A student reads a fictional investigation involving a break-in at a small business. A witness reports seeing a person leave through a rear door. An officer arrives, observes a damaged lock, and speaks with the business owner.
The student understands the situation and can explain it aloud. Then the assignment changes:
Write a report for someone who was not there.
Suddenly, the questions get harder. Did the witness actually see the person enter the building? Did the officer observe the damaged lock, or did the owner describe it? What time did each event occur? Which details are known, and which are assumptions?
The case still makes sense in the student’s mind. The challenge is making it clear to someone else.
Understanding and explaining are different skills
Criminal justice students spend considerable time learning concepts such as evidence, probable cause, and investigative procedure. These concepts matter. Applying them in writing requires students to organize information, distinguish observations from statements, and recognize when a fact needs clarification.
Consider the sentence: “The suspect broke the lock and fled.”
Does the scenario establish that the person broke the lock? Or did the student combine a witness’s account with the officer’s observation and reach a conclusion the available facts do not yet support?
A more careful narrative would identify what each person saw and leave unanswered questions open.
A classroom opportunity
A fictional investigation gives professors a way to make this distinction visible. Students can review the same facts, write individual narratives, and compare how each person explains the incident.
An instructor might then ask:
- Which details came directly from an observation?
- Which facts came from another person’s statement?
- What information is missing?
- Could a reader unfamiliar with the case follow the sequence?
Educational research recommends connecting abstract concepts with concrete examples and asking questions that require students to explain their reasoning (Pashler et al., 2007). Applying those principles to a fictional police report offers a practical classroom exercise, although the guide does not specifically test this KLYVOREK scenario.
The exercise also connects to a recognized component of police training: Connecticut’s basic training curriculum includes instruction in note-taking and report writing (Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council, n.d.).
Practice before the stakes are real
The goal is not to expect a student’s first report to be perfect. It is to give you a chance to notice gaps, get feedback, and try again.
Because understanding a case is a beginning, making the case understandable to someone else is a skill worth practicing.
Explore a fictional scenario at KLYVOREK Institute and practice making your case.
References
Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council. (n.d.). Basic training curriculum: Goals and objectives. https://portal.ct.gov/post/-/media/post/basic_training/new–basic-training-curriculum-outline-goals-and-objectives.pdf.
Pashler, H., Bain, P. M., Bottge, B. A., Graesser, A., Koedinger, K., McDaniel, M., & Metcalfe, J. (2007). Organizing instruction and study to improve student learning. National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/1.