NEW AMERICAN TRUTH: December 2007

A Safe & Aware Holiday
by: Kevin Lee Miller

Every year – about this time – police and sheriff’s agencies all over the United States start putting out public safety announcements. They do this because every year at this time the number of people going out to spend money on gifts skyrockets. The good news is that more and more people are carrying less and less cash – plastic works. The bad news is twofold:

1) The increased use of credit and debit cards results in an increased chance of identity theft and/or credit fraud, and 2) There are plenty of low-lifes who will kill you for the two bucks in your pocket or for your car full of new gifts.

Some more good news though is that it isn’t difficult to make yourself a harder target. Just like those whose profession increases their chance of being in a hostile situation, there is a philosophy of operation that anyone can use...
Survive
Evade
Resist
Escape

For most of us we can survive by evading and resisting long enough to escape. The two key components there are evade and escape. Through the use of some simple tactics / behaviors performed properly based on awareness, most potential crime situations can be avoided. Before I get into that discussion, you the reader needs to understand my defensive outlook. More importantly, you need to look inside yourself to measure and determine your own.

My own personal outlook is this: if I can, in any way, avoid the situation then I will. If I can’t avoid it then I will measure circumstances to determine my best chances and timing for resistance. I will resist as appropriate to deter or disable my assailant so that I can escape. That statement means one thing for me and something totally different for most others. What I am comfortable resisting against you may not be. What you’re willing to accept giving up, I may not be and vice-versa. My outlook is that if a thief is willing to confront me to take my property how am I to guess his intentions about my life or welfare? And if I guess wrong? Because of my outlook I would have to work on the assumption that the thief’s ultimate goal may well be my death. That belief empowers me to defend myself with fewer restraints. Whether or not that outlook works for you is something only you can decide.

Set that aside because it can be so radically different for each person. Let’s instead focus on what you can do to plan ahead, stay aware, maintain an escape plan and minimize your chance of being a victim. We’re also going to talk a little bit about mental rehearsal, setting familiarity and OODA loops as they apply.

I just imagined a few people thinking, “What’s an OODA Loop?” OODA stands for observe, orient, decide, act. It’s the human decision making cycle we all go through repeatedly each day. We observe our surroundings; we orient ourselves to what we observed; we make a decision based on the orientation and then we act on that decision.

Any criminal who is going to try to steal from you has already weighed the circumstances (observed and oriented), has decided to commit a crime and is waiting to act. Many of US, however, are nearly oblivious to our surroundings when we shop. We get so busy looking for sale signs, the shortest cashier’s line, shortest fast food line, nearest bathroom, etc that the people around us – the anonymous herds that are just as oblivious – fade into an unnoticed background.

Here’s the reality folks: only PEOPLE commit crimes. Machines don’t. Signs don’t. Food doesn’t (although it may sometimes FEEL like it does). People and setting are what we need to be aware of. People who have already decided to commit a crime and looking for a victim in an appropriate setting. To successfully not be a victim all you have to avoid is the people or the setting. So, what are you looking for?

For the setting you’re looking for either a dimly lit area or an isolated space. You’re looking for long empty hallways that lead to empty public restrooms. You’re looking for dark patches in the parking lot between your exit and your car. You’re looking for any space where a criminal could accost you with few – if any – witnesses. These are areas or settings you should avoid. If you can’t avoid them then you should attempt to time your entry into them with other people. Crowds are not typically robbed. Individuals are. If you can’t avoid them and can’t go with a crowd then make sure you stay alert and have an improvised weapon at hand if possible. That improvised weapon could be a mish-mash collection of keychains, a handheld flashlight – or even something NOT improvised like OC Spray (Pepper Mace) or a TASER civilian defense weapon.

The people you want to be aware of – as much as I’d like to say “everyone” – will display behaviors that all parents would recognize if they were performed by children. We might have a hard time putting a name on them but we’d immediately know them when we saw them. The guy who is near you more than once but is very specifically not looking at you; the guy who is nearby and looking at you but as soon as you make eye contact he turns away and is conspicuously not interested in you; the guy who is hanging out inside the mall but is dressed like he’s still outside and is hanging out within quick running distance of the door… just standing around; the guy loitering half way down that long empty hallway; the guy standing around in the parking lot between cars, but not doing anything with any of them; the guy who make quick furtive movements – like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar – when you glance his way. These are all behaviors that may be explainable but until that explanation is received the actions are suspicious and should make alarm bells go off in your head. Most especially where you see a suspicious person loitering in a risky setting, you want to avoid the combination.

With the people and setting information understood, what do you have to do to easily avoid them? Or the combination of them?

First things first: have a plan. Before you go out to do your shopping, especially if you’re familiar with the location, figure out where you’re going to park. All of us like to park close to the entrances and exits, but if you have a choice between a darker spot around a corner of the building – or one that will be dark when you’re finished shopping later in the day – then park a little farther away in an open and well lit area. Know what entrance you’re going to use and make sure you exit the same doors.

Pay attention. Again, if you become one of the focused shoppers wandering around the mall oblivious to your surroundings then you increase your risk of not seeing danger signs – even the glaring ones. Keep your head up; make eye contact with those looking at you; greet them in a friendly fashion – after all, it’s the holiday season. “Happy Holidays” applies to everyone no matter what religion they are (or aren’t). Walk with a purpose. Make sure that all your packages or parcels are held securely. Carry the heavier bag in your strong arm and be prepared to use it as a bludgeon weapon if necessary. Yes, I know: you JUST bought all the stuff in that bag and you don’t want it broken over the head of your assailant. Um, yes you do. You’d rather have it broken over his head than stolen by him. After the police are finished with taking your statement and making their report you can take all that broken property back to the stores where you bought it. In most cases the stores have the ability to return damaged products and will exchange yours at no charge – especially if you have the case number for the police report for the assault you just defeated.

Maintain an escape plan. Even as you exit the elevator in that second level parking structure, or are walking through the parking lot, or down that long hallway… think about which way to go to escape whatever threat might present itself. Elevator doors shouldn’t be allowed to close until you’ve examined the area you’re preparing to enter. THEN you can step out and move – quickly and with purpose – to your vehicle. If you have a remote then unlock the doors and pop the trunk before you get there. Minimize the amount of time you’re between exits and cars. If you’re walking down that long hallway and someone suspicious looking comes around the other corner are you prepared to turn around and go the other way? How about turning into that glass door of the management office? You have to know it’s there. That’s where being familiar with your setting comes in handy.

Finally, don’t assume that everything is okay. Trust your gut and your instincts. If you have that funny feeling at the base of your skull that something just isn’t right, then act appropriately until that funny feeling is proven right or wrong. At worst you’ll end up a little red faced and feeling slightly paranoid. At best you’ll avoid being the victim of a crime – and that will make your holiday a much more enjoyable time.

Enjoy the holidays this year. Have fun. Go out. Enjoy your friends and family. Take a few days off work. But NEVER drop your guard and become a willing victim.