What if there is a mistake on my police report? You want to know the answer because you’ve spotted an error while going over the information with your attorney. Here’s what to do about a law enforcement mistake that could mean the difference between your acquittal and a prison sentence.
Yes, the police do make honest mistakes
Police officers generally do their best to write accurate police reports. However, like the rest of us, they do make mistakes. Typical mistakes involve (1) factual, (2) transcription, and (3) disputed information.
An example of a factual mistake in a police report is when the wrong address of the location where the crime took place appears in the document.
A transcription mistake occurs when the report doesn’t include relevant information about the crime. An excellent example of a transcription mistake is the report neglecting to mention that an eyewitness to the crime told the police that they believed the perpetrator was their next-door neighbor.
Something is disputed information if the police report states a judgment call as a fact. These sorts of mistakes are tricky to challenge because they rest on the police officer’s perception of the event. An example of disputed information is the police officer stating that you were driving too fast for the icy road conditions.
Given that the police do indeed make mistakes on their reports, how can you fix one before it results in you going to prison?
How to fix a mistake on your police report
The first step in correcting an inaccurate description is finding the error in the first place. Make sure that you go over every facet of the police report with your attorney. If there is an error in the police officer’s account, some helpful things to do include
- Contact the police officer to discuss the mistake. Keep calm during the talk because you’re unlikely to see a change in the report if you are hostile.
- Provide any paperwork that backs up your version of the facts.
- Ask if you can attach a written amendment to the police report.
Don’t worry if you can’t imagine yourself doing any of the above steps. It’s your defense attorney’s job to challenge any mistakes in the report that hurt your case.
Lastly, being in trouble with the law is stressful. It’s normal to wake up at night worrying about “what if there is a mistake on my police report?”. The answer is that you’ll have time to examine every line of the police report and voice your opinion of the information contained in it.
Contact us at Gibson Bail Bonds, and we’ll help bond you out of jail in Harrisburg, PA as fast as possible.
