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...