Articulation in the Aftermath

[Rob Pincus]

In response to a question at Facebook about the value of memorizing what to say After a Shooting, based on the content of yesterday's episode, I offered this:

I think that coming up with a system for remembering what you are supposed to say would be a good idea... Maybe: FTEW..... Fear, Threat, Evidence, Witnesses.... Those are the key things to articulate. You were in fear, XXX was the threat, THERE is the evidence and THAT guy saw the whole thing.

You can't really memorize those things, but you can commit the concepts to memory so that you are checking them off the list when you speak to LE.

-RJP

[Walkeraviator]

I like this idea.  Similar to your recommendation to write a script to keep by your emergency phone in the event of a breakin.  When you have adrenaline dump, there has to be some way to keep your brain running right.

[Epirider]

I agree on a card or maybe a piece of tape on your magazines with F.T.E.W. or do ingraining / WWD scenarios where you HAVE to *BEFORE* you answer or act - verbally state the F.T.E.W.

Then as you are able to rattle it off with some efficiency, start doing it when you are practicing. Have a safety officer / person that can keep you on task as you will not be focusing on either one at the same time. Not sure if this is a good idea, but that is what, I assume, this forum is about. Passing ideas around.

[alfsauve]

Having a very minor episode of adrenaline dump last month when I rear ended someone, I can say that the time spent reading about and rehearsing what to say was well spent.

After making sure my victim was okay, while waiting for the police to arrive, I went over in my mind what to say.  I did not want appear uncooperative, and still not to admit to anything more than the basic, obvious facts.  

This wasn't a shooting, I realize, but on the other hand it was a training experience.   Even something that minor the adrenaline flows and you have to work hard to think clearly and not babble on.   I can't begin to imagine how a real, major event would effect  thinking.

Point being, having given prior thought and practice as to what to say and not say, was invaluable.   I got a simple ticket and a ho-hum for the officer.   The victim retained an ambulance chaser who refused to take the case, BECAUSE, there was no record of anything but the simple facts.  Nothing to hook their teeth into.    The same would go for a grand jury or DA.

[kmitch200]

We need to come up with something like this tailored for CCW citizens (obviously more concise and not LEO oriented) :

DOJ-DEA LAW OF DEADLY FORCE
PRE-CLASS ASSIGNMENT NOTES 

HOSTILE MOVES WITH GUNS

Read here - http://blog.bennettandbennett.com/2008/10/notes-from-dea-law-of-deadly-force-class.html

Memorizing the whole thing is nuts but familiarity with certain high points could be a good thing.

[Sponsor]

[tankerdad]

I have been in locations were we used a similar, but shorter acronym.  H.A.S. (Harm, Aggressor, Surroundings).  Keep in mind this is different by more than just shortening it one letter.  The very good acronym already listed by Mr. Pincus works to focus you on very specific things.  This of course has it's own benefit in that can focus you on something during a stressful situation.  The one below is more conceptual and gets the person to look at the entire situation simultaneously.  It does not work for everyone.

Harm: You can show someone is trying to do physical harm to you or a someone else. It was done this way because fear can translate quickly into "scared" which is no reason to engage.  You had to show there was imminent harm involved (almost always life threatening harm).

Aggressor: This is more than "there he is."  We needed to be able to articulate why he/she was the aggressor.  What did we see or what happened to positively identify (PID) the individual as the aggressor that intended to inflict the harm.  This included words, actions and/or weapons.

Surroundings: We were taught this so we looked more than 10 feet around us.  In most scenarios that are given, a witness is standing right next to you.  In reality that probably won't be true.  We were taught to scan out very quickly to surrounding building (including upper level floor windows), across the street, down the street, etc to see if anyone is around.  Not only for other possible threats, but for anyone that saw what occurred.

Again, it attacks the same endstate, but utilizing a more conceptual approach with fewer letters, rather than listing things out.  I bring it out because it depends on how your mind works.  I work much better with concepts rather than memorizing specific lists or a checklist.  But that's just me.

tankerdad