Which of the following is a characteristic of a good police report?

• A. Well Written; Typed; Records All Elements of the Crime
• B. Short and Handwritten with Ammendments
• C. Contains Personal Opinions
• D. Includes Only Witness Statements

Answer: (A)

A good police report is well written, typed, and records all elements of the crime. This combination ensures professionalism, clarity, and legal sufficiency. Being well written means the report uses precise, complete language, presents a logical sequence of facts, and describes people, places, times, and actions without speculation or personal opinions. Typing the document guarantees legibility, consistency, and easy filing and retrieval, which is crucial for review in court or during investigations. Recording all elements of the crime means the report explicitly addresses each element that the offense requires, tying facts to how they satisfy those elements, and it includes the scene description, victims and witnesses, evidence collected, timelines, and any relevant chain-of-custody details.

Why the other options fall short becomes clear when you see what a report needs to accomplish. A short, handwritten report with amendments can be difficult to read, prone to misinterpretation, and harder to preserve or share; it undermines reliability. Including personal opinions compromises objectivity, which is essential because reports must reflect facts, not judgments. And limiting the contents to only witness statements omits critical components like physical evidence, the scene, investigative steps, and how the elements of the crime are proven, all of which are needed to support a case.