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How to Write a Police Report (Pro Examples & Templates)

A Police Report is written documentation of an event or crime that has been committed, which includes details about the crime and the criminal who did it.

The reports may be filed by police officers or citizens (such as for burglary), and they provide essential information to judges, juries, attorneys, and victims.

If you are a police officer, you will be writing many reports. A good report is essential to your job because it will explain the facts of a case in detail. Conversely, a poor or incomplete report can lead to accusations against you for neglecting vital information that may be pertinent to the case.

Therefore, the more thorough and accurate your report is, the better for you and your department. In this article, you will know how to write a police report, discuss the importance of good report writing, and provide examples that you can use to craft your report.

Free Templates

Importance of Police Report

It is generally written after all the information of a case has been gathered. It can be beneficial in court cases, where lawyers will often ask for your report. This is because it serves as documentation, telling the judge and jury what happened and what the people involved were like.

A good report can make the difference between a case being thrown out and one getting through. They are a significant part of the justice system, and as such, police officers must take special care to ensure their reports are detailed and informative. A detailed and good written report will make it easy to understand the case.

Did you know that the filing of the report is contingent on the outcome of your call to authorities? If no report is generated and you wish to file one later, you can utilize the non-emergency line. Consequently, if you ever require emergency help, remember to call 911.

How to Write a Perfect Police Report?

The content of the report should be organized in an outline format. The more thorough you are, the better.

Below is a detailed breakdown of how to correctly write the report:

The header of the report outlines the name and location of the agency, as well as its contact information. You should include your name as well as that of any other involved parties. It also includes information about the incident — usually either “theft” or “vandalism.” The date and time should be included too.

• Date of the report : The report should be dated and show the exact time it was filed. This is important as it helps with accurate and effective record keeping.
• Title: The title should state who the report is about. For example, if it’s a robbery report, you’ll want to use the word “robbery” in the title, same with an assault or burglary report. If multiple cases pertain to one person (domestic violence and assault), the title should include the person’s name.
• Officer name: The officer’s name should be written at the top of the report to avoid confusing who wrote it. It will also help with record keeping.
• Time: This will allow for accurate date stamping of the report.
• Location of an incident: The report should also include the specific location of where the crime occurred. This will help with any investigations that may need to be carried out at that location. Make sure to include the specific address or intersection of the incident.

Introduction

The second section of the report is the “introduction.” This section should include the following:

• Nature of the call or incident: The report should also state the call or incident. This could be something like “theft,” “assault,” or “burglary.” It is essential to be as detailed and accurate as possible when describing the nature of the call or incident in the report.
• Why were you at the scene? This part is essential if there are ever any questions about why you happened to be at the scene of the crime. To clear this question, you must write how you arrived there.
• Additional officers who were also there: If there was another officer on the scene and they witnessed what happened, you may want to include their name and their badge number so that if ever questioned, you can provide a second source or perspective of what occurred.

The body section is where you will write about the five W’s and 1H – who, what, where, when, why, and how.

• Who: The first part of this section is everything that happened to or around the victim or witness. For example, if a robbery occurred at a convenience store, it’s important to include who was involved in the transaction. Next, make sure to list the names of any suspects or persons of interest involved in whatever happened.
• What: After listing everyone involved in an incident, you must explain what happened in chronological order. For example, if someone is reporting a robbery, you’ll need to include who was involved and what happened.
• Where: Explain where the incident took place in specific detail, including room numbers and landmarks if applicable. For example, the location of a reported robbery could include specifically which door or aisle of a store was involved.
• When: The time the incident occurred must be included in this section, including specific relevant times. This is important as it will provide a date stamp if any discrepancies or questions surrounding when the incident occurred.
• Why: This is where you will list what you believe happened and why it happened. This section may also include who was the perpetrator if known. For example, if someone reports that they were assaulted, you must explain why the situation happened. This section of the report may also include any motive or possible intent of the perpetrator if known.
• How: This section should provide a step-by-step explanation of everything that happened. This will help to paint a clear picture of what transpired. In some cases, it might be helpful to diagram or map out the scene of the crime. Therefore, it is essential to be as detailed as possible when writing the “how” section of the report.

In this section, you’ll need to include your final action if any follow-up details are needed in the future. For example, suppose a victim or witness doesn’t have all their information when they leave from reporting an incident. In that case, you will want to let them know that they will be contacted for a follow-up report when necessary information has been acquired.

Also, if there is nothing else to add to the report, end by saying that there is nothing to report further: This line helps solidify that you have thoroughly investigated your call or the case and reported it to the best of your ability.

Before you write the report, make sure you have all the correct forms. Different police departments will have different forms, so you will need to know which ones are correct for your department. If you don’t, the report may contain incorrect information and be incomplete.

Police Report Template

Date of the report: __________

Officer’s badge number: __________

Name of suspect(s): __________

Date and Time of arrest: __________

Address where offense occurred: __________

Location of arrest (i.e., where arrested): __________

Nature of call or incident: __________

On __________ at approximately __________, I responded to a call about an individual who was making annoying calls. Upon arriving at the scene, I met with ________ and___________. ___________stated that ___________ had been calling _____________’s phone number leaving harassing messages for _____ to hear. It is believed that __________ used a different number to mask her own phone number and erase the caller ID.

___________ has filed harassment charges against _________ and ___ is currently in custody at ___________ pending a court date. There is nothing further to report.

Sample Police Report

Date of the report: 3/1/2019

Officer’s badge number: 88765

Name of the suspect(s): Millicent Miller

Date and time of arrest: 1 pm

Address where the offense occurred: 32 Pine

Street Location of arrest: 32 Pine Street

Nature of call or incident: Annoying phone calls

On March 1, 2019, at approximately 3:30 pm, I responded to a call about an individual who was making annoying phone calls. Upon arriving at the scene, I met with Millicent Miller and her son John who reported that Millicent’s neighbor called her cell phone. Additionally, Sarah’s neighbor stated that Millicent had been calling Sarah’s house using a different number and leaving harassing messages for herself to hear.

Sarah has filed harassment charges against Millicent. Millicent is currently in custody at Central Station pending a court date. There is nothing further to report.

Do’s and Don’ts

Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when writing a report:

• Keep the report simple: Try to keep the language in your report as simple as possible. If you need help clarifying information or a situation, ask a colleague for assistance before submitting the final copy.
• Be clear: Your report needs to be clear and readable so that anyone can read it and understand what happened. For example, if you have more than one individual with the same name, use their full names and birthdates to identify them.
• Focus on brevity: The reports should always be as brief and concise as possible. If there is nothing relevant or helpful in your report, then leave it out.
• Take care of punctuation: Accurate punctuation is essential to keep your writing clear and readable because wrong punctuation can change the context.
• Stay positive: You need to emphasize that you are fair in this report, so try not to be negative when describing events or people. For example, use words like “alleged” when referring to crimes, to be honest without blame.
• Specify the report’s approach: Let your reader know what type of report they are about to read so that they can get an idea of how detailed it will be; for example, misdemeanor or felony arrest reports are more in-depth while a patrol activity summary is more general.
• Readable report: Keep it simple, clear, and readable for an audience to understand the information provided.
• Explain facts accurately: Do not lie or exaggerate in your report because this could jeopardize your job or lead to legal consequences for you.
• Logical sequence: Ensure that your report is set up in a way that makes sense and reflects the order of events so that it flows smoothly and logically.
• Proofread: Look over your work carefully, ensuring no grammatical or spelling errors before submitting the final copy and turning it to your supervisor.
• Avoid using jargon: The reports need to be understood by anyone who reads them, so avoid legal or technical terms that some readers may not know.
• Writing in passive voice: Most people prefer action and descriptive sentences over passive ones because they create a more dynamic and effective writing style for reports and other texts.
• Do not forget to write the incident results: Your report should always end on a solid note that leaves your audience satisfied and informed about what happened. You must write the final result of the incident.
• Writing vaguely: If you are unclear about a situation or event, ask your supervisor for assistance in rephrasing and clarifying it so that it is clear and readable in the final copy.
• Stay away from creating a biased report : Your job as a police officer is to remain impartial and fair so try to avoid taking sides.
• Mistakes of facts: It is important to double-check all information involved before submitting it for review so that you do not make any mistakes with times, names, places, or the number of individuals present at an incident.
• Do not give your opinion: The point of the report is to provide information and facts. Your opinion regarding the events that took place is not required. So avoid giving your personal opinions.

Expert Tips

When writing the report, make sure to follow the 4 C’s:

• Clear: Ensure that your writing is not vague or confusing.
• Concise: Do not include anything that isn’t necessary to the story.
• Complete: Make sure that you’ve covered everything related to the event or incident.
• Correct: Double-check facts and spelling to avoid any mistakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a police officer, you must write the report for any investigations you are conducting or if someone has filed a complaint. Your superiors may review these reports and use them as evidence in various cases; therefore, they must be clear, concise, and accurate.

When writing a report about a car accident , it is essential to keep the following in mind: There should be a clear introduction to your narrative of what happened, focusing on the sequence of events and people involved. Details about the crash/incident should be included as well as information about injuries and damages. Finally, your conclusion should summarize what happened and any further action that may be taken to address the situation at hand.

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August 05, 2023

How to Write a Police Report: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Introduction

Reports are a part of policing that over time get fine-tuned as new case law develops and agency policy and procedure changes.

Make sure you read to the end of this article where I deep dive into this fine-tuning process that sub-consciously evolves.

As a Field Training Officer, much of my time is spent teaching new officers how to investigate incidents, gather information, and write reports.

As a supervisor I look for signs that newer officers have a solid information gathering and report writing foundation laid down and then I assist with getting those skills to the next level. 

Using this article my goal is to help you with:

• Why police report writing is an important aspect of being a cop.
• Step-by-step guide to the several parts of the report narrative.
• Common mistakes and best tips for report writing.
• A bunch of great advice.

Here is my first and one of my best pieces of advice. There is no best report writer. There is however many great report writers.

You should be reading your co-workers reports and taking the best parts of each in order to formulate your report writing skills.

Your agency is probably filled with law enforcement officers who do certain aspects of their jobs well.

Job aspects like information gathering, report writing time management, formatting of names and more. 

If you are new to  COPJOT  and me as an author please check out my other  articles here at the blog index .

Be sure to read the next article where I break down the top Law Enforcement Gear Must Haves >>  Top 10 Police Gadgets and Essential COP Gear Must Haves  <<

Let's wait no further and dive into writing police reports.

2. Why is writing police reports important? 

• Documentation is key. As a police officer , you need to document your presence at a call for service in which you take some kind of action.The action you take may be to forward an investigation to another division in the police department, make an arrest, file formal charges, advise parties, document the use of force, etc. 
• Your incident report will be saved in your agency database and may be used for many purposes including a lawful public record request, inquiry into discovery by the defense in a criminal case, subpoena by a law firm for a civil court matter, used to further an investigation, used by Internal Affairs to conduct an inquiry or investigation into a matter.
• Arrest reports contain probable cause which gives you justification for taking action. These reports will be read by a good number of people in the court system. 
• Your report narrative can be used to assist you in preparing to testify in court. The more detailed your report is the better it will assist you with preparing for a potential appearance on the stand.
• The contents of your report can be used to place a suspect in a certain place at a certain time, driving a certain car, and wearing certain clothing. This may assist an investigation that had been active or one that is in the future. 
• How many times have you received a phone call requesting information about a suspect from another law enforcement agency? Old police reports can be valuable to law enforcement agencies seeking information.

