Reporting

The purpose of this process is to obtain as much detail as possible before your memory may be potentially compromised by delay or suggestion. Please understand that no part of this process is meant as a judgement of you or your information. It is a way to document your memories soon after an event, so that the history of your recall can be established.

This report will only be given out again with your consent.

The benefits are:

The goal is to allow you to provide information high in quantity and quality without causing you harm. Should you wish to have a support person with you during the process, please do so as long as the person you choose is not a witness, and does not influence in any way what you write down.

The following information should help you. It is meant to help your memory while allowing you the control to say whatever you want to say, however you want to say it.

Please go to a place that is free of distractions and take a few moments to think about what happened. Take yourself back to what you were doing and how you were feeling. Try to replay the events in your mind in whatever order you recall it. Memory can be messy and disorganized, so perfection is not expected. Close your eyes if it helps you focus.

Once you have completed the mental re-enactment, take your time and write down everything that happened, even if it doesn’t seem important to you [Type it in the box below named “Request for Detailed Account”]. Write down what happened in as much detail as possible. Take your time as rushing won’t help your recall.

Please only write what you know happened and do not guess. It’s okay if you don’t remember parts. If you do mention something you did not observe yourself, it would be important to include the source of that information (TV, another person).

Focus and work hard while doing this as it will help your memory. The harder you work, the more information you will recall. The more detail you write, the more value this process will be if you need to rely on it later.

Suggestions to Enhance Your Recall

Use the acronym APLOT to help you remember important topics

• A– Actions & Conversations. Describe them in such detail that whoever eventually reads this would know precisely what happened. Use quotes if possible.
• P– People. All the people involved in any way.
• L– Location. All the locations you recall.
• O– Objects. Mention and describe all items you recall.
• T– Times. Start, finish, and duration. What happened before and after.

Think of all your senses as this might enhance your memory recall. Remember that vision and hearing are only two of our five senses. Work hard and think of smell, touch and taste as well. Take yourself back and try to remember your thoughts and feelings, as this may also cue your memory, particularly when explaining your own decisions and actions.

Model Interview to illustrate the level of detail requested

Please read the following two accounts of an unrelated event. The first version will lack detail, but the second will have the quantity and quality of detail asked for in this process:

Version lacking detail:

Earlier this week, I took my dogs to a park in Langley. After they both went in the water we went home and had a nap.

Detailed version:

On Monday, which was May 10th, at about ten in the morning, I drove to Derby Reach Park in Langley to walk my two dogs Murphy and Frankie. Murphy is a Boston Terrier crossed with a French Bulldog. That’s called a Frenchton. He is six years old and is brown and white. Frankie is a cross between a Boston Terrier and a Pug. That’s called a Bug. He’s five. He’s a black and grey brindle colour. We went in my grey Honda CRV and took the Golden Ears Bridge route as its the fastest. When we got there, I parked in the gravel, overflow lot. I put life jackets on both dogs, Murphy’s is red and Frankie’s is orange and attached their leash. We walked along a paved path and went through a gate into the off-leash part. The gate was rusty, so I had to pull hard to open it. It made a horrible squeaking noise, like fingernails on a blackboard. Murphy ran quickly to the river and dove into the water. Frankie walked over and waded in but wouldn’t go any further than knee-deep. I threw a ball about 25 feet, and Murphy swam out and brought it back to me. A tugboat went by close to the shore and I could smell the diesel fumes. After about 20 minutes, I wanted to leave, but Murphy wouldn’t get out of the river. I yelled, “Murphy, come!”, and he instantly swam to the shore. I told him, “Good boy, thanks for listening”. I put the leashes back on, and we all walked back to the car. Once they were in the back seat, I gave them each a treat and we drove home. The dogs played together during the drive and made so much noise I had to turn up the radio to hear the music. On the way, I forgot to mention that I had brought a thermos of coffee with me. I took a swig of it and it was cold and tasted stale. We got to the house at about noon. We went in the front door and I removed their collars. They ran to their bowl and had a long drink of water. Knowing that they had ingested a lot of water that morning, I thought it best to take them out for a pee in the back yard. Then, we laid on the couch and had a nap together for about 20 minutes.

Sketch

Prior to starting the written statement, take the time to draw a sketch of what happened. Please be as detailed as possible and label everything you add as this exercise may aid your recall for the written part that will follow. Your drawing skills and artistic abilities will not be judged. Retain the original sketch in a secure location as it may be required should the matter go to court.

Your Report