Download - Using Active Voice in Police Reports
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Using Active Voice in Police Reports
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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Using Active Voice in Police Reports
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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Many traditions have shaped police practices over the
years.
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Some of those traditions are useful, and some aren’t.
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Passive voice is one tradition that law enforcement would be better off without.
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What is “passive voice,” how did it find its way into police reports, and why should you avoid using it?
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Let’s start with a look at some active voice and passive voice sentences.
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Active voice: I questioned Boaz about the argument.
Passive voice: Boaz was questioned about the argument.
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Active voice: Jerome stole the watch.
Passive voice: The watch was stolen by Jerome.
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Active voice: I requested medical help.
Passive voice: Medical help was requested.
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How did the “passive voice” tradition get started?
Police officers used to believe that the word “I” was too subjective.Anyone who said “I” couldn’t be trusted.
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You couldn’t say, “I saw a baseball bat under the sofa.”You had to say, “A baseball bat was seen under the sofa.”
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Do you think that’s true? Is “I” a dangerous word?
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Imagine you’re questioning two youths about a broken window. One says, “I didn’t break that window.” The other says, “That window wasn’t broken by me.”
Who’s telling the truth? Can you tell?
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Of course not.
Now let’s think about a courtroom. The next time you’re in court for a hearing, listen carefully to the testimony.
You’ll hear the word “I” over and over.
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Does that automatically mean the witness is lying?
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Of course not.
It’s just not that easy to figure out who’s trustworthy and who isn’t.
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Honesty and credibility are character traits, not verbal tricks.
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But passive voice is still very common in police reports. So why should you avoid it?
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Two reasons.
1. Passive voice sentences don’t state who did what.
2. Usage mistakes may creep in.
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Here’s a passive-voice sentence with a problem:
Flanagan was arrested.
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Who arrested him? The sentence doesn’t say.
Flanagan was arrested.
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If you write the sentence in active voice, you solve the problem:
I arrested Flanagan.
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Let’s look at another example of passive voice:
The teller was questioned.
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Who questioned her? The sentence doesn’t say.
The teller was questioned.
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Passive voice can create problems during a court hearing.
The teller was questioned.
What if you can’t remember who questioned the teller?
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Or what if you do remember…and the officer who did the interview isn’t in the courtroom?
The teller was questioned.
It’s embarrassing—and you could lose the case.
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If you write the sentence in active voice, you solve the problem.
Officer Figueroa questioned the teller.
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There’s one more problem to think about: Usage errors.
Passive voice sentences often require –ed endings. Busy officers sometimes forget those endings.
The teller was question. INCORRECTThe teller was questioned. CORRECT
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One more caution: Don’t assume that every is or was sentence is passive voice.
Farrell was eating breakfast when I knocked on the door. ACTIVE VOICE
Farrell was driven to the meeting by a neighbor. PASSIVE VOICE
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Let’s fix that passive-voice sentence:
Farrell was driven to the meeting by a neighbor. PASSIVE VOICE
A neighbor drove Farrell to the meeting. ACTIVE VOICE
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Here’s a question for you:One of these sentences is written in passive voice. Can you figure out which one it is?
Joe was living in Miami in 1954.
The house was purchased in 1954.
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Joe was living in Miami in 1954.ACTIVE VOICE
The house was purchased in 1954. PASSIVE VOICE
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Let’s fix that passive-voice sentence:
The house was purchased in 1954. PASSIVE VOICEThe Johnsons purchased the house in 1954. ACTIVE VOICE
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You can learn more about passive voice at www.YourPoliceWrite.com.
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All the resources there are FREE: www.YourPoliceWrite.com.
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To learn more about report writing…
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