3. How to write a Police Report: Step-by-step guide

Police report writing format has its own rules and guidelines compared to that of an essay or research paper. Thus, being a great writer in college doesn’t mean you can become a police officer and start writing excellent narratives.

Although report writing policies and procedures may differ depending on which agency you work for the basic guidelines universally apply just like the police  10 codes .

While on scene interviewing witnesses and suspects and gathering information to write a police report it is prudent to write down all of the information in a good police notebook .

You can find the best police notebooks, custom police notebooks, and write-in-the-rain notebooks at COPJOT Police Notebooks and Pens .

Your facts and identifying information are logged here in your notebook and are called police officer field notes . The better your field notes the better material you will have to write a police report.

If you are here trying to find out how to write a better police report you should start by jotting down detailed notes while interviewing victims and witnesses. 

These notes will be used to fill in the blanks later on while typing your report. 

Report narratives are written in first person, past tense, and organized in chronological order as the events occurred.

The Four C’s of Police Report Writing

Before you start typing keep the Four C’s in mind when you write reports. They are:

Clear :  Be as specific as possible. Use your field notes for specific chronological events and exact quotes.

Write as you would be speaking to members of a jury. Use terms like I exited my marked police car instead of I alighted from my cruiser. A jury doesn’t understand police jargon or police slang and you will leave them confused. In other words, use everyday language.

Concise : In as few words as possible give a lot of information. If it doesn’t matter if you arrived in a marked police car or unmarked police car leave it out.

If the report narrative you are writing will not result in formal charges and or there are no use of force issues then there is no need to put in an abundance of information. Keep it simple.

Complete : Your report is a summary of events but it  should include all relevant information.  It cannot be a specific word-for-word story of the events that took place. Relevant information will differ depending on the severity of the incident.

Continue reading and I will get further into detail about what complete may look like in different situations. 

Correct : Your police report “shall” be truthful, unbiased, and without opinion. If you don't make that a priority you may find yourself in a pickle further down the line.

Every police officer should know what the Brady decision is and if you don't or you would like to learn more check out my article >>  Brady Violations; What they mean for Law Enforcement Officers

In a police report, you shouldn’t try and create chicken salad out of chicken shit! This will eventually get you in trouble.

It is very important that if you have probable cause coming in at 60% you don’t write your narrative showing that you have a slam dunk case at 100%. If there are some holes in the case, be truthful about them. Judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys will respect you for being truthful. 

4. Starting your Police Report Narrative

• Formatting refers to how information is organized and how the report is laid out on the page.  The heading should contain the report date, time, type of event or incident, and officer name. Write it the same way every time so that when you are referencing your old reports you know exactly where to look for the date, time, assignment, location, etc. 
• The body should be written in paragraph form, left-justified, and single-spaced with a double space between paragraphs. 
• Number each paragraph starting with 1. The introduction phase should be in paragraph 1. If you are called to testify in court and need to reference your police report to refresh your memory the prosecutor or defense attorney can easily direct you to the numbered paragraph like this. Officer I call your attention to paragraph #5 sentence 2. Your eyes will be directly able to find this paragraph.

The Introduction phase

The introduction establishes why you are on the scene and includes:

• Day, date, and time - Most agencies use military time
• Who “you” are. Officer Tony Ruth 
• Location or address as to where you were sent.
• Nature of the call or why you were present. 
• If other officers were present, who were they? Write their full names

On Tuesday, February 4, 2023 , I, Officer Tony Ruth , along with Officers Reed Williams and Karyn Tomlinson responded to 123 Main Street for a report of a break and entering to a motor vehicle. 

5. The Body Phase of a Police Report

Continue numbering your paragraphs. The body explains what happened at the scene by answering the 5W’s and H: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. All of these should have already been written down while at the scene in your police notebook.

This is where you show your probable cause for arrest and formal charging situations. Be specific about satisfying specific elements of a crime. Sometimes a crime has 3 or 4 elements.

Be descriptive and specific when getting into reasons for entry, stopping and holding, making arrests, and use of force incidents. Write a clear picture and remember your great note-taking will guide you through this phase. 

6. The Conclusion Phase of a Police Report

The conclusion should include the final actions of the reporting officer. The suspect or involved party was arrested/charged with a summons for complaint/parties were advised etc. 

Never put in a final opinion unless it is that of expertise and is accepted by the court.

A good rule of thumb is to end the report with:

R espectfully Submitted,

Officer Tony Ruth

Anytown Police Department

7. Common Mistakes and Best Tips for Writing Better Police Reports

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Officers tend to make grammatical errors such as putting periods and commas outside of quotation marks when they should be placed inside the quotation marks. Other mistakes include capitalization, spelling, and punctuation errors.

These errors can be easily picked up on by using spell check, proof reading it, and having a co-worker put a second set of eyes on it. 

Check your work and double check your work

Before sending your report to a supervisor or officer of higher rank you should always double check your work and if a co-worker is available have them proof read it.

Be coachable and open to suggestions especially from experienced police officers. 

Never send a report up the chain for approval that has not been proof read and spell checked. 

Leaving out the results of the investigation

Another common mistake police make in their reporting is leaving out critical details of an investigation, including the results.

Making assumptions is never allowed in police report writing, some officers may write thorough and detailed accounts of their investigation but fail to report the final result.

Not making an effort

Laziness will come back to bite you and sometimes that bite will be a big one.

A good police officer will write reports even when policy and procedure say that you don't have to but the police officer has a feeling that the circumstances surrounding the person, place, or thing investigated say to write a police report.

Factual mistakes

Factual inaccuracies on police reports are more common than you may think.

Police officers may record incorrect times, license plate numbers, driver's license numbers, names, addresses, and other critical details needed in a criminal case.

This can be solved by jotting down the pertinent information of your investigation into the police notebook you carry in the field. If you don't have a good police notebook visit www.COPJOT.com and pick yourself up one.

These custom police notebooks will assist you in professional police field note-taking and take the mistakes out of your report writing.

Incomplete or missing elements of a crime

Each crime has specific elements that must be satisfied if you are to develop sufficient probable cause for an arrest and then prove your case in court. Failing to articulate each element of the crime may also call into question the legality of your actions. The simplest way to avoid this is to obtain a copy of the statute for the crime you are investigating.

Leaving out parties involved in the incident

It is important to gather information on witnesses and other participants even if they are not formally charged.

Master carding other people involved can be important for your police department, whether in this case or a future inquiry. It doesn't hurt to ask people for a phone number where they can be reached. When you enter a person in your report be sure to add the phone number.

Never try and predict the future

Your job is to document and write about the past. If you write about a future prediction and it doesn't come true a good defense attorney will ask you what else about your police report is untrue.

We all make mistakes and so will you

Learn from them and make adjustments. If you have a bad day in court against a great defense attorney, learn from that experience and make the proper adjustments to better your reports and better yourself.

Fine-tune your report writing over time

It may take a few years but you will start to understand where and when you will need to throw that report writing into overdrive.

A simple fraud report with no named suspect will differ from a triple stabbing with a clear suspect, witness statements, and scene video. 

Also over time, you will get to understand which cases tend to get plea deals, which go to trial, and which go to trial that will be defended by a top-notch attorney. 

About the Author

Brian Humenuk   isn't just an entrepreneur in eCommerce, he is also an informed leader whose experience provides followers and visitors with a look into current and past police issues making headlines in the United States.

Brian has earned three degrees in Criminal Justice with the last, a Masters of Science in Criminal Justice Administration.

Brian extends his training, education, and experience to the officers just now getting into the field so that they may become more informed police officers and stay clear of police misconduct and corruption. 

You can find out more about Brian and the COPJOT story on the  ABOUT US  page .

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How to Master Report Writing

Whenever anyone talks about report writing, images of my academy class and the boring report writing segment always comes to mind. What I didn't know then, but know now, is just how important report writing really is.

As first responders, we consistently spend more time writing reports than on any other single task in law enforcement. The only thing that beats it is probably driving around patrolling our zones. And yet, beyond the academy, we get very little training in writing, period. We are just supposed to fumble through and learn other aspects of technical writing on our own. Because of this, we need to find a way of writing reports that will serve us well throughout our entire career.

As a report writing instructor, I am motivated by a school seal that belongs to the Philips Academy, better known as Andover. Andover is a prep school that was established during the American Revolution and is one of the oldest boarding schools in the country. The school seal was crafted by Paul Revere and includes the Latin phrase, "Finis Origine Pendet," which translates to the end depends on the beginning. The beginning is the focus of this commentary and it will cover the process of report writing.

Question of Style

We tend to write police reports for economy. "Detailed yet concise" becomes the battle cry for supervisors and at the same time creates a nexus for officers. In reality we write quickly so we can get to the next call only to write again. It's a convoluted method that demands a great deal but also tends to ignore some of the more technical aspects of writing. There is a middle ground, however, where technical writing and economy can meet to serve the greater good.

Experienced instructors know they can't teach report writing. By the time people come into law enforcement they either know how to write or they don't. You can't cram 12 years of school into a 40-hour block of instruction no matter how good you are. But what instructors can teach is a particular style of writing.

Style becomes the structure that helps form a quality report. If you focus elsewhere, and replace it with something more restrictive like an outline, then you miss the point altogether. For example, an outline is too rigid. It restricts your ability to maneuver. Combining elements or sections becomes more difficult. If you have ever worked a busy shift where your reports start to stack up, you understand the need to write in as tight a package as possible.

The problem is it's very hard to write concisely. Thomas Jefferson allegedly wrote a friend once and advised he was sorry for the length of his letter, as he did not have time to write a short one. You no doubt know this to be true from experience. We therefore have to strike a balance between writing a novel like "War and Peace" and Dave Smith persona Buck Savage's infamous short report "Saw drunk arrested same."

Journalistic Approach

We write to inform, not to impress. The first step involves using the journalistic approach. You need to answer who, what, when, where, why, and how. It sounds counterintuitive, but it's where police officers fail the most. And it's not because we don't have the information but because we haven't organized the information we do have to our advantage.

A highly effective report writing structure goes like this: how the officer got the call, what the complainant/witness/victim said, what the officer observed, and what the officer did. Adhering to this structure allows any first responder to tackle any initial investigation with ease.[PAGEBREAK]

How You Got the Call

We take for granted the numbers of ways we can get a call for service. We can be dispatched or flagged down. It can be a walk-up, or a follow-up. It's important to state how you got the call even if the investigation proves it to be something else. If it's in progress, you would put that information here as well, up until the situation was under control. Once calmed down, you go on to the next section. For example, if you drive up to find two males fighting, you can't begin your interviews until they get separated, calmed down, and checked for injuries.

