In regards to the trauma response, officers should focus on the ______ rather than the cold hard facts.

• A. Three dimensional experience
• B. Quick summary of events
• C. Verbal testimony only
• D. Statistical data

Answer: (A)

Trauma-informed policing emphasizes how the person experiences the event—the three dimensional experience: what they saw and heard, how it felt emotionally and physically, and the overall impact on them. This approach helps calm the person, build trust, and make it more likely you’ll get reliable information because they feel heard rather than interrogated. Focusing only on a quick summary, verbal testimony, or statistics misses the emotional and sensory content that shapes memory during trauma and can retraumatize or shut down the person.