What are the witness responsibilities of a 911 caller?

The police may come up to talk to you in person. I sure hope that guy is ok! Good for you for calling it in.

Yeah, they will probably talk to you, but that will probably be all. :)

Also – has anyone been in this situation? What happened? I really wasn’t able to see much, and I think I was the second or third 911 caller because there was emergency response within seconds of me giving the address.

I am a former Private Investigator and I can say that as a witness, you are not to leave the scene until help arrives or your life is in danger. You are a witness and therefore need to help the authorities with info, was it a heart attack, hit by car, bat or shot etc… your information is the most important piece of the puzzel they need to solve the crime or save a life.

You speak on behalf of the victim. Wouldn’t you want someone to do that for you if it ever happened?

@paulhalonen: I wasn’t saying I didn’t want to help, I just wanted to know what the most probable outcome would be. I didn’t leave the scene either; I saw this happen from my 6th floor window, called from that spot, and I have stayed here. Being on the sixth floor, I didn’t see any detail of faces, license numbers, etc. I gave all the information I had to the 911 operator (basic description of the attackers and the car they drove off in, what direction they left in), but that’s really all I have. I can’t give much more, but if I could, I certainly would.

I’ve called 911 on others, I think three times.
Once I was spoken to about what I saw, the other two times I was thanked and sent on my merry way.

Yes, but you are still an important witness in helping them. you said an aluminum bat. That may be enough to solve the crime.
You did the right thing and if they call, you may tell them that you want to remain anonymous for your own safety.

You observed and reported exactly as you observed it and not given false information in case 1 or 2 other people give a diferant story.

One aluminum bat being seen usually doesn’t solve the crime, finding the bat does.
Tits, love, chill. :)

You probably won’t have to do anything at all. :)

@asmonet I almost didn’t recognize you, without your puffy, towel wrapped head. ;-) How’s your mouf doin’?

Face good! I suddenly feel way better. I can yawn properly again!
I felt the need to be a pretty pretty Stormtrooper.

You would be amazed at what can solve a crime.

@paulhalonen It’s so true! That’s why i love watching forensic files so much!

I was making a point that you were taking it all very seriously as though seeing something from 60ft+ away is going to make her the key witness. By her own admission, she doesn’t think she was the only one who saw anything. Chances are, she won’t be bothered.

Left handed swing, right handed or the angle could give height of the person etc.. to narrow down suspects.

@paulhalonen: I’m not arguing with you! I just wanted to see what had happened to others in this situation. If I am contacted (I gave name and phone number), I will give the most detailed description possible, but honestly, I was on the SIXTH FLOOR. I have no idea what direction the guy swung from.

Dude, I get it. You’re the genius of crime.
I know all about that, point is, it’s not very likely she will be called upon to do almost anything.

And what makes you think I would falsify information? That’s kinda a rude assumption.

@TitsMcGhee: Exactly, girly, you’re set. Don’t worry about it, put it out of your mind. The most you’ll have to do is probably chat with someone at your door or on the phone.

As an experienced court witness, I can tell you to write it down and give that as your only evidence since being cross examined sucks and if your testimony is slightly diferant than the first it will be thrown out and could guarantee those ppl who did the crime will go home scott free. Sign and date your notes and enitial mistakes with one line through it. (A must) or it won’t be accepted.

I semi-agree with Paul. I would write down everything you remember and then put it in a safe place. Date and sign it. If they come back to talk to you later, you can pull out your notes and say “I wrote everything I saw, here it is.” If they never do, then don’t worry about it. But this way you don’t have to be concerned with remembering details in case they just happen to drop by.

hide the pot

UPDATE: Turns out the victim died as a result of the attack. Does this change anything? Should I go to the police or wait for them to contact me if they need to? Like I said before, I couldn’t recognize any faces or distinguishing features, I didn’t see any license plate information or anything, and I only saw the tail end of the attack. I’ve also watched entirely too much Law and Order, and I’m nervous about things. Help?

My advice remains the same. If you feel strongly about it, you could call the police and tell them you wrote everything you remembered down (if you did), but otherwise, my advice remains the same. They can get in touch if they need you.

Oh that’s so sad! I’m with EP, here. Follow her advice.

I’m with EmpressPixie as well. It is unfortunate, but the less you deal with the System, the better off you are.

Because of the severity, I agree. Write it down, call the station and ask if they want it.