What They Said

The next portion involves interviewing any witnesses, victims, complainants, and possible suspects. You summarize and paraphrase each of their testimonies. You should use quotes when they directly apply to the crime or violation. Don't be shy about vulgar language either. If they said it, you can quote it. You are just documenting their version and not necessarily what actually happened.

What You Observed

After your interviews, then write down what you observed. If the house has been ransacked, describe the scene in detail. If your victim has been hit, describe the injuries. If the victim swears someone kicked in the front door but you find no evidence to support the claim, you need to write that down too: "I found no evidence to corroborate that the door was kicked in."

What You Did

The last portion covers what you did while investigating the incident. This includes processing the scene, conducting a neighborhood canvass, or any other action material to the investigation. Minor things like handing out an incident number needn't be documented unless your agency's policies require it. Since this constitutes the last portion, also include a closing statement to let the reader know you are done. It can be as simple as, "The report was forwarded for further review."

General Tips

Don't answer a question and by doing so create a new one. A very common mistake occurs when someone writes, "I processed the scene with negative results." It begs the question, "Where and what did you process?"

If you have multiple witnesses, combine the like testimony and discuss the differences. For example, "Mr. Jones, Mr. Hernandez, and Mr. Smith all agreed that the vehicle was a brown compact. However, Mr. Johnson stated it was a green mid-sized car." This saves you from writing the same thing over and over again.

Work on sentence structure and cut out excessive words whenever possible. Never use seven when five will do. For example, "The victim had no suspect information and desired prosecution," is short and sweet.

You should also convert elements of the crime into sentences. Your report has to prove what you labeled it. "The victim stated that someone without consent entered her home and stole $500 worth of her property." In Florida that describes burglary, without having added any extra fluff.

Putting it All Together

Since style creates structure without locking you into an outline, you can easily combine any section. Here is a simple illustration: "I was dispatched to a burglary over with. Upon my arrival, I met with the victim, Mrs. Jones. She stated someone without consent broke into her home and stole $6,000 worth of jewelry." You have easily combined how you got the call and the elements of the crime, and set yourself up for the next part of the report, which is what the victim said. You even informed the reader that it was forced entry without writing a separate sentence.

Sometimes you'll write a long narrative and a reader can get lost in the details. Using a short summary paragraph at the end helps tie things up nicely. It highlights the totality of the situation and the outcome.

This type of structure helps new officers remove some of their anxiety. For first responders, the length of our reports works in reverse; the more complicated the call the easier the report. For example, most recruits are afraid of handling a homicide. In reality it's one of the easiest reports to write. You arrive, you secure, you contain, and then you call out detectives. Upon their arrival you turn everything over to them (assuming your agency works that way). Your biggest role becomes securing the scene. Your report is very short while a detective's may near book length.

On the flip side, a simple incident like someone hitting someone else might seem like it takes forever to write. This is especially true if you have multiple witnesses and victims on both sides. I have seen prosecution packets of this nature almost an inch thick.

Closing Thoughts

Report writing is relatively simple when you follow the structure of how you got the call, what people said, what you observed, and what you did. This particular style of report writing allows you to tackle any incident as a first responder. If you're a supervisor, don't tell your officers what to write or even how to write. Instead, show them what your agency needs and create a writing style. Give them some structure and let them fill in the blanks. They may just surprise you.

Amaury Murgado is a special operations lieutenant with the Osceola County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office. He is a retired Master Sergeant from the Army Reserve, has 23 years of law enforcement experience, and has been involved with martial arts for 37 years.

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3 Ways to Report a Crime to the Police

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was written by Saul Jaeger, MS and by wikiHow staff writer, Ali Garbacz, B.A. . Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 417,041 times.

If you are a victim of a crime or witness something that looks suspicious, it’s important that you report the incident to local law enforcement. Most people usually file a police report by visiting the nearest police precinct or calling the non-emergency number for the dispatch office. In some metro areas, you also may be able to file a police report online. We’ll walk through each process step-by-step so that you feel comfortable and confident should you ever have to report an incident. However, if it’s an emergency situation and you believe your life or someone else's life is in danger, call 911 immediately.

Things You Should Know

• Locate your nearest police station and go there to make your report in person. Bring a photo ID and any evidence you have related to the incident.
• Look up your local police department’s website and fill out an online report. Include as many details as you can and wait for further instructions after submitting.
• Call your police department’s non-emergency number to report things such as theft or property damage.

• Non-emergency situations include things like pickpocketing, criminal damage to property, automobile theft, and garage burglary.
• Search “police non-emergency number” online to find this number, look through a telephone book, or call 311 (information) if that service is available in your area.

• You may be able to file a report anonymously over the phone. However, if you don't provide your name and contact information, the police will not be able to follow up with you about the report.
• Always provide your name and contact information if you suffered a loss as a result of the incident you're reporting, such as if your property was damaged or stolen. That way, if your property is recovered, the police will be able to easily contact you.

• If you have any photos, videos, or other documents related to the incident, let the dispatcher know. They’ll let you know how you can submit them.
• The dispatcher may ask you follow-up questions if there is specific information they need that you failed to mention in your description.

• The officer will confirm the information in your telephone report and ask questions to get any additional information they may need to further investigate the incident.
• You may not get a written copy of the report immediately. The officer typically will give you a receipt with the number assigned to your report so you can get a full copy later.

• In some cases, the police department may mail a copy of the report to you. Otherwise, you may need to make a trip to the precinct to pick up the report.

• City or metropolitan police departments typically have jurisdiction within the city limits, while the county sheriff's department will have jurisdiction over incidents that take place in the county or outside the city limits.
• There may be dual jurisdiction in some areas, such as if you live in a metro area where city and county governments have been consolidated. In that case, just find the precinct office closest to you. If you're in the wrong place, they'll tell you where to go.

• If you took photos or videos on your phone, take your phone with you to the police station. The police typically won't have to take your phone from you and will download your photos or videos to their computer system.
• In cases of property loss or damage, gather any financial statements, insurance claims, or other documents to take with you.

• If your ID has been lost or stolen, bring whatever documents or information you have that might prove your identity. This includes things like your social security card, a tax form with your social security number, or a bank statement that includes your personal information.
• Bring a friend or relative along to vouch for you if you don’t have your ID.

• You'll likely have a shorter wait time if you go earlier in the morning, as opposed to in the afternoon.
• If you have been the victim of a crime, such as a break-in or assault, you have the option to call the police and have them come out to you. They’ll likely take your statement as well as collect evidence at the scene.
• Call the station before you go down there to see if they would rather come to you. [10] X Research source

Saul Jaeger, MS

Did You Know? The most common mistake people make when filing a police report is not doing it right away. You never know when a piece of information might be useful to the police in helping them solve a crime or crack a case.

• When an officer comes to take your report, give them all of the information you know about the incident. Include as many specific details as possible and stick to the facts.
• If you have any documents or other information, let the officer know. They may want to take your originals or make copies.
• The officer may ask you more specific questions to get more information about the incident. If you don't know something or don't remember, say so. Avoid making assumptions or engaging in speculation.

• Keep your report number in a safe place. Depending on the type of incident you report, you may need to provide this number to others.
• For example, if you filed a report for property damage, you may need to provide the police report number to your insurance company when you file a claim. [13] X Research source

• If you don't hear from the police within a week, call the non-emergency number and tell the dispatcher that you want to follow up on a report you filed. Give them your report number and wait for them to connect you to the appropriate officer.
• In the case that you learn more information about the incident after you’ve filed your initial report, call and ask to speak to the investigating officer to let them know the additional information.

• Not all police stations will allow you to file a police report online. In that case, you will need to go to the police station in person.

• Incidents involving lost or stolen property, damaged property, or vandalism typically can be reported online. You also can file an online report for financial crimes, including theft or identity theft.
• Call 911 immediately if people's lives are in danger.

• For example, write a list of names of people who were involved or who witnessed the incident before starting your report. Take note of the date and time the incident occurred, the street address of the specific location, and the general timeline of what happened during the incident.
• If you have any documents or other files related to the incident, you may be able to upload them along with your report.

• Stick to the facts and include as many specific details as you can remember. Avoid including things like descriptions of your feelings, emotional reactions, or personal thoughts.
• The field you have to enter details may be limited to a certain number of characters. Include as many details as possible, but be brief and concise.

• If you're not able to print a copy of your report, write down any confirmation number or report number that you're provided. You may need these to follow up on the report later, or to share with your insurance company.

• Find out the name of the investigating officer in case you gain new information about the incident and need to update your report later.

Expert Q&A

• In some states, you must be 18 years or older to submit a police report online. If you’re under 18, you will need to have a parent or guardian submit the report for you. [22] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• If you are in an emergency situation, call 911 immediately. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Filing a false police report is a crime. Be truthful and avoid any speculation that might not be accurate. [23] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://home.chicagopolice.org/about/contact-us/use-3-1-1-to-report-non-emergency-situations/
• ↑ http://www.co.washington.or.us/Sheriff/OtherServices/PoliceReports/how-to-file-a-police-report.cfm
• ↑ https://www.elpasotexas.gov/police-department/online-services/
• ↑ https://thelawdictionary.org/article/how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-police-report/
• ↑ http://www.dallaspolice.net/division/financialinvestigations/policereport
• ↑ https://pcv.pccd.pa.gov/available-services/Pages/What-Happens-After-a-Crime-is-Reported.aspx
• ↑ https://police.ucla.edu/services/police-services/filing-a-report
• ↑ https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Police/How-Do-I/File-a-Police-Report
• ↑ http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/selfonline-reporting/
• ↑ https://home.chicagopolice.org/services/online-crime-reporting/

About This Article

To file a police report online, visit your local police department’s website and follow the prompts to fill in the report with specific information, like names and dates. You can also file a report in person by going to your local police department during business hours. Make sure to have your ID and any important information relating to your report, like photos or paperwork. To file a report over the phone, use 311 to find your local non-emergency number and describe the incident to the dispatcher. For more tips on filing a police report from our Legal reviewer, like how to follow up on your report, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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YourPoliceWrite.com

Professional report writing for law enforcement officers, a criminal justice report writing checklist.

Even if you’re a top-notch report writer, it’s easy to overlook something important when you’re writing a criminal justice report. Interruptions, fatigue, and the stress of dealing with offenders and emergencies can get in the way of good writing.

Recent research has shown that a simple checklist can boost efficiency and performance even if you’re already a high performer. (See Atul Gawande’s book The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right to learn more.)

If you’re an experienced officer, use this checklist to do a quick once-over for your reports. If you’re new to report writing, use this checklist as a refresher course in report writing requirements. Results: better reports, greater efficiency, and a fast track to professional report writing.

Report Writing Checklist

1. Think about the 5 W’s: who , what , when , where , why . If you’re writing on paper, most of this information will go into your opening sentence. If you’re writing on a laptop or using a template, make sure you’ve filled in the spaces accurately and thoroughly.

2. Include full names and contact information for witnesses, victims, and suspects (if available). If you interview someone who may be important to a future investigation, get a backup phone number, such as a relative, friend, or workplace. Many people change phone numbers frequently, and an alternative number can help solve a case.

