Pen and pad - The city should get digital [OT]

[Lloyd Budd]

Hi Sidney,

I do not think that you have justified why or the benefit of the city 
going digital.  The writing process is unlikely responsible for the 
amount of time required.

Ironically, I also witnessed an accident the other day.  It was cold 
and late at night, and the process for an instant event took ~ 1hr.

On 16-Feb-04, at 8:27, Sidney Shapiro wrote:

> First, always have a camera next to the phone; a picture is worth a 
> thousand words.
Or a camera in your phone ;-)


> Secondly, try to get as much detail as possible and then condense it 
> into a couple of sentences if it is going to be dictated in the old 
> fashion manner.
What you are proposing is dangerous.  Most witness accounts are "bad".  
As you wrote, the event occurred very quickly.  The human mind is not 
good at identify all relevant details in a sequence that they are not 
familiar with -- a procedure programmer's  may be the exception.  Our 
minds are intuitive, and like to fill in details.  Most witness 
accounts are poor.

I am not an expert, but I know the following considerations are of 
value:
1. discuss the events as little as possible , otherwise there is a 
tendency for unintentional collaboration
2. when your mind is ready , and as new details come to the surface , 
record what you witnessed , in as verbose and exact language as 
possible
* focus on what you are certain of , and make sure what you not sure of 
, is represented in that manner.  Identify what assumptions you are 
making and conclusions you are reaching.
*** do not be pressured into answering questions, or filling in details 
.  You are normal and it is not your fault if you are not certain on 
details.  Make sure that your statement accurately reflects your 
confidence in the data.
* it can take weeks for details to surface

I think I was the only "witness", although there were many people that 
witnessed the event :-(

Thinking on the topic I cannot see the benefits of going digital 
outweighing the costs at this time, relative to our issues.  Police are 
quite digital.  Many cop cars seem to be equipped with laptops.


Cheers,
Lloyd D Budd

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