Modern police reports feature active voice (not passive voice). Learn how to identify active and passive voice sentences, and review the advantages of writing in active voice.
4. Some of those traditions are
useful, and some aren’t.
5. Passive voice is one tradition that law
enforcement would be better off
without.
6. What is “passive voice,” how did it
find its way into police reports, and
why should you avoid using it?
7. Let’s start with a look at some
active voice and passive voice
sentences.
8. Active voice: I questioned Boaz about
the argument.
Passive voice: Boaz was questioned
about the argument.
9. Active voice: Jerome stole the watch.
Passive voice: The watch was stolen
by Jerome.
10. Active voice: I requested medical help.
Passive voice: Medical help was
requested.
11. 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.
12. You couldn’t say, “I saw a baseball bat
under the sofa.”
You had to say, “A baseball bat was
seen under the sofa.”
14. 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?
15. 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.
26. Passive voice can create problems during
a court hearing.
The teller was questioned.
What if you can’t remember who
questioned the teller?
27. 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.
28. If you write the sentence in active voice,
you solve the problem.
Officer Figueroa questioned the teller.
29. 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. INCORRECT
The teller was questioned. CORRECT
30. 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
31. 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
32. 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.
33. Joe was living in Miami in 1954.
ACTIVE VOICE
The house was purchased in 1954.
PASSIVE VOICE
34. Let’s fix that passive-voice sentence:
The house was purchased in 1954.
PASSIVE VOICE
The Johnsons purchased the house in
1954. ACTIVE VOICE
35. You can learn more about passive voice
at www.YourPoliceWrite.com.
39. An e-book edition is
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for only $9.99.
40. A discount price is
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(minimum five books).
A free Instructor’s Manual
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Send an e-mail request
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