Sometimes being seen as vigilant is enough

Well done.

Good job.

Well played. I've also watched my fair share of suspicious characters slink off when I've made sure they've seen me see them.

I delivered pizzas off and on for thirty years. I can't count the number of times I rolled up on what was supposed to be a robbery, but figured it out beforehand and left. Sometimes, I could even see the would-be robber watching me. Not getting any calls from anyone wondering where their food was usually confirmed my suspicions.

Very good observation. Most people these days would have not reported this. It would have been too socially sensitive. I wonder if those same people would try stepping over a Rattle Snake?

While I agree with this: "Sometimes it's enough just to send the message that you are aware of your surroundings and not oblivious."

I am curious as to the relevance of the suspicious individual's race in your description. Did that make him seem more suspicious? I could understand if you are making a police report, one thing that nags me is that often when I go on calls I don't get a race in a suspect's description, and when the news media does the story, there is rarely a mention of race even if a suspect is still at large.

By all means, I am not subscribing or bowing to the gods of political correctness here, just wondering why you mention his race. In my area, we have lots of males in every ethnic group whose daily attire includes hoodies, worn up and we also have a lot of white, Asian and Hispanic robbers and thieves. It just seems that most of the young males in my region sport hoodies and seem to be loitering about ... Could he simply have been a homeless dude who stayed in the area?

^^ It may be simply that he's used to describing people as he sees them, and it didn't occur to him that he should adjust that habit if the reason for the discussion is that the individual appeared "suspicious."

I hate when I arrive at the hospital with a patient and, when I ask which nurse is receiving, I'm given a name I do not recognize. That frequently leads to a guessing game that's further compounded when someone is scared to describe her by race. I'll get "Oh, she's wearing blue scrubs and has short, black hair." Never mind that four of the six nurses working that day are wearing blue scrubs and have short, black hair. But the one I'm seeking happens to be the only one who's black.

I thought he was simply describing a person.
Racism never crossed my mind

If you live in a predominately white area and you see someone different, say black, asian or latin, you'll notice immediately. That doesn't make one a racist, just observant.
Do we have white crime, of course, but blacks and latinos drive through here and commit the majority of thefts and robberies.

Letting people know you are aware of their presence without starring them down is rarely a bad thing. It can encourage panhandlers to approach and if done incorrectly it can trigger a "whatchu lookin at" confrontation but in most cases if you let the bad guy know you are aware of their presence it usually works in your favor.

ALWAYS trust those little hairs on the back of your neck. They are seldom wrong. If they alert you and are wrong, still no harm done.

Suspicious white people frighten me as much as black or any other type of people.

mbok1947 said:

Well in response to the race issue, in my 20s and 30s I spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter specializing in crime coverage, involving 6-10 hours per night on the street and around the cops with the police radio constantly chattering. As some probably know the standard practice in law enforcement is to describe a person clearly and race, if it can be determined, is part of that description. Had I been transmitting a description to the cops I would have said "black male, approximately 25, six one or six two, about 175, gray hoodie, black pants, dark tennis shoes." For the purposes here I just noted a very brief description. And no, there was nothing unusual about a black male being in that area, which is adjacent to an apartment complex and two large hospitals. What was unusual was his demeanor and actions around a bank.

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Hey, fair enough. Just had to ask the question (having been in an interracial marriage and seen firsthand what profiling based on race looks like).

Billyzz said:

I thought he was simply describing a person.
Racism never crossed my mind

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I Agree 100%! Anyone who, when describing someone who may be or has just been a problem and does Not give race - black, white ,mexican or what ever - has given an incomplete, and therefore almost worthless description!
Sarge

mbok1947 said:

On Friday I stopped by my bank to get some weekend cash. My LCR .357 was in my coat pocket. As I pulled into the parking lot I noted a tall black male, probably in his 20s, wearing a gray hoodie pulled snug around his face, and leaning on the corner of the building next to an exit door.

Inside I got in line and looked through that door to see that the guy was no longer there. After getting my cash I walked over to the exit door (which was in the corner of the bank lobby overlooking the drive through area.) Sure enough Mr. Hoodie was loitering by the drive up ATM. I summoned the bank manager and pointed him out to her and she expressed some alarm. I told her he looked like a mugging getting ready to happen, likely targeting someone pulling in to get ATM cash.

At that point I noted that he looked in my direction. Since it was a glass door I was clearly visible, along with the branch manager. I gave him a hard stare and pointed at him, as if I was pointing him out to the manager. At that point Mr. Hoodie made rapid tracks across the parking lot, disappearing into a nearby apartment complex.

Was he up to no good? I think so. Did his awareness that someone was watching him closely cause some quick mental calculus that today's mugging might best be delayed? I'd bet on it. Of course neither he no the manager knew I was carrying, but I expect he at least knew he was being observed by two potential witnesses.

Sometimes it's enough just to send the message that you are aware of your surroundings and not oblivious.

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Had an almost exactly similar sequence of events about a year ago. Bank is very near to a gas station/convenience store. Exactly similar results.

