JT> VH> My point is that police officers on this echo should discuss in 
etail
JT> VH> how **in their experience** people who have been through a traumatic
JT> VH> experience WANT to talk -- even when they shouldn't.
JT> VH> In other words, help us sensitize ourselves to that after-the-fact 
urge
JT> VH> to run off at the mouth, so we know it will happen, prepare for it, 
and
JT> VH> recognize it when we feel it.
JT>It doesn't even have to be a tramatic experience.  The urge to "justify" 
one
JT>is what does you in.  Everyone is going around saying you did this, or you 
d
JT>that, and here you are, wanting to explain just what it was you DID do.
JT>If the allegations are false better to just deny them, without explaining 
wh
JT>you did do, or just keep your mouth shut.  But how to coach people on 
at?
Well, the first step is to make them AWARE.  The second step is to have
them think it through --
        "How much liability insurance do you have?"
        "Who's your lawyer?"
        "If you shot someone right now, who would you call?"
        "How much money do you have to pay them?"
        "Are you prepared to sign over your house to a lawyer in payment
        for his agreeing to defend you?"
Then, I'd try role-playing -- act it out, with one student being the
shooter, and the OTHERS coached to deliberately mis-interpret whatever
the "shooter" says.
You might simply have someone simply burst into the room, fire a blank
or two, run out, and then assign someone as the shooter -- "You just
shot that guy in self-defense.  Tell us what happened."
That should be an interesting exercise -- particularly if you
unobstrusively video-taped it.
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