While individual police departments may have their own requirements, the report-writing procedure is fairly standard. All departments should adhere to the guidelines set by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the handbook for its Unified Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Look for writing courses that teach UCR principles and include instruction on compliance with public records law. Lessons should also cover the wide variety of different incidents an officer might encounter.
Community colleges sometimes provide police report writing courses, particularly if they offer degrees in criminal law or criminal procedure. Career training centers may also offer these courses.
The convenience of online courses may suit you. Some online courses require that you attend an orientation class scheduled at a specific time; others may only require you to finish a course during a set time period. Course time can run from as little as eight hours to several classes presented over a number of weeks.
You can also improve your police report writing skills via self-study. Lessons are available in a variety of formats including textbooks, CDs, DVDs and even podcasts. One of the drawbacks of self-study courses is that they may not include any grading of your work so you will have no credential that can be added to your resume.