Written Expression Clarity Basics

Written Expression Clarity Basics

Quick Answer: DCAS Written Expression items ask which sentence or memo-book entry is clearest, most objective, and most professional. Pick answers that name time, location, and action; use standard police terminology; avoid slang and opinion; and eliminate ambiguous pronouns.

What DCAS Tests

The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) measures written expression on the Police Officer entrance exam (exam numbers in the 6312–6322 series for 2026). Written expression appears as a smaller cluster among roughly 55 multiple-choice questions in the 1–2 hour sitting. You choose the best of four pre-written sentences for a memo book entry, complaint narrative, radio run, or incident note — not draft from scratch.

The skill mirrors NYPD work: officers record facts under time pressure so supervisors and prosecutors rely on the record. A vague entry like "saw guy acting weird" fails. A strong entry states who did what, where, when, and how the officer responded without editorializing.

The NYPD Documentation Mindset

Officers document through the memo book (chronological log), radio runs (standard subject description), and complaint reports (typed narratives). The rule: document observable facts, not unestablished conclusions.

Stem: Which entry best records a foot patrol observation at a Lower East Side bodega?

• Weak: "Saw guy acting weird by the bodega, told him to move."
• Strong: "Observed male loitering outside 123 Delancey St bodega; directed him to disperse at 14:35."

The strong version provides location, behavior, officer action, and time. The weak version substitutes opinion for facts.

Objectivity vs. Opinion

Examiners pair emotional descriptions with dry factual alternatives. For a stolen phone:

• Weak: "The complainant was real upset and crying about the stolen phone."
• Strong: "Complainant reported that a cellular telephone was removed from her person without permission at approximately 16:10 on Atlantic Avenue."

The strong sentence uses complainant, states the nature of the loss, and anchors time and place. Crying is not legally necessary unless the stem targets demeanor as an investigative fact.

Rule: If a detail would not change detective follow-up, omit it unless the stem requires it.

Eliminating Ambiguity

Compare firearm phrasing:

• Ambiguous: "The officer arrested the suspect with the gun."
• Clear: "The officer arrested the suspect, who was found in possession of a firearm."

"With the gun" could modify either party. Similar traps: "saw the man with the knife running" and "stopped the vehicle using excessive force." When two options are objective, choose fewer interpretive forks.

Pronoun traps: "He told him to leave" when two males are present — prefer role labels: "Officer directed subject to disperse."

Active vs. Passive Voice

Active voice clarifies actors: "I observed subject discard a package" beats "a package was seen." Passive is acceptable when the actor is unknown and the stem provides no officer action — but when your action matters, name it.

Worked Scenario: Washington Heights

Facts: At 22:18, you observe a male pacing before a closed business on Broadway near 168th Street. He cannot articulate lawful purpose. You direct him to leave.

1. "Guy pacing on Broadway, no good reason, told him to leave."
2. "At 22:18, observed male pacing in front of closed business, Broadway near W 168 St; unable to articulate lawful purpose; directed subject to leave the area."
3. "Suspicious male on Broadway — probably casing the store."
4. "Walked past Broadway, nothing special."

Option 2 wins: time, location, behavior, investigative step, officer action — without assuming intent.

Worked Scenario: Queens MV Collision

Facts: Two-vehicle collision at Northern Blvd and 61st St, 09:47. No injuries observed. Traffic directed until tow arrived.

• Weak: "Bad crash on Northern, cars messed up."
• Strong: "At 09:47, observed two-vehicle collision at Northern Boulevard and 61st Street; no injuries observed; directed traffic until tow responded."

Collision reports need intersection, time, and injury status when stem provides them.

Common DCAS Traps

Pacing on Exam Day

Expression items interleave with comprehension and ordering. Budget 45–75 seconds each: read all four options, eliminate slang and ambiguity, count facts in survivors, select, move on. They are usually faster than memory or spatial blocks when standards are automatic.

Do not rewrite options mentally — DCAS rewards selection discipline, not authorship.

Study Drill

Rewrite a news crime brief as a memo line with time, place, actor, action, and officer response. The memo version should sound dull — dull is correct on DCAS. Then convert the same facts into a one-line radio run with full subject-description fields.

Bottom line: Choose the sentence a sergeant could forward without asking who had the gun or what time it happened.