What is the best way to be alert in vulnerable situations?

[ghostofmadison]

Ever since I was a crime victim (robbed at gunpoint) I have been much more aware of my surroundings. Just last week a woman was nearly killed in a botched robbery - during daylight hours - at a store parking lot where I shop frequently. Needless to say I will be avoiding that store in the future. This got me wondering though, what is the best way to stay alert? I think that awareness is 90% of staying safe - the tools (knifes, firearms, sprays) and knowledge of how to use them are far less important. If you don't see a threat coming, the odds are much lowered against your favor. Here are my thoughts, and some questions:

I believe it is neither possible nor desirable to be on 'high alert' 100% of the time - if I'm at the grocery store, inside my home, or at work in my office building, I am not constantly sizing situations up. It would drive a person crazy to do that and the odds of something happening in those situations are much lower. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware of course, because somebody could follow you out of a store, or the store could be robbed, etc. But the odds of *you* being targeted in these "inside" situations are quite low IMO.
I am on high alert any time I am in my parking garage at my apartment building, in a parking lot, on a public street, or at the park, or similar "public" spaces. I try to look behind me every now and then if my girlfriend and I are taking a walk around or block. I am wary of people jumping out of bushes or from behind cars, or stopping their car near me. The most vulnerable situations a person can be in are the "in between" places - between where you are going and where you've been, like a parking lot, stopped at a stop light, walking somewhere on the sidewalk, because this is where people can make the fastest getaways, have less cameras, and leave the fewest witness.

My questions are: what should we be looking for? Obviously bad guys can come in groups or single individuals. Should you look for certain clothing? What is "out of place" that is a clue that something bad is afoot? If somebody is milling around a parking lot that to me is out of place because people walk to cars, not hang out, in parking lots. What are other cues?

What body language do bad guys exhibit? Fumbling in pockets? Will they be staring you down or avoiding eye contact?

What are your tips for how to stay effectively aware in these public situations?

Sorry for this long rambling post, I hope my questions made sense.

[Jeff White]

This is a very hard subject to quantify. The easiest way to explain it is that everyplace has a normal rhythm and tone. You are probably already aware of what's normal for most places you frequent and don't really realize it. Once you start paying attention to what's normal, things that don't fit will jump out at you. Once you notice something or someone that doesn't fit, then key on that.

Unless you go through life oblivious to what's going on around you you probably already do this and don't realize it. For example, what visual cue do you get that tells you the car at the cross street intersection isn't going to stop for the stop sign? It's not that the driver is sending out some kind of warning that he's coming through. It's you notice he's approaching the intersection at a speed that won't permit him to stop and take action to avoid a collision without being conscious of it, your foot is moving to the brake pedal seemingly with a mind of it's own.

Apply this to anyplace you normally go. What happens when you are walking through the parking lot at the big box store or the mall and someone walks straight towards you? You notice it because we all have a little bubble around us that is our personal space and people generally move away from each other to avoid breaking that bubble. Again most of us do that unconsciously. Someone who is moving directly for you and appears to want to break your bubble is a cue that you should raise your awareness level. Now start looking for the more obvious cues as to what's up, is it a drunk wanting to bum a handout, cigarette or light? Or is it someone who wants to rob you? Either way you need to raise your awareness level. Once you start thinking about it, things and people that don't fit will jump out at you. Take notice and appropriate action.

Even if you are someplace you've never been before it shouldn't take you long to figure out what the normal ebb and flow of a new place is.

[rondog]

JMHO, but be very wary of anyone approaching you that's also swiveling his head and looking all around at the same time. If there's more than one acting like that coming towards you, be prepared to defend yourself! Anyone that's approaching and looking all around is looking for cops/danger/witnesses/cohorts/etc.

I'd also recommend using shopping carts to get your stuff to your vehicle, don't carry all your stuff in your arms. If your arms are full, you can't react quickly, you can't get your keys out, and you can't draw a weapon. With a shopping cart, your hands are clear, and you also have something to put between you and the BG.

