North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

What is the term for a brief description of the scene communicated before the responding officer departs the vehicle?

1. Scene report

2. Windshield report

3. Incident report

4. Vehicle report

The correct answer is: Windshield report

The correct term for a brief description of the scene communicated before the responding officer departs the vehicle is referred to as a "windshield report." This term is used in law enforcement to describe the preliminary observations that an officer makes about a scene while still in their patrol vehicle. The windshield report allows officers to relay initial impressions and critical details about the situation to other responding units or dispatch. This concise report can cover aspects such as the nature of the incident, any visible hazards, and the overall status of the scene, which aids in the coordination of response efforts. In contrast to the windshield report, a scene report generally provides more detailed information after an initial assessment, while an incident report serves as a comprehensive documentation of the events, outcomes, and actions taken during an incident. A vehicle report typically pertains to information about the police vehicle itself, rather than the on-scene circumstances. Each of these other reports serves distinct purposes and contains more extensive information compared to the quick overview provided in a windshield report.