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Writing a Police Report Narrative
DIRECTIONS:
1. Write a police report narrative that describes Romeo's murder of Tybalt. Your narrative should be at least one
paragraph long. Be descriptive and include only factual/objective details from
Act 3 Scene 1. Include at least
one quote from a character that is present at the time of the murder. Try to
answer the questions who (victim
and perpetrator), what happened, when, where, why, and how.
2. Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Police reports become part of the public record and may be
used in court.
3. Consider your audience. Use Standard English (not slang, police codes, or abbreviations) so that anyone
reading the report understands the meaning clearly.
Basic Format for a police report narrative:
1. Begin with a one-sentence synopsis.
On May 14, 2011, at approximately 3:45 PM, an unidentified male entered McCabe's Pub and
stole $198 from the register.
2. Provide a summary of the crime. Explain what happened in chronological order (beginning,
middle, end).
Sample police report narrative:
On May 14, 2011, at approximately 3:45 PM, an unidentified male entered McCabe's Pub and stole $198 fro
the register. McCabe's Pub was open, but there
were no customers at the time of the crime. Carol Marks, co-
owner, was cleaning tables when the suspect entered
. Marks stated, "He yelled, 'Open the register and get on
the floor!"" She did not see a weapon. After
the suspect removed all the money from the register, he ran out
front door. Ms. Marks called 9-1-1 at 3:57 PM.
She described the suspect as a "twenty-something" white m
wearing a red t-shirt, jeans, and a Yankees cap.
After you have written the narrative, use the provided checklist to be sure it is complete and correct.
• Narrative clearly states the crime/event that occurred.
• Narrative identifies the scene (time and place).
• Narrative summarizes the crime/event in chronological order (beginning, middle, end).
• Narrative is factual (objective).
• Narrative is at least one paragraph long.
• Narrative contains correct spelling, capitalization, and grammar.