And CARRY A GUN! On your person, where you can get to it quickly! Not in an ankle holster, not in a fanny pack, not in your car, have it where you can get it NOW!

Just my thoughts.

[dkk73]

I would recommend reading Gavin deBecker's "Gift of Fear". He gives some excellent examples of hinky behavior in the modern world, and also makes a good argument about trusting and developing your intuition. His take on guns is less in agreement with mine.

You're right to point out that it is not realistic to be on "high alert" all the time. Some times and situations demand it but attention fatigue is a real thing. I do think it is possible to develop good habits, though, without much added anxiety.

What those are will probably depend on your situation, but parking near lights or doors, checking car interiors before entering, looking around before getting off a bus, etc., all might be examples.

Just a few thoughts. Lots of stuff has been written on this, with varying degrees of paranoia. I find the insights on social behavior and how people exploit conventions to be very illuminating. The "sit with your back to the wall" stuff like I just wrote in the paragraph above is a bit more obvious to most, I think.

[psyopspec]

If you want to get semi-scientific about it, I recommend the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell. It's basically a laymen's foray into the concept of instinct, gut feelings, and training to react to different stimuli.

For practical purposes, what I do to stay alert is look at details; after all, that's what we're "on alert" for. Make a point to memorize little things around you, and see if you can recall them a few minutes, hours, or a day later. License plates, numbers of people in a given space, what they're wearing. This little exercise helps quicken your ability to get the baseline data Jeff describes above. By knowing the normal details of a place and the people that inhabit it, it becomes easier to spot that which is out of place.

Service members are given similar details to look out for overseas. As an example for Iraq and Afghanistan, if you drive by an area where children are normally out playing in droves to find that there are none there, that's often a sign that something is about to go down.

[Grey_Mana]

I recommend reading over at http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/

[android]

Another book is Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. Basically he says trust your instinct, but explains how you've been told not to do so by societal pressure. One of his main points is that you can't allow yourself to be at high alert all the time. This has the opposite result in that it blocks your natural instinct to recognize stuff that is really dangerous when it really is happening.

[android]

Originally Posted by dkk73

I would recommend reading Gavin deBecker's "Gift of Fear". He gives some excellent examples of hinky behavior in the modern world, and also makes a good argument about trusting and developing your intuition. His take on guns is less in agreement with mine.

Missed your post before, but 2nd your suggestion.

His firm provides armed security so I'd like to get more of his views on this.

For most untrained individuals, he may be right, just carrying a gun doesn't make you safer. Training and mental preparation to actually use it are required and I don't think his target audience will understand the nuances of this or will be willing to commit time at the range and dollars for training.

[Lee Lapin]

ghost,

IMHO the necessary point of departure for the things you're talking about is Jeff Cooper's little book, Principles of Personal Defense ( http://www.paladin-press.com/product/772/27 )

I also recommend the No Nonsense Self Defense site, particularly http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html , which details the five stages of violent crime.

hth,

lpl

[sidheshooter]

Seconding (thirding) both gift of fear and principles of personal defense.

As well, there are a number of authors who have attempted to codify "predatory" behavior, ie: circling, escape route glancing; Kelly McCann ("Jim Grover") and Marc MacYoung are two writers published by Paladin Press that have put out titles dealing with this topic. I personally feel that I picked up some good ideas from them. FWIW.


Here are some representative examples of their output:
http://www.paladinpress.com/category/73

On edit: If I had checked those above links out before posting, I suppose I would have merely "thirded" MacYoung... regardless, the guy remains a good source, either online, video or print...

[gyvel]

Jeff White's post makes the most sense. Bottom line is, if something doesn't look quite right to you, it doesn't hurt to be extra cautious.

[Shawn Dodson]

I pay attention when I notice that somebody seems to have an unusual amount of interest in me. Why are they checking me out and what do they want? Sometimes I'll I've very direct and ask: "Why are you looking at me?!" In most cases I can see in their reaction that their OODA Loop is resetting.

