Writing for Law Enforcement
Objectives- Participants will be able to:
Sentence Construction
-
Define a sentence and what makes it complete
- Identify and correct sentence fragments
- Identify and correct run-on sentences
- Identify and correct dangling modifiers
Parts of Speech
-
Identify nouns and their functions
-
Identify types of pronouns and their functions
-
Make pronouns agree in person, number, and gender
-
Identify types of verbs and their functions
-
Make verbs agree in person and number with their subjects
-
Identify and correctly use adjectives and adverbs
-
Identify and correctly use prepositions
-
Identify and correctly use conjunctions and interjections
Punctuation and Capitalization
-
Use commas correctly
-
Use colons correctly
- Use semicolons correctly
- Use quotation marks correctly
- Apply capitalization rules
Word Choice
-
Use spelling rules
-
Identify commonly misspelled words
- Use law enforcement related abbreviations and codes correctly
- Distinguish between commonly confused words
Writing Style
-
Apply the principle of parallel construction
-
Write concisely
- Choose clear, strong words
- Avoid redundancy
The Writing Process
-
Identify when writing is important on the job
- Understand the purpose of writing
- Recognize writing as a process
- Identify the parts of a paragraph and how they are used
- Identify different types of paragraphs used in organized writing
- Use strategies for filling out forms
Listening and Note Taking
- Use critical listening skills
- Organize information
- Write in "shorthand"
- Determine different ways to take notes
Effective Communication
- Discuss the process of communication
- Understand the role of the sender and the receiver in the communication cycle
- List the four sources of communication in the workplace
- Identify the rules for effective communication
- Identify barriers to effective communication
Interviewing and Investigating
- Define interviewing and interrogation
- Describe how "human factors" play a role in investigating
- Know the four basic objectives of an interview
- Know the two types of questions and how they are used
- Identify techniques to use to prepare for an interview
- Be familiar with interviewing techniques
Observation Skills
- Understand why good observation skills are important
- Understand the difference between perception and observation
- Define selective perception
- Identify barriers to observation
- Identify strategies used to observe a person or a thing
- Identify components of non-verbal communication