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Problem Words in Police Reports

Heres a list of everyday words that often cause problems in police

reports. (Its a good idea to personalize this list by adding additional words
that tend to trip you up.)
After youve written a report, look for these problem words and check
them for correctness. You can download and print a handy Police Report
Checklist at bit.ly/PoliceReportChecklist.

Advice/Advise
Advice is a noun (a thing). Advise is an action. Do not use advise when
you mean tell.
I often asked Sergeant Jones for advice when I was new to the force.
I would advise you to get medical attention for those bruises.
Clifton advised told me that a diamond necklace was missing from her jewelry box.
A lot
In the United States, a lot is always two words.
Break/Brake
Break means shatter or separate; brake refers to stopping and the
pedal in a car.
I had to break my appointment to talk with the mayor.
The brake pedal doesn't feel right.
Breath/Breathe
Breath is a noun (a thing). Breathe is an action.
I smelled an alcoholic beverage on his breath.
The medic asked her to breathe deeply while he listened to her lungs.
It's/Its
Its is a possessive word (like his)no apostrophe. It's means it is. The
apostrophe replaces the missing i. Never put an apostrophe after its: its'.
Her patrol car is overdue for its oil change.
I have to hurry because it's almost time for our meeting.

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Lose/Loose
Loose means not tight. Lose means misplace.
When he realized he was going to lose the argument, Felder hit his wife.
Carr was afraid he would lose the money, so he left it in a bureau at home.
Of/Have
Dont substitute of for have when you need a helping verb.
Mattson could of have left through the bedroom window.
Passed/Past
Passed is an action that already happened. Past is an adjective referring
to a previous time. Be careful not to write pasted (glued) when you mean
passed.
Karen said she passed out after taking a few sips of the cocktail.
In the past, officers wrote their reports by hand or on a typewriter.
Principal/Principle
A principal is the head of a school; principal is also money that was
borrowed or invested, and its can mean important. A principle is a truth,
rule, or law. (Notice that principle and rule both end in le.)
The principal wants to expand the D.A.R.E. program in her school.
Our principal concern is the possibility of an escape.
Weve paid back most of the principal on our loan.
Having high principles and sticking to them is vital to the criminal justice field.
Than/Then
Than is a comparison word; then is a time or consequence word.
Sometimes a dogs nose is more sensitive than our sophisticated laboratory
equipment.
If youre interested in advancement, then you should think college.
Their/There/Theyre
Their refers to ownership by two or more people. There is an adverb
similar to here. Theyre is a contraction of they are.
The burglar took all their jewelry.
Couture saw bloody footprints there and called 911.
There are two witnesses waiting to be interviewed about the incident.
Theyre all in agreement about what happened.

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To/Too/Two
To indicates direction or purpose. Too means excessive or also. Two
is a number.
Im going to the evidence room to submit fingerprints for analysis.
Chen and Wu said they were too frightened to call police.
Horvat is interested in a criminal career too.
I spent two hours searching the database for information about Kovacs business
practices.
Woman/Women
Woman is singular. Women is plural.
A woman is waiting to talk to Chief Hayes.
Thirty women signed up for next months standards class.
Your/Youre
Your means belonging to you. Youre is a contraction of you are.
Im impressed with the thoroughness of your report.
If youre busy, Ill come back tomorrow.

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