In my previous post, I pointed out that lists are sometimes more efficient than long, repetitious sentences.
A recent news story from Fort Wayne, Indiana, about a local politician named Paul Ensley demonstrates how a simple list could save time. Police responded to a disturbance in Ensley’s home and found that Ensley had been struggling with a girlfriend who’d had too much to drink.
Ensley refused to give his name and threatened to have the police officer fired. (Ensley disputes this and says he has a recording to back him up.) You can read the entire report at this link.
Let’s look at one section of the report. In the first version, there’s a sentence for every detail:
ON Monday, 7-MARCH-2016 AT APPROXIMATELY 07:31 HOURS OFFICERS WERE DISPATCHED TO ST JOE CENTER RD AND ARLINGTON PKWY N CONCERNING A DOMESTIC. COMPLAINANT ( ###### ####### ) WHO WAS NOT ON THE SCENE CALLED DISPATCH. COMPLAINANT TOLD DISPATCH THERE WAS A 2 STORY OLDER FARM HOUSE WITH A CAMPER IN FRONT. COMPLAINANT TOLD DISPATCH THE HOUSE WAS JUST EAST OF ARLINGTON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE COMPLAINANT TOLD DISPATCH THE HOUSE SITS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ROAD. COMPLAINANT TOLD DISPATCH THERE WAS A FEMALE WHITE WITH LONG BLACK HAIR. THE FEMALE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS OLD. THE FEMALE WAS WEARING A ORANGE SWEATSHIRT AND BLACK SWEATPANTS. THE FEMALE RAN DOWN THE DRIVEWAY YELLING FOR HELP. THE FEMALE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HER BOYFRIEND HAD HER KEYS. THE FEMALE WAS CRYING AND UPSET. THE COMPLAINANT OFFERED TO STAND BY WITH HER. THE FEMALE ASKED THE COMPLAINANT TO LEAVE AND CALL THE POLICE FOR HER.
The version below is more efficient. Notice that the report begins with a typical narrative. A list follows, and then the report goes back to the usual narrative format.
On Monday, 7-MARCH-2016 AT APPROXIMATELY 07:31 HOURS OFFICERS WERE DISPATCHED TO ST JOE CENTER RD AND ARLINGTON PKWY N CONCERNING A DOMESTIC. [narrative]
COMPLAINANT ( ###### ####### ), WHO WAS NOT ON THE SCENE, CALLED DISPATCH. COMPLAINANT TOLD DISPATCH: [introducing a list]
– THERE WAS A 2 STORY OLDER FARM HOUSE WITH A CAMPER IN FRONT
– THE HOUSE WAS JUST EAST OF ARLINGTON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ROAD
– THERE WAS A FEMALE, WHITE WITH LONG BLACK HAIR, APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS OLD, WEARING AN ORANGE SWEATSHIRT AND BLACK SWEATPANTS
-SHE RAN DOWN THE DRIVEWAY YELLING FOR HELP
-SHE WAS CRYING AND SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HER BOYFRIEND HAD HER KEYS [list]
THE COMPLAINANT OFFERED TO STAND BY WITH HER. THE FEMALE ASKED THE COMPLAINANT TO LEAVE AND CALL THE POLICE FOR HER. [narrative]
Lists are great time savers for police reports! Do you look for places to employ lists in your reports? You should.
