Observation and Memory
Observation and Memory
Skills: Lessons
by Jim Goding
Introduction- Much of the work of Surveillance and Security officers involves these skills:
- detailed observation,
- remembering what was observed, and
- communicating what was observed.
- When on patrol—via camera, on foot, or mobile patrol—an officer needs to be able to
- observe what is happening,
- spot things that stick out, do not belong or are merely unusual,
- recognize that fact, and then
- communicate the observation to others.
- It is only by the exercise of these observation skills
- Seeing what is there
- Remembering what was seen
- Communicating what was seen
- That effective action can occur, either within the parts of the team or by teamwork between them.
- When observing activities that may lead to an undesired event
- Fight
- Theft
- Assault
- Cheating, etc.
- Security and Surveillance, working as a team, may be able to take reasonable action before it occurs. By teamwork action, undesired events can be PREVENTED. This is always much more desirable than dealing with an incident in which someone gets hurt or the casino’s assets are lost.
- Either Security, patrolling the perimeter or floor, or Surveillance, observing remotely via cameras, may be the first ones to observe questionable activities and people.
- On the basis of first observation, the security or surveillance officer should be able to
- Name the location and
- give accurate description of the subjects for both security and surveillance.
- Call for backup and have both cameras and officers looking for suspects
- And be able to accurately report the situation either over a radio or in writing
- Direct observation is the ability to see exactly what is there without making judgments or introducing information from within oneself
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Observational Memory The second skill involves being able to remember what you have observed. Without an accurate memory of events or people, you cannot<<Several pages of text have been deleted here for presentation of this article on the website.>>
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Communication- Communication of observations is the third major observational skill. It is both the most difficult and the most important. At times the guilt or innocence of someone, or even the life of another person, may rest upon your ability to describe accurately and concisely an event or a person.
- Both memory and communication of descriptions can be immensely aided by (though they do not require) standardized descriptions of people.
- One method that works very well for descriptions of people, is
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<<This lesson is a part of the materials within Casino Surveillance Operations Manual, and also a part of the Training Programs>>
Using Your Observations<<Several pages of text have been deleted here for presentation of this article on the website.>>
<<This lesson is a part of the materials within Casino Surveillance Operations Manual, and also a part of the Training Programs>>
Copyright© 2009, 2012 by Jim Goding. All rights reserved.
