see the world as a violent place—and then to act accordingly.

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

Sonya Massey was just holding a pot of water in her own kitchen when an Illinois sheriff’s deputy, Sean Grayson, threatened to “fucking shoot” her in the “fucking face.” The body-camera footage from that night shows how quickly an interaction with a police officer can become deadly: In a matter of minutes, Massey’s call for service turned into a murder scene. Throughout the interaction, Massey followed Grayson’s commands. Despite her compliance, Grayson drew his pistol, aimed it at her, and shot her three times. At 36 years old, Sonya Massey became another Black American needlessly killed by the police. (Grayson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder.)

Each time the name of a new victim of police violence enters the public lexicon—Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and now Sonya Massey—there are questions about the officer’s response. How could that officer have mistaken a cellphone for a weapon? Why did that officer shoot someone who was running away? Did that officer really have to shoot so many times? One answer to all these questions is that officers are trained to see the world as threatening and to respond accordingly.

Their training happens primarily at a police academy, where cadets spend months learning how to be a police officer. I studied this training at four large municipal police departments to gain a better understanding of what kinds of skills cadets learn, how they are evaluated, and why some cadets make it to graduation while others wash out. (As part of my agreement with the departments and my university’s institutional review board, I cannot identify the specific departments.) This was in 2018, just four years after the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri, following the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown and two years before the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly 10 minutes. I, like so many others around the world, wanted to know why the names and stories of Black Americans killed by police just kept coming, and I thought that finding out who was allowed to be an officer and how they were trained to do their job could help answer that question.

Sue Rahr: The myth propelling America’s violent police culture

I observed and participated in the academy training myself, which meant that, alongside the cadets, I woke up early, sat through hours of dense lectures, ran miles in formation, learned basic drill commands, did push-ups, lifted weights, shot guns, and learned how to punch, kick, use pressure points, apply handcuffs, and take someone to the ground. (All of the academies knew that I was there as a researcher, and I introduced myself as such when meeting cadets and officers.) I had a front-row seat to academy training, and what I saw was cause for concern. As I later wrote in my book, Before the Badge , violence was everywhere I looked. The result, I found, was that many of those who made it into the institution, through the training, and out onto patrol were competent in, and eager to use, violence.

My study of police training practices was, of course, not exhaustive. It is certainly possible—and, indeed, I hope this is the case—that some academies are doing things differently. And many of the officers and trainees I met aspired to join police departments because they wanted to help the vulnerable and serve others. But in my experience from studying these academies, the weight of the training tilted strongly toward violence, again and again.

To even gain admission to the academy, applicants needed to demonstrate a willingness to engage in violence by recounting prior physical altercations to the hiring officers. I observed parts of the hiring process at all four departments, and watched the full application and interview portion at two. At these two departments, the interview included a question explicitly asking whether the applicant had ever been in a physical confrontation and, if so, to describe what happened. The preferred answer to this question was Yes, I’ve been in a fight, but I did not initiate it . When candidates responded that they had no experience fighting, the hiring officers expressed intense anxiety and wariness about their suitability for the job. In one interview, for example, after a 43-year-old white applicant said he had never been in a fight, the sergeant told her colleagues that she thought he would “crawl into himself and disengage” if a fight presented itself, adding, “He’s gonna have to get angry.”

Once they got into the academy, cadets were bombarded with warnings about the dangers they would face on the job. There was a war on cops, instructors insisted, making policing more dangerous now than ever before. Although empirical evidence shows that policing has actually gotten safer over time, the academy instructors repeated these warnings, often vividly, showing disturbing, graphic videos of officers being brutally beaten or killed. On several occasions, instructors designed morbid exercises requiring that cadets envision their own violent death. On the very first day at one academy, a commander encouraged the cadets to study the wall of honor located in the main hallway of the academy building, where portraits hung of every officer at the department who had died in the line of duty, along with a description of how they died. Reading their stories, he explained, will “keep you alive.” At another academy, following a tactical exercise, the instructors directed any cadet who had lost their gun during the fight to write their own obituary. “For all those who got your gun taken,” the instructor explained, “you have to write your own obituary … write about everyone you’re leaving behind.” A war was being waged, the cadets learned, and the stakes could not be higher.

Surviving this war, instructors stressed, depended on cadets’ ability to adopt a warrior’s mentality, which demanded hypervigilance, heightened suspicion of others, and a willingness to do whatever it took to make it home at the end of each shift. Equally important was the ability to identify their enemy: “bad guys,” who were described as ruthless, malicious, immoral, and unpredictable. Although ostensibly race-neutral, the “bad guys” concept was steeped in language that invoked race. Instructors told cadets that although they should never racially profile, they should absolutely profile “criminality,” discerned through clothing, cars, mannerisms, gait, and neighborhood. “We do not racially profile,” one instructor explained during the multiculturalism class, but they do profile based on “body language, appearance, and mannerisms.” “If you can’t profile someone who wants to hurt or kill you,” he explained, “that’s a problem.” Racial profiling, he continued, is a form of discrimination, and police “don’t do that.” Police officers at their department do not profile based on “skin color, gender, or language,” he clarified, “but if [someone looks] like a burglar, then that’s good profiling.” These discursive gymnastics enabled instructors to officially condemn racial profiling while simultaneously encouraging it under a different name.

From the July/August 2021 issue: The authoritarian instincts of police unions

Once they learned whom to fear, cadets trained themselves to react to these threats, spending hundreds of hours practicing techniques designed to control, incapacitate, hurt, and kill other people. These skills did not necessarily come naturally, and learning how to use the appropriate amount of force required practice. Cadets sometimes used too much force, and sometimes too little. These two mistakes, however, were treated very differently in the academy setting, where instructors calmly acknowledged when cadets used too much force but became irate when cadets used too little. During a tactics drill at one academy, for example, when multiple cadets used lethal force in a scenario against their unarmed partner, the instructors were not visibly upset and did not punish the class. In contrast, during a different tactics exercise, in which three cadets lost their gun, re-holstered it, and reengaged in a physical struggle with their opponent, one instructor threw his face guard in the air and screamed, “What the fuck!” Following the exercise, another instructor repeatedly pressed the cadets, asking them why they hadn’t shot, reminding them that in this scenario, “it’s you or him or her, and we want it to be you.” If they were going to make a mistake, cadets learned, it should be the one where they walked away alive.

Even in classes focused on techniques meant to mitigate violence, such as de-escalation, the instructors still underscored the importance of remaining vigilant, prepared for violence, and prioritizing officer safety above everything else. During the de-escalation class at two different academies, the instructors shared the 1998 video of Laurens County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kyle Dinkheller’s murder. The three-and-a-half-minute video shows a traffic stop gone wrong that culminates in Dinkheller’s guttural, panicked screams and strained breathing as he dies at the side of his patrol car. Before playing the video, one instructor explained, “Even though we’re talking about de-escalation today, I’m not watering down officer safety. Do not drop your guard.” After the video was over, another instructor warned, “I hate going to funerals. Don’t make me go to your funeral because you were using your words when you shouldn’t be.” Although using words was great where possible, these lessons highlighted, if used incorrectly, they could be your last.

By the time the cadets reached graduation, they had spent hundreds of hours hearing that they are at war, that the “bad guys” should be identified through profiling, and that gaining competence in violence is the only way to survive. Cadets’ bodies are physically conditioned to assume that everyone is armed, to act swiftly and decisively, and to shoot as soon as they perceive a deadly threat. Given this training, it is not hard to understand why some police officers end up shooting unarmed civilians who run away, turn around suddenly, or reach into their pocket to grab a phone or wallet; that is what they were trained to do.

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