3. Include the results of each investigation you did: fingerprints, footprints, point of entry/exit, bloodstains, and so on. Omitting results is one of the most common mistakes that officers make. Result: Confusion, wasted time, and sometimes a missed opportunity to solve or prosecute a case.

4. Start each sentence with a person, place, or thing UNLESS you have absolute confidence in your writing ability. Keeping sentences simple prevents a multitude of writing errors.

5. Avoid outdated report practices. Old-fashioned words like “abovementioned,” “ascertained,” and “respective” waste time and cause confusion when you’re preparing for a court hearing. For example, what did you mean when you said you “ascertained” something? A witness told you? You saw it? You came across a useful piece of evidence? Explain in detail.

6. Clearly state who did what ( in other word s, use active voice). Contrary to popular belief, passive voice doesn’t magically make you honest, objective, or professional. Those are qualities you have to commit to and work on. Passive voice (“Harris was handcuffed”) can create confusion if several officers are working a scene: Six months later, in court, are you going to remember who took the suspect into custody?

7. Make sure the disposition part of your report is complete: If you found useful evidence at the scene, did you thoroughly cover the chain of custody? Did you describe injuries in detail? What was the outcome for victims and suspects?

8. Avoid generalizations and hunches, which can open you up to challenges in a courtroom later. Statements like “I knew Harris was lying” and “Johnson seemed nervous” don’t belong in a professional report. Stick to factual descriptions: “Harris told me they were heading to Porter City, but his wife told me they were going to Hicksville.” “Johnson’s hands were shaking, and he looked over his shoulder 10 times in less than five minutes.”

9. Avoid slang and insensitive language unless you’re quoting someone’s exact words. Sexist language, vulgarities, and other unprofessional terminology can embarrass you if a district attorney, newspaper reporter, judge, or community leader reads your report.

10. Use the spellchecker and grammar checker if you’re writing on a computer. If you’re writing on paper, use the dictionary to double-check words you’re unsure of. Make a list of words that give you trouble and write them neatly on a piece of paper that you can keep handy while you’re working on a report. Memorize words that are commonly misspelled: For example, A lot and all right are always two words; occurred has a double “c” and double “r.”

Don’t be alarmed by the length of this checklist! Most of these items are probably familiar to you already from your professional training. After you’ve used the checklist a few times, you’ll find you can scan it quickly to ensure that your reports meet the highest standard for criminal justice writing.

23 thoughts on “ A Criminal Justice Report Writing Checklist ”

Am so eager in trying out on report writing based on crime activities.

This weeks assignment semms fun.

Having a check list makes it easier.

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Hey I would like to make a report for teens smoking marijuana umm one goes by the name of George boadu and he lives in maryland Columbia

This weeks assignment is right up my alley, I am accustomed to writing reports daily so I will enjoy this part. I hope to get a good grade and get the constructive criticism needed to be a better report writer.

Hi, Nicol – thanks so much for the feedback! I’m pleased that my website was helpful. Good for you pushing ahead to be a better report writer – and best wishes for success in your law enforcement career!

Just want to learn how to write a good report about a gate man that steal a compression of air-conditioning please help

It makes work easier having a checklist

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Oct  30 , 2019

Police Officer Training: Four Types of Police Reports

Report writing becomes less overwhelming when you realize that there are only four types of police reports. Type 1 is the most basic, Type 2 adds one factor, Type 3 adds another factor, and Type 4 is the most complex. That means you’re actually learning how to write one basic report with variations.

When you’re new to law enforcement, report writing can seem overwhelming: Every call is different and seems to require a different type of report.

But after a while you’ll see that police calls and investigations fall into four categories. Once you’ve learned the four types of police reports, you’ll have an outline to follow every time you write a report.

You’ll also discover that each type builds on the previous one, like a stairway. Type 1 is the most basic, Type 2 adds one factor, Type 3 adds another factor, and Type 4 is the most complex. That means you’re actually learning how to write one basic report with variations.

Here are the four types of police reports:

Type 1: You simply record the facts. There is no police investigation, and you don’t make an arrest. Type 1 includes incident reports, missing persons, and many non-violent offenses. In most cases you’ll obtain the facts from witnesses, victims, and suspects. It’s usually a good idea to write a separate paragraph for each person you talk to.

Type 2: In addition to recording the facts, as in Type 1, you add your own investigation: Looking for footprints, fingerprints, the point of entry or exit, or other types of evidence.

Type 3: The additional factor here is that you become part of the story—you might break up a fight, chase a suspect, find a missing child, or make an arrest. In most cases you’ll begin your report with witness, victim, and suspect statements about what happened before you arrived. Then you’ll explain what prompted you to get involved (probable cause) and what you did. It’s important to be specific: “Gordon slapped Fitch’s right cheek” is better than “Gordon became aggressive.”

Type 4: What’s different about a Type 4 report is that you’re not dispatched to the scene—you make your own decision to get involved. For example, you might see a car driven recklessly or a man battering a woman. This is the most complex type of report because it requires you to establish probable cause for becoming involved. Again, it’s important to be specific: Not “reckless driving” but “the car crossed the center line three times in thirty seconds.” The more details you provide, the less likely you are to have to defend your report in court.

The easiest way to remember the four types is to focus on  what the officer does :

• Type 1 Records the facts
• Type 2 Records the facts and investigates
• Type 3 Records the facts, investigates, and takes action
• Type 4 Initiates police involvement, records the facts, investigates, and takes action

You can download and print a free handout about the four types of police reports at this link: bit.ly/FourTypes. Refer to the handout as often as needed, and you’ll soon find that you’re automatically classifying your reports by type—and feeling more confident about the report-writing process.

Police Report

Report generator.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of incidents that one could go through that would involve the police—situations like being the victim of a robbery, for example. If you are a member of law enforcement, you have to help these people. One way you can start is by writing down their experiences and making a report out of it. In this article, we will show you how to come up with a police report .

10+ Police Report Examples

Sample police accident report.

Police File Report

Size: 309 KB

Police Incident Report

Size: 271 KB

Police Crime Report Example

Size: 223 KB

Police Evidence Report in PDF

Size: 71 KB

Police Grant Report

Size: 377 KB

Police Loss Report

Size: 14 KB

Police Investigation Report

Size: 17 KB

Police Verification

Size: 212 KB

Police Clearance

What Is a Police Report?

A police report is an important document stating a record of a criminal incident, such as assault, identify theft, or robbery, for example. Any representative in the police department can write a police report. Making a report needs to be dangerous because it involves legal procedures. The law enforcement team also writes them after someone reports an accident or crime to them.

How To Write a Police Report

In the last three decades (1990-2018), there has been a decline in reports on violent crimes in the United States, as shown by Statista research. Whatever the reasons are, know that a well-written police report can go a long way in resolving an issue. Here are some tips on how to write it well.

1. Take Note of Those Involved

Another essential detail to take note of in your police report is to write down the information of the people who filed the report. It could be the victim themselves, an associate of theirs, or a bystander who saw the event. Take their information as well so that you can follow up on them for any more details.

2. Include Official Details

To make your police reports look real is to place the logo and official information in the form. Include the name and address of the police department in the format of your police report. This will help other officers easily identify the legitimate copy of the police report. This is vital, especially since this is a legal document.

3. Write The Narrative

When making a police report, be meticulous when writing down how the incident went. This is important as it can help investigators solve the situation much quicker. Pay attention to whoever is giving the statement , and don’t leave a single detail out.

4. Note The Crime and Suspects

As you note the incident, try to identify the potential suspects and the crime committed in your police report. That way, investigators and other officers will be up to speed once they take a look at your statement.

Can I get a police report online?

Yes, you can! Usually, you can get a police report by visiting your local precinct and reporting an incident to an officer. Nowadays, a lot of police departments have websites that allow you to do it online.

What happens after I file a police report on a crime?

After you file a police report, an officer would lead an investigation to look further into the case and decide whether the suspect should face arrest. If the grounds of detention are dangerous, they get a warrant for arrest and charge the criminal.

Are police records kept available online?

No, they are not. Police records are not a part of the court system, so it is not readily available for everybody to look into. This also means the documents are not posted online for viewing as well.

Making a well-written report is crucial in solving the case and ending on a good note. Whether it is a report on a stolen car or something a lot more serious, we hope you can write a police report with the tips mentioned above. If you need any more ideas on writing one, feel free to browse through our incident reports and summary templates as a guide for you.

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Generate a report on the impact of technology in the classroom on student learning outcomes

Prepare a report analyzing the trends in student participation in sports and arts programs over the last five years at your school.

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Supreme Court rules for Jan. 6 rioter challenging obstruction charge

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of a former police officer who is seeking to throw out an obstruction charge for joining the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

The justices in a 6-3 vote on nonideological lines handed a win to defendant  Joseph Fischer , who is among hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants — including former President Donald Trump — who have been charged with obstructing an official proceeding over the effort to prevent Congress' certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.

The court concluded that the law, enacted in 2002 as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after the Enron accounting scandal, was only intended to apply to more limited circumstances involving forms of evidence tampering, not the much broader array of situations that prosecutors had claimed it covered.

The provision targets anyone who "obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so," but the court determined that its scope is limited by a preceding sentence in the statute referring to altering or destroying records.

The court sent the case back to lower courts for further proceedings on whether the Justice Department could still prosecute Fischer under the new interpretation of the law.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that he was disappointed by the decision because of the impact it would have on the Justice Department's Jan. 6 cases, although he stressed it would not affect the bulk of them.

The ruling "limits an important federal statute that the department has sought to use to ensure that those most responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences," he added.

But the decision was celebrated by Trump, who said the Supreme Court "did the right thing" in Fischer's case.

"They've been waiting for this decision for a long time. They've been waiting for a long time, and that was a great answer. That was a great thing for people who have been so horribly treated," Trump told supporters Friday at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.

On Jan. 6, 2021,  prosecutors said, Fischer joined the crowd breaching the Capitol from the east side. “Charge!” he yelled again and again before he pushed forward toward a police line while yelling, “Motherf-----s!” the government says.

He and other rioters then fell to the ground. After other rioters lifted him up, video disclosed as evidence in other Jan. 6 trials shows, he tried to appeal to officers protecting the Capitol, telling them that he was an officer, too.

Fischer previously served as a police officer in North Cornwall Township, Pennsylvania. (Another man named Joseph Fisher, who was also a police officer, was recently sentenced to 20 months in prison for his own role on Jan. 6.)

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the government's view of the law's reach "defies the most plausible understanding" of the statute in question , 18 U.S. Code 1512. The provision carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The Justice Department's interpretation would "criminalize a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyists alike to decades in prison," he added.

To prove a violation, prosecutors now have to show that the defendant "impaired the availability or integrity for use in an official proceeding of records, documents, objects, or ... other things used in the proceeding," Roberts wrote.

He was joined by four other conservatives and one liberal — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — in the majority. The other two liberal justices were joined by conservative Amy Coney Barrett in dissent.

