# P1 Exclusive: Coffee, collegiate, or clear: which is best?



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*P1 Exclusive: Coffee, collegiate, or clear: which is best?*

*On Language, Communication, and Leadership*
with John Bowden

_The stupid dirt bag got all up in my face when I told him he was under arrest. I grabbed the ass hole and he bowed up on me. He started acting like a maniac. So, I took his feet out from under him and slam dunked his ass to the pavement. When I wrenched his arms around and cuffed him; he quit kicking and lay as still as a road kill opossum._

This is a very colorful description of an arrest; one you may have heard in the coffee locker after work or one you yourself have told on occasion. It makes for good entertainment and evokes the imagination when it's heard. I think we can all agree, that this rendition of an arrest, does not go on a police report. It is vague, ambiguous and wide open for interpretation. 
The same event could be described in an official, collegiate version as follows:

_The reporting officer proceeded to effectuate an arrest to incarcerate the listed perpetrator. The listed perpetrator became verbally abusive towards this officer, verbally enunciating negative expletives, denouncing the countenance of this officer's chosen profession. As the arresting officer proceeded to physically manipulate the perpetrator into a position conducive for the application of the arresting officer's issued, Smith & Wesson handcuffs, the perpetrator became physically resistive to the arresting officers cuffing procedure. The arresting officer clearly and loudly articulated directions for the uncooperative perpetrator to comply. The arresting officer advised the perpetrator of the negative consequences that will be brought about by resistance on the part of the perpetrator. The arresting officer was forced to resort to a take down maneuver, effectuated against the perpetrator. The perpetrator was subsequently placed in a horizontal position and subjected to a cuffing procedure, to restrain him, for the purpose of arrest and incarceration._

Now, this official version of an arrest is at least 3 times longer than the coffee locker version. It is vague, ambiguous and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It is also hard to understand.
What happened? Often times we are trying to impress people with our "creative" writing skill, instead of telling them what happened. In the process, we fail to actually say what happened. When you write a report, there should be no room for interpretation. The reader of your report should have a crystal clear picture in their mind, of what happened, when they finish reading your report. If the reader has questions about what happened, you have failed to effectively communicate.

Full Article:http://www.policeone.com/police-pro...ive-Coffee-collegiate-or-clear-which-is-best/


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