How reliable are your memories [looking for a link]

[Panoply_Prefect]

Hi!

Awhile back I stumbled upon a link to a page that dealt with how law officers (or possibly FBI agents) were taught to take notes immediately after an event and to stick to them when working. All because memories are unreliable.

Now I can't seem to find the link. Does anyone know what page I'm talking about?

[ElMondoHummus]

Not at all, I'm afraid. I don't even recall that as a digression in one of the threads here, although there are definintely a ton of posts I've never read.

[rjh01]

Maybe your memory was not right. Is it this one?

SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWING

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?postid=2160485#post2160485

[Panoply_Prefect]

Maybe your memory was not right. Is it this one?



http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?postid=2160485#post2160485

Great resource! It wasn't exactly what I was thinking of, but it pretty much covers the same, tnx!

I'll google on for the other one.


EDIT: And found it (http://books.google.se/books?id=ACvKLsGmPegC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=training+officers+memories+notes&source=bl&ots=BfKQUNjrRF&sig=07Iq83_gMULCCNr-GLiVKV1Fwrk&hl=sv&ei=3VXHS_eZDYmoOIjwzMYM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false)! Wasn't law officers though, but "Protection Officers"...

[sheeplesnshills]

Great resource! It wasn't exactly what I was thinking of, but it pretty much covers the same, tnx!

I'll google on for the other one.


EDIT: And found it (http://books.google.se/books?id=ACvKLsGmPegC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=training+officers+memories+notes&source=bl&ots=BfKQUNjrRF&sig=07Iq83_gMULCCNr-GLiVKV1Fwrk&hl=sv&ei=3VXHS_eZDYmoOIjwzMYM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false)! Wasn't law officers though, but "Protection Officers"...

on the subject..........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8617945.stm

[Bell]

That's all great and stuff, but not much of a help when real investigooglers can use YouTube eight years later and find a bus hit the World Trade Center (or something along those lines).

Lot good those note taking skills do you now, eh?

[Oystein]

About three years ago, I was witness to a minor accident: As I entered a hightway (GerMan Autobahn, 2 northbound lanes, unlimted speed), a medium sized freight truck pulled from right to left lane without noticing a car approaching from behind at high speed. That car was forced to steer dangerously close to the central barrier as it braked hard, and found itself for some moments half on the green, tucked between truck and barrier, until it managed to fall behind the truck, losing a side mirror and sustaining scratches on both sides. Obviously, the truck driver was liable for these damages.

I stayed behind the two vehicles for some minutes, taking note of the licence plate numbers, while the car driver made several unsuccessful attempts to get the truck driver's attention. Eventually, I passed the truck, took a glimps at the driver trying to read his state of mind, which seemed totally untroubled, and then proceded to catch the victim's attention, signalling that I had seen the incident. We let the truck go and stopped at the next exit, exchanging mobile numbers and names.

I was home about 15 minutes later and immediately sat down to write up in minute detail what I had seen. Save for one detail...

A little while later, I received mail from police, asking me to mail in testimony. I printed out my notes and sent them off.

A little while later still, I was asked in writing to show up at a police department a little out of the way, which inconvenienced me a little, but of course I went there. Turns out, they did not have my testimony on file... Stupid me had forgotten to bring a copy, so I retold from memory.

Months later, I was subpoenaed to testify in court on the same matter. This time I came prepared, but was asked several questions which I could not have answered had they interviewed me live during the event, like "how fast was the car going when trouble started?". I mean, hey, I never know how fast another car is going - sure, I can estimate, but I practically never get feedback if I am even close. Or: How far was the car away the moment the truck started pulling over. What the...?!?!? How am I supposed to estimate that in meters? It's a totally dynamic situation! The best I can do is assess it all using my sensory experiences and say, on my own competence and without numerical data, that the car driver had no chance to avoid the collision, because he was too close, too fast.

Trying to come up with answers, I found myself mentally re-enacting the scene, and filling details from - well - memory? Or more likely imagination? Pretty soon I was not sure at all if my memory was actually and only that of the real scene, or how much I had added to it in the meantime. Only my notes seemed reliable.

But the biggest bummer is: The defendant did not look at all like the guy I thought I remembered from that short moment when I had determined on the Autobahn he was happily in lala-land. Wrong hair, wrong face, wrong shoulders... But I was so unsure about this! I decided not to tell the court about this, unless somebody asked me to identify the defendant, which nobody did. My assumption is: The real driver had no license or already several convictions against him, and to protect him, the company sent a nice guy and payed the fine and damages.

[I Ratant]

I was involved in a similar situation with a fatal traffic accident, and made a deposition to the city within a week at their request.
Some time later the incident became subject to a law suit, and I received at least one phone call from a lawyer... didn't tell me anything as to why he was calling, and asked to discuss the incident.
I told him all I could speak for was the information in the deposition, and wouldn't change or add anything to it.
He hung up, but I never heard anything more on the incident, possibly settled out of court as the subpeona I received was never followed up on.
I do have fond memories of riding my balloon tired 26 inch bike from Wurzburg to Giebelstadt, almost 60 years ago.... that is, until I googled that trip recently and no way could I have ridden that bike that far in just a couple hours.
The mind forgets and improves incidents with age.