In police work, there is very little wiggle room for making major mistakes. A blunder in police work can reach catastrophic levels. Fortunately, most mistakes don’t amount to much more than causing a bit of embarrassment or some additional work. As humans, we are prone to erring, but because law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard by the public, our peers and our supervisors, we must rise to the level of expectation. Being thorough in every aspect of our duties is crucial in avoiding costly mistakes.

Enough cannot be said for attention to detail in law enforcement. Every word we utter in public or type into a report is subject to varying degrees of scrutiny, up to and including the court of public opinion. Turning in an incomplete or erroneous narrative report can result in a number of problems as it meanders its way through the judicial process. However, reports are only one aspect of a massive spectrum of responsibilities.

When arriving at a crime scene, what thoughts race through your mind? Identifying those in need of medical assistance? Securing the scene? Identifying items of evidence? Who’s the suspect? Who’s the victim? Are there any witnesses? Where do I start? Many questions bombard us as we make crucial decisions about our responsibilities at a crime scene. A good rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution — when in doubt, don’t. For those lucky enough to have crime scene techs and investigators available to them, the decisions you need to make are fewer and more certain.

It’s a human failing to be complacent. This is especially true among police officers who have many years on the job. We see so much in our job that it all begins to look and feel the same after a while. This mindset of routine can, unfortunately, get cops into trouble. If you look at the statistics of officers killed in the line of duty, most of them have several years of experience under their belts. It’s not the rookies who are generally the most complacent. It’s important to remind ourselves, especially as we gain experience, that we need to stay vigilant. Yes, we’ve written hundreds if not thousands of narrative reports, but keep in mind that the 1,000th report is every bit as important as the first one we ever wrote. While doing the job may become easier in some ways, the commitment to good practices must remain the same. All in all, complacency is often the worst enemy to any law enforcement officer and the very opposite of thoroughness.

So, how do we maintain thoroughness in our careers? There are three keys to doing so: don’t make big assumptions; always set a personal goal higher than expectations; and after you’re finished with a report, call or project, make sure to double-check everything.

Don’t make big assumptions

As we have learned many times in our careers, even in our private lives, making assumptions comes with a big risk. We can be 98% sure about something, but inevitably, that 2% margin of error comes back and nips us on the backside. I’m certainly no exception to that rule. Early in my career, when there were no automated fingerprinting capabilities at most police agencies, I arrested a young man for driving under the influence. I confused him with another young man I had dealt with several times. Adding to the confusion, he didn’t have identification on his person, and his English language skills were poor. Long story short, I processed him for a DWI charge in someone else’s name, and I didn’t catch my mistake until we went to court a few weeks later. I can assure you that the embarrassment I felt that day accelerated my becoming a considerably more thorough officer thereafter. I assumed something I shouldn’t have, and the law of probabilities caught up with me. This was a lesson that has stayed with me my entire career.

One of the problem areas we’ve all experienced is assuming motivations (i.e., the reason a crime has been committed or why someone did something to someone else). But assumptions aren’t always bad — in small measures. It’s actually part of our job description to make certain uncommitted assumptions. If we see someone skulking around a darkened business late at night, we have to assume that something nefarious may be afoot. However, perhaps it’s as simple as someone taking a walk and using that area as a shortcut back home. We don’t know for sure until we investigate, and that starts with an assumption the person doesn’t belong there. So, as long as we view assumptions as “possibilities” and work diligently to seek the truth, we can avoid many kinds of difficulties.

Set a personal goal higher than expectations

Setting high personal goals for yourself is always a great way to start your shift. Think of it as motivation to do more and be more effective, efficient and thorough in every task you undertake. I’ve seen narrative reports from fellow officers that rarely exceeded two paragraphs, even for incidents that required more detail. One of my personal job-related objectives was to be as detailed as possible in my reports. I sought to paint the proverbial picture with words related to what I saw, heard and did. Yes, it makes for more typing and proofreading, but the payoff is manifold: My supervisors appreciate seeing a well-written report, the prosecutors often file the charges, and I was blessed to appear in court fewer times than some of my colleagues. If someone tells you that a detailed report doesn’t make a difference, he/she isn’t being honest with you. I was in a county courtroom for a preliminary hearing several years ago. I was seated in the area located directly behind the prosecutors’ table. While waiting for the judge to enter the courtroom, I happened to overhear an assistant prosecutor and paralegal discussing the case in whispers. The paralegal was holding my narrative report in her hand, and she said, “This report is pretty well written.” While I didn’t consider myself a Pulitzer Prize winner by any means, it gave me an opportunity to reflect on my thankfulness for writing a report that the prosecution was pleased to use in their case. Certainly, a report is only part of a case, but it can increase the likelihood of a successful adjudication.

Double-check everything 

Basic things like proofreading your reports, taking an additional look around at a crime scene, following up with witnesses and victims, or taking another look at all your paperwork prior to forwarding it to the prosecutor are at the heart of “double-checking.” How many times have you reread one of your reports, particularly nearing a court date, and realized you made glaring grammatical or spelling errors? It’s happened to me and to most officers at one time or another. These are relatively small things we can do to ensure we’ve been thorough, but they can give us peace of mind that we’ve performed a job well.

As a former field training officer, it was incumbent upon me to double-check not only my own work but that of my trainee. FTOs are responsible for the performance of their assigned apprentices, and their work is reflected directly on us. Built in that is to guide our new officers to double-check their own work — it’s a great habit to get into.

Thoroughness is a virtue in our business. Police work is tough and can be merciless on those officers who fail to be reasonably meticulous. Be mindful of your assumptions, set your goals high and always recheck your work, and you’ll be well on your way to a more successful career.