Domestic Violence Scenario
This domestic violence scenario will generate a Type 3 police report because the officer
becomes part of the developing story. Use this scenario to write a report, and then
click here to compare your version to a completed report.
You were dispatched to Apt. 102 at 300 S. Parker Road at 1 a.m. on today’s date. A neighbor
called the police to report a disturbance.
You arrive, park near the lobby, and look for the apartment. After you find it, you ring the
bell. A man’s voice shouts, “Shut up and leave us alone.” You ring again and announce that
you’re a police officer. A man, Barry Chinkowski, opens the door and lets you in. You see a
woman who’s sitting on the sofa, staring at the floor.
He is very apologetic and says nothing is wrong. You ask the woman, Sally Chinkowski, if
she’s all right. She nods. You notice a bruise on her right cheek.
The man repeats that nothing is wrong and orders you to leave. He says you’re trespassing
and he will call an attorney. You call for a backup.
Eight minutes later, Officer Winifred Paltrey arrives. She takes Sally into the bedroom for
questioning. You ask Barry what happened.
He tells you they had a little disagreement about money. She made several mistakes
recording checks, and three checks bounced. The large bank fees upset him. “I may have lost
my cool,” he says.
Officer Paltrey returns from the bedroom with Sally. Paltrey says that Barry pushed Sally
against the wall and slapped her on her right cheek.
You arrest Barry and read him his Miranda rights. Officer Paltrey gives Sally a victim’s
booklet and a case number. You and Paltrey place Barry in your vehicle, and you drive him
to jail for booking.
When you’ve finished your report, compare what you’ve written to a sample report.
Domestic Violence Scenario ANSWER
Here’s how this domestic disturbance might be written as a report:
At approximately 1 a.m. on May 15, 2010, I, Officer John Doe, was dispatched to Apt. 102 at
300 S. Parker Road to investigate a disturbance reported by a neighbor.
When I rang the bell at Apt. 102, I heard a man’s voice shout, “Shut up and leave us alone.”
I rang again and announced that I was a police officer. Barry Chinkowski opened the door
and let me in. I saw a woman sitting on the sofa staring at the floor.
He told me nothing was wrong. The woman, Sally Chinkowski, nodded silently when I asked
if she was all right. She did not look at me. I saw a bruise on her right cheek.
Barry again said that nothing was wrong and told me I was trespassing and had to leave. He
said he would call an attorney. I called for a backup.
At approximately 1:32, Officer Winifred Paltrey arrived and took Sally into the bedroom for
questioning.
Barry told me they had a little disagreement about money. She made several mistakes
recording checks, and three checks bounced. The large bank fees upset him. “I may have lost
my cool,” he said.
Officer Paltrey reported her interview with Sally, who said Barry pushed her against the wall
and slapped her on her right cheek.
I arrested Barry and read him his Miranda rights. Officer Paltrey gave Sally a victim’s
booklet and a case number. Paltrey and I placed Barry in my vehicle, and I drove him to jail
for booking.
