HOW TO BE A GOOD WITNESS

At some point in your life you WILL become a witness.  You ability to be a good witness could make the difference in whether a crime is solved or a case that goes unsolved for days, weeks or years.

There are a variety of incidences and or crimes that may require you to be a witness.  These can range from a simple car accident to robbery, an assault or worse, murder.

Things to remember if you ever need to give statements about a person to the police.

• Gender and race of suspect
• Approximate age, weight and height of suspect
• Clothing worn by suspect
• Length and color of suspect’s hair
• Any unusual marks, scars, tattoos, jewelry, hat worn, glasses, etc
• Last direction of travel of suspect, either on foot or traveling by motor vehicle, vehicle license No., Make/Model and Color

What To Do After Witnessing a Violent Crime or Accident
There are certain measures that a witness should take immediately following the crime, accident or other incident that they've witnessed:

• Immediately call 911 - The more time that elapses after a crime occurs, the less likely it is that the crime will be solved. Don't wait to call police; call immediately and provide them with whatever information you have on the crime or accident that you witnessed.

• Write down what you remember - Immediately following the crime or accident, write down each and every detail that you can remember. Don't wait for the police to arrive; start recording what you've witnessed immediately because memories can fade significantly in a matter of just a couple of minutes. If you don't have a pen and paper, call your cell phone's voicemail (or the voicemail of a friend or family member) and record as many details as you can recall.

•  Don't talk to other witnesses - Witnesses to a crime, accident or other incident can easily become "contaminated" by speaking to other witnesses thanks to the power of suggestion. 

Many witnesses don't realize the importance of their actions following a crime or car accident. Waiting just two minutes to call police gives a suspect valuable lead time that makes it exponentially less likely that the crime will be solved.  Time is valuable, don't waste it.

If you ever find yourself a witness to an accident or crime, remember these tips, it could be of great value to the police and any investigators assisting on the case.

Until next time...

The ABC’s of Avoiding a Situation

Avoid it in the first place (WARRIOR training)
Breathe – it helps you to remain calm
Communicate w/ confidence
Don’t make the situation worse
Environment & Exit – be aware of where they are 
Fire – use a trigger word that gets attention
Get away at the first opportunity
Hit hard, Hit fast, Hit first


5 Fingers of Self Defense

• 1. Think – assess the situation
• 2. Yell – “Back Off!” “Leave me alone!”
• 3. Run – decide to stay or leave
• 4. Fight – aim to disable your assailant
• 5. Tell – Get help

 Vulnerable Areas

• Eyes – strike, poke, rake (w/keys)
• Nose – palm strike, hammer fist
• Ears – cupped palm strike
• Throat – side hammer fist, elbow, jab
• Chin – palm strike, elbow
• Groin – hammer fist, knee, grab
• Knee – stomp, kick
• Instep - stomp

These are just some of the moves you will learn in the new WARRIOR 101 Class.
 
WARRIOR Self Defense 101
This class is open to any woman 12 years and older.  All the pertinent information will be posted on the WSA website in a few days.  This will be a 4 hour class, you will learn how to fight with what you have where you are, utilizing your entire body.  Fight like a girl and be proud of it!