IMO, body language and how you carry yourself is very important in the way a criminal selects his victim. Having and air of command presence and confidence can deselect you as an intended victim.

I can't say I go to condition orange if they approach me, but if they do I try to put an obstacle between us (or I'll change my walking speed and/or direction to gauge their reaction), look directly into their eyes and ask, in a command voice: "Can I help you?!" Again many times I can see their OODA Loop reset as reality didn't match their expectations. If there's no obstacle, then I stop, assume a fighting-like stance, and let them approach me as I look into their eyes and ask "Can I help you!"

People and situations that seem of the ordinary get my attention.

[gyvel]

Whaddya lookin' at??? You lookin' at ME???

[NMGonzo]

Sometimes, I have my small ccw in my weak hand while in parking lots at night.

It is at the ready in the holster, hand around the grip, like casually having my weak hand in my pocket.

Car keys on strong hand.

I am scanning the distance and I walk casually to my car.

Hard to be surprised.

[Water Garden]

I try not to over intellictualize basic processes.

These thing basically boil down to: A persons desire and willingness to pay attn to what is happening around them.

Most people are not trying to pay attn to what is happening around them. They are going about their task at hand and only process information that they gain from casual or less than casual observation.

There is no jedi magic involved in being alert. We all have our own life experience that tells us what is normal behavior and what is not. The idea is to pay attn, listen to your gut instinct and not dismiss activity that could be indicitive of danger.

The bottom line is that if you are trying to be alert to your surroundings, you are well ahead of most people.

[ozarkgunner]

I have no formal tactical training but I do follow a few rules I have set for my self,while I am out and about. To begin with I dont trust anybody right off the bat. I never give anyone the "benefit of the doubt" to begin with. When ever I'm driving some where I always keep an eye on the surrounding area to know where the quickest egress is. When I am pulling into a parking lot, especially a packed one, I make a note of anyone else there. Either sitting in a vehicle or standing by a car, seemingly with nothing to do. I make a strait line down the parking lot, not cutting thru cars and rows, and strait to the store/mall/ whatever. Same thing on the way out.
Always have my hand either on my tactical folding pocket knife, or with in quick access to my CC 9mm. If I notice some in the lot that seems to be paying particular attention and me and my family, I make direct eye contact. To let them know I am aware of their presence. I also make it obvious that my hand is on or ready to go for something that is out of site.
I wouldn't take anything that anybody here says as gospel, but simply as advice. I would hate to here that someone took some advice, from me especially, and the situation did not work out well. For what ever reason.
Here are the basic rules I try to always follow.
1. Always know the reputation of the area you are going to or in.
2. Always be aware of your surroundings: buildings, cars, people, etc.
3. Always know the quickest way out of the area, either by foot or vehicle.
4. Always go as prepared as is practicleistol, knife, mace, etc.
5. Always be prepared to draw your defensive weapon.
6. Keep yourself between your family and any possible situations(if you haave a family)
7. Keep a continuos eye on your surroundings until you are on your way, and in view of other people.

[mbt2001]

You have to SEE LARGELY, as Musashi said.

Everything is yin and yang, strength to weakness... Before an "event" the offending party will try to match your movements. It is instinctive and necessary, thus predictable and observable.

Tools are VERY important. Guns / Mace / Knife, battle axe, whatever you have but please do not forget that the most formidable weapon is the human intellect. Your willingness to draw your gun, to defend yourself is the most obvious and apparent weapon that you have. Criminals prey on the weak, the same way that a pride of lions hunts the buffalo. Sometimes drugs / desperation push a criminal to take a risk... but the point is that you have to engage their natural caution by being absolutely ready to commit to violence in defense of yourself and others.

You hear a lot of bad martial arts studios call it "confidence" but it is much more than that. I could go one but you guys will just make fun of me...

[ozarkgunner]

mbt2001, please post your response in the TJMAXX thread if you feel at least in some way that I do. And please do go on, I woould be interested to hear what you have to say