Jackson wrote a separate opinion saying that Fischer's conduct could still be covered by the narrower interpretation of the law.

The joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 to certify the election results "plainly used certain records, documents, or objects — including among others, those relating to the electoral votes themselves," she added.

Barrett wrote that as no one disputes that the joint session was an official proceeding, the question of whether Fischer can be prosecuted "seems open and shut."

The majority, she added, "simply cannot believe that Congress meant what it said" when writing a broad statute intended to cover a lot of different conduct. She wrote that the court "has failed to respect the prerogatives of the political branches" in ruling against prosecutors.

The ruling may not affect Trump's case. Prosecutors said that even if Fischer wins, Trump’s conduct would  still be covered  by a narrower interpretation of the statute.

Fischer faces seven criminal charges, only one of which was the focus of the Supreme Court case. Even if the obstruction charge is ultimately dismissed , the other charges, including assaulting a police officer and entering a restricted building, will remain in place.

The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has in the past been skeptical of prosecutors when they assert broad applications of criminal provisions.

In his election interference case, Trump faces four charges, including one count of obstructing an official proceeding and another of conspiracy to do so.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court is considering Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in the election interference case, which will also affect whether all the charges remain in place ahead of a trial.

While there are 247 cases of the more than 1,400 Jan. 6 cases that may be affected by the Fischer ruling, there are just 52 cases in which it is the only felony offense, and just 27 of those defendants are still serving a sentence. Most recently, Jan. 6 defendant Benjamin Martin was convicted on Wednesday of obstruction of an official proceeding, but he was also convicted of felony civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses.

Recently, judges have been factoring the pending Fischer decision into their sentencing decisions. If a defendant was convicted of another felony, like assaulting an officer, they have stated on the record that they would have reached the same decision regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Fischer case.

Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News.

Ryan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.

Updated 1.28pm with PL statement below.

Former Health Minister Chris Fearne has asked the police to investigate and prosecute those behind a "€6 million frame-up" against him. 

In his first public reaction to revelations in Times of Malta,   The Boston Globe and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the former deputy prime minister said the new evidence was irrefutable proof that as Malta’s health minister, he always stood his ministerial ground in the national interest.

Leaked corporate records obtained by the OCCRP and published on Monday showed that former hospital concessionaires Steward Health Care funded a campaign to smear Fearne with fake corruption claims.

The campaign was part of a wider €6.5 million secret operation authorised by Steward to target their perceived opponents in Malta and abroad. 

Practices included using bank records, accessing sensitive phone data, and planting “fake” media stories about corruption among Maltese officials. The operations were coordinated by senior Steward officials who corresponded regularly with private spies at two London-based intelligence firms called Audere International and CT Group, according to emails, encrypted messages, and financial records. 

Fearne said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that this showed how much filthy money was paid to politically eliminate him and get him out of the way.  

"This malicious plan was done in two steps. First, they tried to find dirt, any dirt, to throw at me. When they failed because there wasn’t any, they just fabricated it. Quite simply, this was a pitch dark 6 million Euro frame up to try to block me from continuing to do my duty towards our patients, my ministry and my country."

Claims about Fearne and his top ministry official Carmen Ciantar first surfaced in foreign media in the summer of 2023. They alleged that the two received kickbacks on the sale of a passport to a wealthy foreign investor.

Both denied the story and reported the claims to the police. On Tuesday, Fearne recalled that the police at the time had quickly concluded that the story was fake.

However, police had been unable to determine where the claims originated from, he said. 

Writing on Tuesday, he noted that media reports had now "clearly shown who the source of this deceit" was.  

He asked the police commissioner to investigate the reports and file criminal proceedings against those responsible.

"Meanwhile I continue to defend and confirm my integrity in the Courts of Law," he wrote.

Fearne is also facing criminal charges in connection with the Vitals-Steward deal to privatise three state hospitals, which was annulled by a court last year. 

He is pleading not guilty and is seeking to have those charges dismissed at the prima facie stage. 

Labour expresses solidarity, accuses the PN

Meanwhile, the Labour Party on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Chris Fearne - its deputy leader - and said it was condemning the malicious attacks made against him while he worked in the national interest and on the side of the truth.  

The PL said it had also noted the hypocrisy of the Opposition leader and of the Nationalist Party, saying they were now underlining Fearne's integrity while having been the same people who had instituted a court case against Fearne in his personal capacity.  

The PL said it was committed to seeing that the truth was known and justice was served, and the government had already declared it would seek to recover any Steward funds used for any fake news stories.  

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

Election latest: 'I'd bite your hand off' - Tory candidate's incredible reaction to poll projecting historic defeat

Labour are on course to win the biggest majority by any single party since 1832, according to YouGov's final poll of the campaign.

Wednesday 3 July 2024 19:59, UK

• General Election 2024

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Last day of election campaigning

• Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live - watch above
• Labour on course for biggest majority since 1832 - poll
• Tory candidate would 'bite your hand off' for projected result
• Big names who could lose seats | Check projection where you live
• Sam Coates: This is bleak for the Tories
• Beth Rigby : Labour set for an astounding victory
• Sky News Daily: Stories from the battle buses
• Live reporting by Ben Bloch   and Jess Sharp

Election essentials

• Manifesto pledges: Conservatives | Greens | Labour | Lib Dems | Plaid | Reform | SNP
• Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
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• Read more: Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency is changing | Guide to election lingo
• How to watch election on Sky News

The messages coming out of Labour and the Conservative Party are very different on the last day of campaigning. 

Labour interviews are sticking to the party line, with boring answers about the election having not been won yet, and the Tories seem to be "all over the place". 

Sky's election commentator Adam Boulton says Labour representatives will not want to "drop the ball now" so will be sticking on message.

But he says the Conservatives' have been "all over the place", pointing out that Mel Stride was on Sky News this morning saying the party was heading for a massive defeat, and then Mark Spencer this evening saying everything is still to play for. 

"Things have got worse for the Conservatives during this campaign because it has been truly awful and accident-prone," he adds. 

Adam is joined on the Politics Hub panel by former culture minister Lord Vaizey , who says the Conservatives will carry out a post-mortem very quickly after the election result is in. 

He says the party will only return to popularity when it comes back to centre ground. 

"They can take comfort from Keir Starmer's dramatic victory tomorrow. He has shown you can come from nothing to something in five years," he adds.

That concludes our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - stay with us for more election news and analysis this evening, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's final major campaign speech.

The Sun newspaper today backed Labour to win the general election, turning its back on the Tories for the first time since 2005.

We ask farming minister Mark Spencer if that is a blow to his party, and he points out the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph are still backing the Tories (only four of 11 titles that have announced endorsements are backing them).

He also notes The Sun says "there is still no plan from Labour on immigration", and raises questions around tax rises.

The Sun's headline is Britain "needs a new manager", and Sophy Ridge says it appears the Conservative Party may need one as well.

We ask if he would consider a leadership bid, and he replies he needs to win his own seat before talking about that.

"I want to see Rishi Sunak be prime minister - that's what I've been campaigning for for the last six weeks. That's what I'll be doing right up 'til the end of polling tomorrow night at 10pm."

Our main story tonight is a YouGov poll - their final one of this election campaign - projecting Labour to win 431 seats in tomorrow's vote.

That would be the party's best result ever and the largest majority enjoyed by any single party since 1832.

If you're just joining us and need a quick catch up on the projection, including how the other parties will fare and some big names tipped to lose their seats, we've got you covered.

Watch our deputy political editor Sam Coates run through the numbers below:

On the final day of campaigning, Sir Keir Starmer has been on a whistle-stop tour of much of the UK, visiting Scotland, Wales, and England. 

Polls suggest his party is on course for the biggest majority since 1832 and our political editor  Beth Rigby says the jeopardy of this election has gone. 

"The jeopardy in many ways has gone - if it was ever there. We can see Labour is heading for a big majority," she says. 

"How big it will be without a single vote cast is unknown. When I talk about a big majority, I would say bigger than Boris Johnson in 2019 when he won 80 seats.

"That would be an astounding victory for Keir Starmer, who inherited a party that had its worst election defeat in 2019 when they just returned 203 MPs.

"So the scale of achievement, just to get a one-seat majority, is incredible."

But Beth adds that sources in both the Tory and Labour camps "have said there are still dozens of seats that are still undecided and could go either way".

She explains any sense of jeopardy actually lies with Reform UK and how they perform will affect the Conservatives. 

We stand on the threshold of a landmark election. 

Power has only changed hands once in the last 26 years, but after voters troop out to libraries, village halls and schools tomorrow to exercise their democratic right, power is almost certain to change hands once again. 

If the polls are right, it will be a day for the record books.

Labour is on course for their biggest ever majority - surpassing even 1997 – and the Conservatives are expected to be turfed out of power for the first time in 14 years, truly the end of an era. 

Will Sir Keir Starmer achieve the staggering victory that the pollsters expect - and if he does, what will he do with it? 

And how will a Conservative Party rebuild and regroup if Rishi Sunak does lead Britain's most successful political party to its worst defeat?

Our weeknight politics show  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  is live now on Sky News.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Sophy is joined tonight by Tory minister Mark Spencer and Labour shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds  on the eve of what could be a historic general election.

On Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Adam Boulton , Sky's elections commentator;
• Mhairi Black , SNP's former deputy leader at Westminster;
• Ed Vaizey , former Conservative minister.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

Watch  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the  Sky News website  and  app  or on  YouTube .

By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent

On a slightly damp afternoon, in a summer so far marked by disappointing weather, the Conservative campaign bus pulled into a primary school in rural Hampshire today.

A smattering of Lib Dem activists (I counted five) had bothered to turn up to protest the against the prime minister. I say protest - it was actually to gloat, and even then through mild bemusement rather than anger. 

They knew the game was up. It felt like everyone knew the game was up. 

I mean a campaign stop with five-year-olds the day before the election seemed a little pointless. 

It was a day riven with resignation.

Earlier, the work and pensions secretary had essentially conceded, talking about a future Labour government, pleading to voters not to give Sir Keir Starmer a "supermajority". 

The next stop was a campaign visit in a seat the Tories might actually hold - though that has been a feature of the entire campaign.

Almost exclusively, we've only been in seats with Rishi Sunak that should have traditionally been ultra Conservative. Village pubs, farm shops, garden centres and large homes have been ubiquitous. 

The last stop is one final campaign rally tonight, with maybe a hundred people - we've been told not to expect any surprises. 

That in itself is hardly a surprise. 

The Conservative campaign started in a very wet Downing Street, it ends in the drizzle in Southampton.

It has simply petered out. 

 With ABBA's Take A Chance On Me blasting across a field in Hertfordshire, Sir Ed Davey arrived in the Liberal Democrats' battle bus for what was billed as the last big stunt of his campaign.

Whether his antics have cut through, we will find out tomorrow, but he certainly can't be faulted for enthusiasm.

Yellow confetti exploded as Sir Ed left the bus with both hands waving in the air, laughing and smiling in front of his supporters.

"This is it. Tomorrow we have the chance to win the change our country desperately needs," he said.

