Which items should be included in the objective narrative of a use-of-force incident?

Which items should be included in the objective narrative of a use-of-force incident?

• A. Opinions about the subject's character
• B. The suspect's future actions
• C. Times and locations, actions taken, witnesses, evidence collected, and chain of custody
• D. Weather conditions only

Answer: (C)

An objective narrative of a use-of-force incident is a factual, chronological record of what occurred, focusing on verifiable details. The essential elements are precise times and locations, the sequence of actions taken by all parties, who witnessed what happened, what evidence was collected, and how that evidence was handled and preserved (chain of custody). These specifics create a clear, defensible record that can be reviewed, relied on in investigations, or used in court. Opinions about the subject’s character introduce bias and do not belong in an objective narrative, so they don’t fit. Speculating about the suspect’s future actions is not part of the incident documentation since the report should describe only what happened, not what might happen later. Weather conditions, unless they directly affected the incident, are not the focus and would be ancillary at best.

An objective narrative of a use-of-force incident is a factual, chronological record of what occurred, focusing on verifiable details. The essential elements are precise times and locations, the sequence of actions taken by all parties, who witnessed what happened, what evidence was collected, and how that evidence was handled and preserved (chain of custody). These specifics create a clear, defensible record that can be reviewed, relied on in investigations, or used in court.

Opinions about the subject’s character introduce bias and do not belong in an objective narrative, so they don’t fit. Speculating about the suspect’s future actions is not part of the incident documentation since the report should describe only what happened, not what might happen later. Weather conditions, unless they directly affected the incident, are not the focus and would be ancillary at best.