Good Witnesses Are Imperative In Helping the Police …
By Chief Fred A. Maas

Recently, I came across an article that I had written more than a few years ago, (back in 1999), for the “SUN” community newspaper. I read the article and realized that it was just as true and just as relevant today as it was back then.

Often times, people will talk about a situation that happened to them or they witnessed and they will ask us, “what should I have done?” or “did I do the right thing?”

So I put together some thoughts and recommendations back then and today is it being re-printed for the benefit of anyone who might have concerns about what should they do in order to be a good witness to an incident…

Would you be a good witness if you observed a crime in progress? Difficult for many people to say until the situation occurs. Some questions you might ask yourself are: Would I get overexcited or too anxious not to recall what I saw? Would I get confused on who was wearing what clothes or what type of vehicle fled the scene? Was I quick enough to get the tag number of the vehicle, did I get it correctly, did I remember it until I could give it to the police? Did I REALLY see what I thought I SAW?

It happens so quickly, none of us really knows for sure how we will measure up. In just a few quick seconds, you may see an entire armed robbery on a street corner occur right before you realize it, before you’ve recovered from the shock of it, the crime is over, subjects and vehicle are gone, and just you and the victim are left to summon the police.

So, what should you do? First of all, never play policeman yourself. Not only is that poor judgment, you could easily become a victim yourself or become seriously injured. Many of today’s criminal strike out of sheer desperation in order to feed a drug habit and no one or nothing will stop their incessant drive to get what they need. Police officers, well trained and experienced have lost their lives confronting a relentless, crazed drug addict who is in despair.

Instead, be a “GOOD WITNESS.” First, remain calm, maintain your composure. You will see and recall things more clearly. Maintain your position, don’t move in closer and come into harm’s way. Just observe. Focus on the description of the subject, the vehicle and the tag number if you can see it. Try and be as accurate as you can. Get a mental picture so as not to forget, down the road. Many times, serious crimes do not come to trial for years, which makes recollection difficult.

If you have difficulty memorizing the tag, which many people do especially in a stressful or excited state, write it down as soon as you can or continue to repeat it aloud until you can write it. Many times, a tag number will provide the lead that detectives need to locate subjects.

There are no guarantees subjects will be caught. But at least you know you did your best as a citizen and as a caring human being. You may become a hero, a good witness, or maybe not. But more importantly you did what you could to help. Remember, property can be replaced and vehicles can be fixed but NO ONE, NO ONE, can replace a lost life. Call the police and be a GOOD WITNESS!!

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