My Synopsis

The article I read “San Francisco City and County Budget Analyst Report to Board of Supervisors” explained why many cases were rejected by the District Attorney to prosecute. The reason being that the Police reports sent to the District Attorney for review had many insufficiencies and poor writing. I personally believe that the ideas summoned by the author of the article is common sense. This shouldn’t be an issue for Police officers to have. The very Police officers we hold to higher standards and expectations then the average citizen, the very Officers that we rely on for protection and order are having problems with their writing skills in result obstructs justice is unacceptable.
The purposes of a Police report regardless of its type is used to record crimes committed so when a future crime occurs that’s similar in nature can be compared and will help conclude if the same person(s) committed the same crime(s). It is also used to determine an officer’s abilities, strengths, and weaknesses in their work and how to improve. But if an Officer has writing skills that of a 8th grader then why not encourage the city to hire actual 8th graders to complete the police reports.
Part of the reason why Officers’ writing skills are that of an 8th grader is because of the minimum education requirements for recruitment. The minimum requirement was to earn a High School Diploma although some Agencies did require at least one year of college. But sadly enough after graduation some individuals still have poor writing skills. It is a “MUST” that Officers have near perfect writing skills otherwise the mission for Police Officers has failed. It delays justice for the victim(s) of crime. This should be a wake-up call for all future Police Officers. -Edwin Westbrook