Within the Trenches - How Aware Are You?
awarenessTest
Hello folks, I hope you're having a good Sunday so far. I had an interesting conversation with my co-workers that I would like to share. I want to see what you think and test how aware you are. First off, the conversation started with the people we talk to and the descriptions they give for suspects, vehicles, etc. The descriptions are good but they are almost always different. Now, don't get me wrong here. I am in no way complaining about this because it's always good when someone calls and gives us information for our officers. The point is that we all miss what we are not looking for. Does that make sense? If not let me give you an example. Back when I started my dispatching career in Florida I was sent to a week long training class. We were talking about the awareness of our callers and as he spoke someone entered the room. The guy handed something to the instructor and walked around the room and then left. The instructor continued to talk, "It's funny how much we miss when we are not looking for something specific. For example class, what was this guy wearing when he came in?"
Um...what? That's exactly what was running through my head. I glanced at the guy but I wasn't paying that much attention to him. Why should I? The instructor chuckled at us so I'm sure we all had a puzzled look on our faces. He asked each one of us what we thought he was wearing and every description was different. The instructor then showed us what the guy gave him. He held it up and it turned out to be a picture of the guy. He had taken a picture of himself before walking into the room and gave it to the instructor. We had a good laugh but it definitely proved his point. We miss what we are not looking for. So my fellow Jabber Loggers...how aware are you? I shared this story with my team since it dealt with the topic at the time. I also showed them a video. I have provided the same video below for your viewing pleasure and to test you. Some of you may have watched this before but if not, make sure to pay close attention and then comment. And by the way, this is not one of those stupid videos where a zombie jumps out so no worries. Good luck folks, cheers!