"After so many years of being let down, taken for granted by this out-of-touch Conservative government, this is a chance to vote for something different."

Sir Ed continued: "You may have noticed that I've quite enjoyed this campaign."

The leader said he has travelled 6,000 miles, visited 50 constituencies and bungee jumped 160ft, to cheers from the crowd.

Pyrotechnics were ignited as he came to the end of his speech, before he ditched the orange theme for the backseat of a pink Cadillac and made his exit, waving to the crowd.

On the final day of campaigning, the Sky News correspondents who have followed party leaders to every corner of the UK reflect on the key moments.  

From kayaking photo opportunities to people who bet against their own election chances - they tell Niall Paterson how the stories have cut through and the impact they could have on polling day.

Joining Niall are our political correspondents - Darren McCaffrey with the Conservatives, Serena Barker-Singh on the Labour bus, Matthew Thompson following the Liberal Democrats, Gurpreet Narwan from the Reform trail, and  Connor Gillies with the Scottish National Party.

It's time for your evening bulletin as the final day of the election campaign nears its climax.

Here's what you need to know:

• Labour are on course for the biggest majority achieved by any British political party since 1832 , according to a new YouGov poll;
• Sir Keir Starmer's party are tipped to win 431 seats , with the Tories way behind with 102 ;
• Among the Conservative heavyweights set to lose out are a former leader, Iain Duncan Smith , and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt ;
• Our deputy political editor Sam Coates says the Tories could be facing an "extinction-level event", with some within the party fearful the result on Thursday could be "even worse";
• You can check the projected result where you live below:
• The big breaking news before YouGov's poll was The Sun endorsing the Labour Party for the first time since 2005 ;
• Our chief political correspondent Jon Craig said while newspaper endorsements aren't as significant as they once were, it's still a "big boost".
• Rishi Sunak insists he hasn't given up on the Tories' election hopes, though his most headline-making appearance today was on ITV's This Morning, where he said sandwiches were his favourite food;
• Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has enjoyed his final day of campaigning, beginning with a tractor race and ending it by driving away in a hot pink Cadillac car;
• Reform's Nigel Farage has also been out and about today, and admitted he would "think about" resigning if he doesn't become an MP for the first time;
• And the Green co-leader Carla Denyer is eyeing up what would be a huge win over in Bristol Central, where Labour's Thangham Debbonaire is under pressure and expressed concerns over delays to postal votes;
• Other candidates there are Reform's Robert Clarke, the Lib Dem Nicholas Coombes, Kellie-Jay Keen from the Party of Women, and Samuel Williams from the Conservatives.

Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge will be live from 7pm - the final instalment before the election.

On Sophy's panel tonight are Sky's elections commentator Adam Boulton , the SNP's former deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black , and former Tory minister Ed Vaizey .

We'll also be joined by Conservative food and farming minister Mark Spencer  and Labour's shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds .

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2024 presidential debate fact-check: how accurate were joe biden, donald trump.

From left, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden debate June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP)

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, shared a debate stage June 27 for the first time since 2020, in a feisty confrontation that — thanks to debate rules — managed to avoid the near-constant interruptions that marred their previous meetings.

Biden, who spoke in a raspy voice at the debate’s start, struggled at times, at one point saying that his administration "finally beat Medicare." After the debate, during a stop at a Waffle House, Biden told reporters he had a sore throat, according to the pool report.

Trump, meanwhile, repeated numerous falsehoods, including that Democrats want doctors to be able to abort babies after birth.

Trump attacked Biden’s record, blaming inflation and other issues on Biden’s "insane and stupid policies." Biden questioned Trump’s conduct, noting that Trump is a convicted felon and saying he has the "morals of an alley cat."

CNN hosted the debate, which had no audience, at its Atlanta studio. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderated. The debate format allowed CNN to mute candidates’ microphones when it wasn’t their turn to speak.

Biden and Trump clashed on the economy, immigration and abortion, and revisited discussion of their ages. Biden is 81; Trump is 78.

Read by topic: 

Immigration Abortion Inflation and economy Jobs Trump legal cases Social Security, Medicare and taxes Checking the record on Hitler comment and Charlottesville Crime Health care Foreign policy and terrorism Election denial and Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol Worst president rankings The golf moment

Trump: Biden "allowed millions of people to come in here from prisons, jails and mental institutions."

Pants on Fire! Immigration officials arrested about 103,700 noncitizens with criminal convictions (whether in the U.S. or abroad) from fiscal years 2021 to 2024, federal data shows. That accounts for people stopped at and between ports of entry.

Not everyone was let in. The term "noncitizens" includes people who may have had legal immigration status in the U.S. but were not U.S. citizens.

The data reflects the people that the federal government knows about, but it’s inexhaustive. However, immigration experts said despite the data’s limitations, there is no evidence to support Trump’s statement.

Biden: "I've changed (the law) in the way that now you're in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally."

Mostly True . The Department of Homeland Security announced that illegal immigration encounters dropped by 40%, to fewer than 2,400 each day , in the weeks after Biden announced a policy largely barring asylum access for people entering the U.S. at the southern border. The policy was announced June 4.

But immigration experts caution that it’s difficult to pinpoint a single reason for any change in border crossings. For example, other factors, such as hot weather , can affect migration patterns.

Since the policy was announced only a few weeks ago, it’s unclear whether the drop in illegal immigration will continue . 

Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told PolitiFact the policy could have a short-term deterrent effect. But Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at the Washington Office on Latin America, a research group, told PolitiFact, that no crackdown in the past decade has had a lasting impact.  

Trump: "We had the safest border in the history of our country."

Mostly False . Illegal immigration between ports of entry at the U.S. southern border dropped in 2017,  Trump’s first year in office, compared with previous years. Apprehensions then rose, and dropped again in 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, immigration dropped drastically worldwide as governments enacted policies limiting people’s movement.

In the months before Trump left office, illegal immigration was rising again. A spike in migrants , especially unaccompanied minors , started in the spring 2020 during the Trump administration and generally continued to climb each month.

Illegal immigration during Trump’s administration was higher than under both of former President Barack Obama’s terms. 

Biden: While talking about a bipartisan border bill, "by the way, the Border Patrol endorsed me, endorsed my position."

Half True . The National Border Patrol Council — the U.S. Border Patrol’s union endorsed a bipartisan border security bill in February. But it didn’t endorse Biden.

Here's what Brandon Judd, the union’s president, said about the bill in February:

"While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is far better than the current status quo. This is why the National Border Patrol Council endorses this bill and hopes for its quick passage."

Biden also supported the bill and said he would sign it into law if it passed. The bill failed in the Senate on a 49-50 vote .

However, Judd and the Border Patrol union have been critical of Biden and his immigration policies and endorsed Trump in the 2020 election.

"To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden," the National Border Patrol Council said in an X post during the debate.

Trump: Biden allowed in "18 million people."

False . Immigration officials have encountered immigrants illegally crossing the border 9.7 million times under Biden’s presidency. When accounting for "got aways" — people who aren’t stopped by border officials — the number rises to about 11.4 million. 

But encounters don’t mean admissions . Encounters represent events, so one person who tried to cross the border twice counts for two encounters. Also, not everyone encountered is let in. Many encounters result in deportations. The Department of Homeland Security estimates about 4 million encounters have led to expulsions or removals.

Trump: "The problem (Democrats) have is they're radical, because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth." False. Willfully terminating a newborn’s life is infanticide and is illegal in every U.S. state. 

Most elected Democrats who have spoken publicly about this have said they support abortion under Roe v. Wade’s standard, which provided abortion access up to fetal viability. This is typically around 24 weeks of pregnancy, when the fetus can survive outside of the womb. Many of these Democrats have also said they support abortions past this point if the treating physician deems it necessary. Medical experts say situations resulting in fetal death in the third trimester are rare — less than 1% of abortions in the U.S. occur after 21 weeks — and typically involve fatal fetal anomalies or life-threatening emergencies affecting the pregnant woman. For fetuses with very short life expectancies, doctors may induce labor and offer palliative care. Some families choose this option when facing diagnoses that limit their babies’ survival to minutes or days after delivery. Some Republicans who have made claims similar to Trump’s point to Democratic support of the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 , citing the bill’s provisions that say providers and patients have the right to perform and receive abortion services without certain limitations or requirements that would impede access. Anti-abortion advocates say the provisions in the bill, which failed to advance 49-51, would have created a loophole that eliminated any limits to abortions later in pregnancy. Alina Salganicoff, director of KFF’s Women’s Health Policy program, said the legislation would have allowed health providers to perform abortions without obstacles such as waiting periods, medically unnecessary tests and in-person visits, or other restrictions. The bill would have allowed an abortion after viability when, "in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating health care provider, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant patient’s life or health."

Trump: "He caused this inflation. I gave him a country with … essentially no inflation. It was perfect."

Mostly False . When Biden was inaugurated, year-over-year inflation was about 1.4%. However, that was shaped by the still-weak economy during the coronavirus pandemic, which was still a serious threat when Biden was inaugurated.

As the pandemic conditions improved, the economy accelerated. Consumers were ready to buy products, but the pandemic had prompted supply chain shortages. This, combined with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which raised gasoline prices, led to inflation, peaking at 9% about a year and a half into Biden’s presidency. That was the highest in about four decades. 

Economists generally say Biden’s coronavirus relief plan, the American Rescue Plan, did exacerbate inflation by putting more money into consumers’ hands at a time when supplies were running short. But they do not believe that Biden caused high inflation single-handedly.

Trump: "You look at the cost of food, where it's double, triple and quadruple."

False.  Food costs have risen faster under President Joe Biden than under any of his five most recent predecessors. However, the 21% increase in food prices on Biden’s watch is well below what Trump claimed. Quadrupling food costs would be an increase of 300%, or more than 10 times larger than what Trump said.

Specific categories of food have spiked more than food prices overall. For instance, egg prices are 84% higher today than when Biden took office. But for every food category that has outrun overall food inflation, there’s another category that has risen more slowly than average.

Also, this increase was spread over three and a half years, making the annual increase about 6%, part of which has been offset by rising wages .

Biden: "Economists say (Trump’s proposed tariffs are) going to cost the average American $2,500 a year or more."

Mostly True. Most economists expect that Trump’s proposed 10% across-the-board tariff on foreign products will force consumers to pay more. The specific size of that hit is open to debate, though Biden offered a figure somewhat higher than current estimates.

Just days before the debate, the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, projected additional costs per household of $1,700 to $2,350 annually.

The Peterson Institute of International Economics, another Washington, D.C.-based think tank, projected that such tariffs would cost a middle-income household about $1,700 extra each year.

Biden: Semiconductor jobs "to build these chips … pay over $100,000. You don’t need a college degree for them."

Mostly False . The average semiconductor industry salary is around $170,000, figures from Oxford Economics and Semiconductor Industry Association, a trade group, show. But this figure includes all jobs within the industry and doesn’t single out jobs requiring no college degree.

To earn a salary of $110,000 or higher, employees in the semiconductor industry need undergraduate or graduate-level degrees, the groups say.

