For Leaders Only

When police administrators get together for meetings and conferences, writing is always a hot topic. You hear the same question again and again: how can we raise the quality of our agencies’ police reports?

But there’s another group of criminal justice professionals who would like to improve their own writing but may not know how to go about it. They are the administrators themselves. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have advanced writing skills?

Of course the problem is time. If you hold a leadership position, you’re unlikely to find the leisure to work your way through an advanced writing program. At least that’s what many administrators have told me.

My point is that you do have the time to improve your writing skills. And there’s more good news: the resources you need are all around you. (Although I’m addressing administrators here, I’m hoping that future leaders will read this article too.)

Here’s an important fact about English that’s often overlooked: we all live in a world of words. We hear and read sentences all the time. By simply noticing how people talk and write, you can expand your skills and become the writer you want to be. No grammar gobbledygook is necessary: curiosity is the key.

I’m going to start you off with two highly useful sentence patterns that you can learn in just a couple of minutes.

1. Semicolons

The best-kept secret in English studies is that semicolons are incredibly easy to use.

Here’s how to do it: Write two simple sentences. Change the first period to a semicolon. Lower-case the next word unless it needs a capital letter. That’s it!

Below are two sentence pairs. The first sentence in each pair uses a period; the second one uses a semicolon. (Did you notice that I just used a semicolon? Easy, isn’t it?)

Officer Baptiste saw smoke coming from the window. She called 911.
Officer Baptiste saw smoke coming from the window; she called 911.

I heard a dog whining. Fido was trapped in a garden shed.
I heard a dog whining; Fido was trapped in a garden shed.

You now have a master’s degree in semicolons! They’re so powerful that you don’t have to use them often—one per page usually works well.

2. Let your “voice” help you write effective sentences.

Here’s an example from the Mission Impossible television show:

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to intercept the weapons shipment.”

Read the sentence aloud, noticing two things: your voice goes down at the first comma, and it comes back up at the second comma. Repeat as needed.

You now have a master’s degree in nonessential clauses! They’re so easy that you don’t need any grammar gobbledygook. Just pay attention to the ups and downs of your voice. Because you have a lifetime of language experience, your brain already knows what to do.

When you start listening for that voice-down and voice-up pattern, you’ll hear it constantly: everybody uses it. Make a conscious effort to use that pattern yourself at home, at work—everywhere you go.

Then start using it in your own writing. Trust me (and your voice!): it’s foolproof.

Here are three sentences you can use as models:

Halloween, a favorite day for pranks, keeps us busy on October 31.

Uncle John, who was a police officer back in the 1990s, says law enforcement has changed dramatically since then.

Polk City, a small town in Central Florida, is continuing to grow.

Here are two final pieces of advice:

3. Remind yourself often about the “world of words” we all inhabit. Start looking for particularly effective sentences. Try to figure out how they were put together. Repeat them. Imitate them.

Remember that English has been around for more than 1500 years, and it’s still as strong as ever; it can handle anything you throw at it. Paying attention to that “world of words” is one of the best ways to improve your own English skills.

4. Pay attention to the grammar checker and spellchecker in your writing software. Nowadays there is no excuse for writing mistakes. None. Thanks to AI, we all have access to superb copyediting. Take advantage of it!

And there’s one more thing to remember: make a point of celebrating your progress. A positive outlook speeds up learning!