The most a person would make without a four-year degree is about $70,000, according to a 2021 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association and Oxford Economics.

Biden: "Black unemployment is the lowest level it’s been in a long, long time."

Mostly True .  The record for low Black unemployment rate was set under Biden in April 2023, at 4.8%. It has risen modestly since then to 6.1% in May 2024, but that’s still lower than it was for much of the first two years under Trump. 

Overall, Trump had success on this statistic, too. When Biden set the record, the record he was breaking was Trump’s: 5.3% in August and September 2019.

Trump: "The only jobs (Biden) created are for illegal immigrants and bounce-back jobs, bounce-back from the COVID."

False . Since Biden took office in early 2021, the number of foreign-born Americans who are employed has risen by about 5.6 million. But over the same time period, the number of native-born Americans employed has increased by almost 7.4 million. (There are many more native-born Americans than foreign-born Americans, so on a percentage basis, the increase for foreign-born Americans is about 22%, compared with 6% for native-born Americans.)

It’s also wrong to say that all the foreign-born employment gains (much less all the employment gains) stem from migrants here illegally. The data for foreign-born Americans includes anyone born outside the U.S., including immigrants who have been in the United States legally for decades.

Employment on Biden’s watch passed its prepandemic level by June 2022, about a year and a half into his term. Since then, the U.S. economy has created an additional 6.2 million jobs.

Trump: Biden "indicted me because I was his opponent."

False . The Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into Trump’s business records began before Biden was president, but Biden was president by the time Trump was charged in 2023.

After Michael Cohen, who had been an attorney for Trump, pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2018, then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. began investigating the payments, Politico reported . That was before Biden was president. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hired a former Justice Department prosecutor in 2022. But experts told us that doesn’t prove Biden was involved.

Trump has also been indicted by a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury and two federal grand juries. Biden is not responsible for state or federal prosecutors’ decisions to present cases to grand juries.

Trump: "Social Security, he's destroying it, because millions of people are pouring into our country, and they're putting them onto Social Security. They're putting them onto Medicare, Medicaid."  

False . It’s wrong to say that immigration will destroy Social Security. Social Security’s fiscal challenges stem from a shortage of workers compared with beneficiaries. 

Immigration is far from a fiscal fix-all for Social Security’s challenges. But having more immigrants in the United States would increase the worker-to-beneficiary ratio, potentially for decades, thus extending the program’s solvency, experts say.

Most immigrants in the U.S. illegally are also ineligible for Social Security. However, people who entered the U.S. illegally and were granted humanitarian parole — a temporary permission to stay in the country — for more than one year, are eligible for Social Security. 

Immigrants in the U.S. illegally also are generally ineligible to enroll in federally funded health care coverage such as Medicare and Medicaid. (Some states provide Medicaid coverage under state-funded programs regardless of immigration status. Immigrants are eligible for emergency Medicaid regardless of status.)

Biden: Trump "wants to get rid of Social Security, he thinks there's plenty to cut in Social Security."

False . Biden went further than previous attacks to say Trump would cut the program entirely. In a March CNBC interview , Trump said of entitlement programs such as Social Security, "There’s a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting." 

However, Trump quickly walked that statement back. Also, his campaign website says that not "a single penny" should be cut from Social Security, and he’s repeated similar lines in campaign rallies.

Before the 2024 campaign, Trump said about a half dozen times that he’s open to major overhauls of Social Security, including cuts and privatization.

Trump: "He wants to raise your taxes by four times. He wants to raise everybody's taxes by four times."

False . Biden proposed a tax increase of about 7% over the next decade, which is far lower than the 300% increase that former President Donald Trump claimed. (Doubling would be a 100% increase and tripling would be a 200% increase.)

About 83% of the proposed Biden tax increase would be borne by the top 1% of taxpayers, a level that starts at just under $1 million a year in income. 

Taxpayers earning up to $60,400 would see their yearly taxes decline on average, and taxpayers earning $60,400 to $107,300 would see an annual increase of $20 on average.

Biden: "I said I’d never raise the tax on anybody if you're making less than $400,000. I didn’t."

Mostly True . Biden has said repeatedly that he will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, a promise he campaigned on in 2020 .

He has not raised any individual income taxes on Americans earning less than $400,000 a year. It’s always possible that individual taxpayers could see increases because of changes in their personal circumstances.

Some corporate tax increases enacted on Biden’s watch have a small projected pass-through effect on taxpayers. Economists generally allocate a portion of the tax burden from corporate taxes to shareholders and partly to consumers, who often pay higher prices as corporations factor the higher taxes into pricing of goods and services.

The White House has told PolitiFact that Biden would let the tax cuts Trump signed in 2017 expire for wealthier taxpayers, but would not let Americans making less than $400,000 see any tax increase. 

Trump: "I gave you the largest tax cut in history."

False . When it was passed in 2017, Trump’s tax cut was, in inflation-adjusted dollars, the fourth-largest since 1940. And as a percentage of gross domestic product, it ranked seventh in history, according to figures published by the Treasury Department.

Biden: Trump said, "I don't want to go in (a World War I cemetery in France), because they're a bunch of losers and suckers." 

Trump called this a "made-up quote." Both statements need context.

A September 2020 article in The Atlantic cited unnamed sources as saying that Trump called Americans who died in wars "suckers" and "losers" when he canceled a trip in 2018 to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris. 

"Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers," The Atlantic reported Trump said, citing multiple unnamed sources. In a separate conversation, also according to unnamed sources, he said U.S. Marines who lost their lives in World War I’s Battle of Belleau Wood were "suckers" for getting killed.

John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, confirmed elements of The Atlantic’s story three years later in an October 2023 statement to CNN , including that Trump referred to military members who were killed or wounded as "suckers" and "losers."

But Trump has long denied these allegations.

Biden: "This is a guy who says Hitler's done some good things." 

This is a reference to a passage in a book by CNN anchor Jim Sciutto in which Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, described a conversation he had with Trump.

"He said, ‘Well, but Hitler did some good things,’" Kelly said . "I said, ‘Well, what?’ And he said, ‘Well, (Adolf Hitler) rebuilt the economy.’"

According to the book, Kelly also told Sciutto that Hitler had the "loyalty" of his senior staff, unlike Trump.

There is no independent verification of this conversation. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told CNN in March that Kelly suffered from "a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," but didn’t address the specific allegations. 

Biden: Trump called Nazis protesting in the crowd in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 "very fine people."

Trump vehemently denied Biden’s characterization. Here’s what happened. In comments to reporters following violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the removal of a Confederate general’s statue, Trump said of marchers who protested the removal, "You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides." 

During back-and-forth remarks with reporters, Trump separately condemned the "neo-Nazis and the white nationalists."

"But not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me," Trump said. "Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch."

Trump also said that counterprotesters had similar makeup of "good" and "bad" people — "some fine people" and also " troublemakers" and "bad people."

Trump: "What he's done to the Black population is horrible, including the fact that for 10 years, he called them super predators … in the 1990s."

False . In a 1993 Senate floor speech, Biden, then a U.S. senator from Delaware, spoke about doing something for young people who lacked supervision, structure or opportunities. He said the country needed to focus on them, because otherwise, a portion of them would "become the predators 15 years from now."

Biden did not single out any racial or ethnic group. In a 1998 speech at an attorneys general conference, Biden also used the term "predators." He didn’t say he was talking about Black youth.

Biden: "We brought down the price (of) prescription drug(s), which is a major issue for many people, to $15 for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400."

Half True . Biden touted his efforts to reduce prescription drug costs by referring to the $35 insulin price cap his administration instituted as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But he flubbed the number during the debate, saying it was lowered to $15. In his closing statement, Biden corrected the number to $35.  

The price of insulin for Medicare enrollees starting in 2023 dropped to $35 a month, not $15. Drug pricing experts told PolitFact when we rated a similar claim that most Medicare enrollees were likely not paying a monthly average of $400 before the changes, although because costs vary depending on coverage phases and dosages, some might have paid that much in a given month.

Biden: Trump "wants to get rid of the ACA again."

Half True . In 2016, Trump campaigned on a promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. In the White House, Trump supported a failed effort to do just that. In the years since, he has repeatedly said he would dismantle the health care law in campaign stops and social media posts throughout 2023.

In March, however, Trump walked back this stance, writing on Truth Social that he "isn’t running to terminate" the ACA but to make it "better" and "less expensive." Trump hasn’t said how he would do this.

Trump: "I'm the one that got the insulin down for the seniors."

Mostly False . When he was president, Trump instituted the Part D Senior Savings Model , a program that capped insulin costs to $35 a month for some older Americans in drug plans that chose to participate. 

But because it was voluntary, 38% of all Medicare drug plans , including Medicare Advantage plans, participated in 2022, according to KFF. Trump’s voluntary plan also covered only one form of each dosage and insulin type. 

Biden points to the Inflation Reduction Act’s mandatory $35 insulin cap as a major achievement. This cap applies to all Medicare prescription plans. It also expanded the cap to all covered insulin types and dosages. Although Trump’s model was a start, it did not have the sweeping reach that Biden’s mandatory cap achieved. 

Biden: "I’m the only president this century that doesn't have any, this decade, that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did."

False . Some U.S. service members have died in combat abroad during Biden’s presidency.

In August 2021, 13 U.S. service members were killed in an attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan under Biden’s administration. No U.S. service member deaths were reported in 2022, Defense Department data shows. Full government data for U.S. active duty military deaths is not available for 2023 or 2024. This January, three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Jordan.

During Trump’s presidency, from January 2017 to January 2020, 65 U.S. service members were killed in combat, Defense Department data shows.

Trump: "We had no terror (attacks) under my administration."

False . During Trump’s presidency, there were several major terror attacks, some linked to extreme global jihadist ideology. 

In 2017, there were two separate attacks in New York City, which Trump himself acknowledged as "terrorist attacks" during his 2018 State of the Union address.

There was also a December 2019 mass shooting by a member of Saudi Arabia’s air force who was studying at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. Three U.S. service members were killed and eight were wounded by the gunman, who had expressed anti-American and anti-Israel sentiments on social media. Trump’s Attorney General William Barr described the shooting as "an act of terrorism."

Trump’s Justice Department also prosecuted several cases of domestic terrorism.

Excluding unsuccessful attacks and those for which officials doubt motive, there were 220 terror incidents in the United States of varying severity during Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2020, according to the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland, which tracks incidents of terrorism.

Trump: Regarding the 2020 election, "the fraud and everything else was ridiculous."

False . There is some fraud in every election, but it was not enough to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. And some fraudulently cast ballots involved defendants who were either registered Republicans or said that they supported Trump .

Federal and state officials , including Republicans in Georgia , said the 2020 election was legitimate. Trump’s own attorney general, William Barr, said that he had not seen fraud on a scale that would invalidate Joe Biden’s victory. 

As Trump faced reelection in 2020, he said Biden could win only if the election was rigged. Numerous investigations, court cases and reviews yielded no evidence of widespread rigging in the 2020 presidential election.

Elections are administered in thousands of local areas nationwide, each with safeguards, making any attempt to "rig" a national election highly improbable.

Trump: Pelosi said "I take full responsibility for Jan. 6."

False . That’s not what former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.

In a 41-second video taken on Jan. 6, 2021, Pelosi said, "I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more," referring to U.S. Capitol security. She did not say she took responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Records show that Pelosi approved a Jan. 6, 2021, request to seek support from the National Guard and pushed to get National Guard troops to the U.S. Capitol when their deployment was delayed by hours that day.

Biden: Presidential historians "voted who was the worst president in American history. From best to worst. They said (Trump) was the worst in all of American history."

True . The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, released in February, collected responses from 154 presidential historians, which included current and recent members of the American Political Science Association. The survey ranked Biden as the 14th best president in U.S. history, and put Trump last.

The historians were asked to give every president a score, from zero to 100. Abraham Lincoln topped the list with an average score of 95, while Biden scored an average of 62.66. Trump averaged just under 11 points.

Somehow the presidential debate turned into a fight over who’s the better golfer. Biden said he would have a driving competition with Trump and claimed he was a 6 handicap while serving as vice president.

Trump scoffed. "He can hit a ball 50 yards."

Joe Biden is currently listed with the United States Golf Association as holding a 6.7 handicap playing out of Fieldstone Golf Club in Delaware. Biden hasn’t logged a score in the system since 2018. Scores are typically self-reported, and a handicap comes from an average of the lowest 8 of the most recent 20 posted scores.

The lower the handicap you have, the better golfer you are. Ivanka Trump, for instance, is a 20.9 handicap and Eric Trump is listed as a 13.6 (without a round since 2015). Donald Trump is in the system as a member of the prestigious Winged Foot Golf Club in New York. He lists a handicap of 2.5 but hasn’t posted a score since 2021.

PolitiFact PolitiFact Executive Director Aaron Sharockman, Chief Correspondent Louis Jacobson, Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman, Staff Writers Grace Abels, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, Maria Briceño, Jeff Cercone, Madison Czopek, Marta Campabadal Graus, Ranjan Jindal, Mia Penner, Samantha Putterman, Sara Swann, Maria Ramirez Uribe, Researcher Caryn Baird, KFF Health News Senior Correspondent Julie Appleby and KFF Health News Mountain States Editor Matt Volz​ contributed to this story. 

Our debate fact-checks rely on both new and previously reported work. We link to past work whenever possible. In some cases, a fact-check rating may be different tonight than in past versions. In those cases, either details of what the candidate said, or how the candidate said it, differed enough that we evaluated it anew. 

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7 deadly sins of police report writing

Common errors that will get your report rejected by your supervisor or the courts.

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If you have been in law enforcement for any length of time, you’ve probably felt the frustration that comes from putting enormous effort into a police report, only to have your supervisor send it back for numerous corrections. Or maybe you’ve been transferred to a different squad and discovered that your new supervisor’s expectations for your reports differ from those of your old supervisors. Perhaps you’ve even shown up to court months after an incident, only to pull out your report and find that it’s missing key information the prosecutor needs to successfully try your case. Any of these events can make police report writing a frustrating and intimidating part of police work.

Much of the advice about police report writing focuses on the mechanics of writing, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure . While these areas are important in order for officers to clearly, accurately and objectively convey the facts of their case, there are bigger barriers to consistently writing effective police reports; after all, cases are not typically won or lost on the placement of a comma.

While everyone is entitled to their own writing style and grammatical pet peeves, officers and supervisors would do well to focus primarily on those elements of police reports that may bring the legality of an officer’s actions under review, cause the reader to question the officer’s investigative abilities, or jeopardize an officer’s case in court.

In my experience writing and reviewing hundreds of police reports, and in teaching both new and seasoned officers how to write better reports, I have identified seven common areas of concern – what I call the seven deadly sins of police report writing. These areas are almost certain to get your report rejected by your supervisor or to raise concerns when a prosecutor reviews your case. Each of the seven deadly sins is presented here with a brief explanation, one or more examples of how the problem may manifest itself in a police report, and examples of how you may correct the problem or avoid it altogether. Each of these examples is given with the understanding that the larger police report from which it is drawn doesn’t correct the problem through some other means.

1. Factual errors or omissions

It should go without saying that lying is unacceptable in police reports. Intentionally inventing facts or misrepresenting the truth can get you fired, sued, or prosecuted. While most officers would never blatantly lie in a police report, even unintentional factual errors or omissions can mislead readers into thinking something happened that didn’t, or something didn’t happen that should have.

In the following example, note how the uncorrected version leaves important questions unanswered. What “rights,” specifically, did the subject understand? If the author was referring to Miranda rights, was the subject ever advised of these rights?

Not this: After I detained Mr. —, he said he understood his rights. I interviewed him and he confessed to tossing the knife into a neighbor’s yard.

But this: I detained Mr. — in handcuffs. Prior to questioning him, I read him his Miranda rights from my department-issued Miranda card. During my questioning, he confessed to tossing the knife into a neighbor’s yard.

2. Insufficient legal justification

Every police-citizen encounter can be categorized in one of three ways: consensual, investigative detention (based on reasonable articulable suspicion), or arrest (based on probable cause). Anything beyond a consensual encounter requires that you provide sufficient facts to legally justify your detention, search, seizure, arrest, etc.

What type of encounter is described in the example below? Note how the corrected version of this encounter leaves little room for doubt that the officer was justified in the presentation of their weapon.

Not this: I arrived on scene and saw two subjects standing in the parking lot. I drew my gun and told the subjects to get on the ground.

But this: I arrived on scene and saw two subjects standing in the parking lot who matched the description given in the lookout. One subject was holding a machete in his right hand. Immediately upon exiting my cruiser, I drew my pistol, pointed it at the subject with the machete and commanded both subjects to lie down on the ground. They both immediately complied.

3. Incomplete or missing elements of the crime

Each crime has specific elements that must be satisfied if you are to develop sufficient probable cause for an arrest and then prove your case in court. Failing to articulate each element of the crime may also call into question the legality of your actions (see sin two). The simplest way to avoid this sin is to obtain a copy of the statute for the crime you are investigating. Highlight each element of the crime and then make sure to address each element in your police report.

In the following example, can you determine what crime was being committed? Was this a robbery or a larceny? Note how the uncorrected version doesn’t satisfy the elements of a typical robbery – there is no “force, threat, or intimidation” – whereas the corrected version makes it clear that a robbery took place.

Not this: Ms. — told me she was walking down the street when she felt her purse being tugged away from her. She yelled at the subject to stop, but he succeeded in getting her purse and then ran away down the street.

But this: Ms. — told me she was walking down the street with her purse slung over one shoulder and across her body. She said she felt someone tugging at her purse. When she turned around, she saw a male subject gripping her purse with both hands. She immediately yelled at the subject to stop and grabbed the purse with her hands. The male subject pulled more forcefully, eventually breaking the strap and causing Ms. — to fall to the ground. The suspect then fled on foot down the street.

4. Conclusory statements unsupported by facts

Conclusory statements describe conclusions you have made based on your knowledge, training and experience, such as “the subject was drunk,” or “Ms. — appeared agitated.” While these conclusions may be factually accurate, they need to be supported by objectively reasonable facts and circumstances that led you to your conclusion, and, subsequently, will lead your reader to the same conclusion.

Note how the uncorrected examples below provide only the author’s conclusion, without any factual basis. The corrected examples either present sufficient facts to allow the reader to come to the same conclusion as the officer, or they explicitly state the officer’s conclusion while also offering supporting facts.

Not this: The subject was drunk.

But this: Mr. — was unsteady on his feet and had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

Not this: The subject appeared to be having a psychotic episode.

But this: Ms. — told me she had not had anything to eat or drink for three days. Her clothing appeared dirty and soiled with human excrement. She told me that she was hearing voices telling her to harm herself. I concluded that Ms. — was in need of mental health services.

5. Telling the future

Police reports document what has happened, not what will happen. As any officer who has made lunch plans during their shift can attest, there is no shortage of circumstances waiting to ruin your plans. Because of this fact, statements like “I will collect video footage on Monday” or “I plan to interview Mr. Jones next week” become problematic in police reports. Inevitably, something will come up that prevents you from fulfilling what you have now promised to do in an official written record.

A good defense attorney will use such unfulfilled promises to impeach your credibility as a witness: “ If this part of your report is untrue, officer, what else is also untrue?” To avoid this problem, simply take the actions you intend and then document them in a follow-up, supplemental report. Keep in mind that statements like, “Ms. Brown told me she would send me the video on Monday” are acceptable because they are your record of someone’s past statement about something that will happen in the future.

Not this: I will collect video footage on Monday.

But this: Ms. — agreed to send me the video footage.

Not this: I plan to interview Mr. Jones next week.

But this: This case remains open for further investigation.

6. Passive voice

In the passive voice, the subject of your sentence receives the action of the verb: “The room was cleared by officers.” When written this way, your reader has to wait until the end of the sentence to find out who is performing the action. This makes your report wordy and slow-paced. Use the active voice to keep your writing short and snappy: “We cleared the house.” The passive voice also risks eliminating the subject of the sentence altogether: “Mr. — was arrested.” Who, exactly, performed the arrest?

In the examples below, note how the subject of the sentence is obscured or eliminated through the use of the passive voice. This can cause problems in court when it is time to determine which witnesses to call or to establish an evidentiary chain of custody.

Not this: The room was cleared by officers.

But this: I cleared the room with Officer —.

Not this: Mr. — was arrested.

But this: I arrested Mr. —.

Not this: Surveillance video was reviewed.

But this: I reviewed surveillance video.

7. Unexplained police jargon

Jargon describes words that are unique to a particular profession. Each law enforcement agency also has its share of unique terms, abbreviations and acronyms. In today’s age of information sharing and multi-jurisdictional investigations, it is important that your report is understandable by agencies other than your own, or even by the law enforcement community as a whole.

Police jargon is acceptable when it is unmistakably clear to the reader what is meant – “I conducted a search incident to arrest,” or “I double-locked the handcuffs” – but jargon becomes problematic when its meaning is vague or unclear.

Take this jargony phrase, often used to describe use-of-force encounters: “I assisted him to the ground.” The word assist implies that you helped someone do something they already intended to do, but the phrase “assisted to the ground” when used in the context of a use of force, describes exactly the opposite action. Notice how the examples below replace jargon with plain language to more clearly articulate what is meant.

Not this: I assisted him to the ground.

But this: I grabbed the subject by the right arm with both hands and pulled him to the ground.

Not this: 29s returned negative.

But this: Dispatch told me the subject was not wanted.

Not this: I made contact with the victim.

But this: I spoke to the victim.

Avoiding each of the seven deadly sins described above will help you write reports that are less likely to get rejected by your supervisor or questioned in court. Just as important, avoiding these sins will give you a solid foundation on which to build effective police reports and investigations. Although repeated grammar, spelling and punctuation errors may still reflect poorly on you as a writer, the larger problems discussed in this article threaten to tarnish your reputation as a competent police officer, which is arguably a more important issue to worry about.

NEXT: How to write organized and concise police reports