Even before then, about a year after I got my CCW, I was stupidly sitting in my car right in front of that bank arranging my checkbook, stuffing an envelope full of cash in my undershirt, getting ready to go spend some, when someone approached me. I stuck my hand in my belly pack (I no longer carry a gun in that pack) as he approached. As soon as he got close enough to notice that, he turned away. Did not report that one to the bank people, just drove off.

Someone once supposedly asked Willie Sutton why he robbed banks. "Because that's where the money is," he replied.

That's where the money is, so be especially careful, use your mean face, and watch your six around banks.

And watch your three and nine and noon, too.

Terry, 230RN

REFs:
https://www.quora.com/Where-did-the-phrase-watch-your-six-originate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Sutton (The first "Slick Willie.")

"Profiling" is your friend.

Can we all agree that many police departments are currently either over-taxed or under-staffed (or both)? Keeping that in mind, if you were mugged by a freckle-faced, red-headed man with an Irish or Scottish accent, would you want the police wasting time and resources looking for an asian/black/latino female?
THAT is why profiling is so important.
Be the BEST witness you can be! Remember details. Clothing - types and colors; height/weight; hair, eyes,, physical details - walks with a limp - amputee - right- or left-handed; etc.

If I get a call from the sheriffe notifying me of a cat in my area? I will ask? Is that a house cat or a Mountain Lion? They are both cats but one is dangerous.

Might be a good time to post on prudent ATM ettiquette, with an eye towards safe conduct:

DRIVE UP ATM:

- Be aware of your surroundings, especially if alone. If not alone, the passenger should be aware of your surroundings throughout your ATM transaction.

- Keep all your doors locked. Remember, some vehicles automatically unlock all the doors when you put them in PARK.

- Keep all other windows up.

- Pull up close to the ATM...close enough that a person would have a difficult time getting between your vehicle and the ATM.

- Don't put the vehicle in PARK. Stay in DRIVE with your foot on the brake. This keeps doors from automatically unlocking and allows for rapid pull away if needed.

- Plan your ATM stop smartly. If possible, go during daylight hours, preferably during normal business hours. Pick well-lit locations with very few hiding places close by (such as trees and bushes). Locations clearly visible from main roads/streets are preferable. Stay out of "bad" parts of town.

- Immediately after your transaction, take your card, receipt, and money and LEAVE for a more secure area. THEN count your money and stow it away in your wallet/purse.


WALK UP ATM:

- Plan your ATM stop smartly. If possible, go during daylight hours, preferably during normal business hours. Pick well-lit locations with very few hiding places close by (such as trees and bushes). Locations clearly visible from main roads/streets are preferable. Stay out of "bad" parts of town.

- Stay alert to your surroundings at all times. Having an alert buddy present while you're conducting your transaction is preferable.

- Well-lit, indoor ATMs are generally preferable to outdoor ATMs. Banking institutions often have ATMs inside, which are accessable during normal banking hours.

- Immediately after your transaction, take your card, receipt, and money, stuff it in your pocket and LEAVE for a more secure area. THEN count your money and stow it away in your wallet/purse.

My tip for ATM safety: don't use the ATM. I'm 53, work a job with regular hours, and so far I have managed to avoid having to ever use an ATM. In fact, when my bank mailed me an ATM card I cut it up and told them not to send a replacement

My wife uses it all the time. I guess people are just different. I didn't do it for physical security, I did it just because I knew I would never use it. The physical security is just a bonus.

RetiredUSNChief said:

- Don't put the vehicle in PARK. Stay in DRIVE with your foot on the brake. This keeps doors from automatically unlocking and allows for rapid pull away if needed.

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Along these lines I'll interject something I learned very recently. My 2015 was originally programmed that way too, to unlock the doors when the transmission was shifted to PARK. But after digging around in the service menus I found that this was user-changeable. So I set the locks to LOCK when I shift to DRIVE and not unlock until I remove the key from the ignition switch. I had been lead to believe originally that one needed to have the dealer perform this so it was a pleasant surprise to learn I could do it myself. If you have a car new enough to have mostly computerized stuff you might be able to set it up yourself.

Almost everyone has a smartphone with camera these days. Seems like getting a snapshot of the suspicious character might also assist in the process. If you are too close to the character, being obvious at taking the photo could cause an aggressive reaction. However, being at a safe distance and obviously taking the photo may enhance the 'you are being watched' message. Learn to use the quick-camera mode on your phone, which does not require unlocking the phone first.

For a couple of years, I helped my Son out, he owns a Security Company. One of the jobs I liked, covering ATM Technicians, when they were repairing them. In uniform, Glock 19 quite visible. Once the machine was open, you could grip one of the cash boxes, and just snatch it out!
I would park my marked vehicle, behind the Service vehicle, it close to the machine.
People would still park behind my Jeep, complete with orange cone!

Young kids would drive by, in a ratty car, and give this old guy the once over, second time, I would smile, wave, and point at the holster, in case it had not been noticed, gone.
In a bad enough area, the local patrol cops would some time drive by, just to say hi, at night.
They would normally blink the red and blues, just once. Then drive up. As the boys in Blue are used to being the only visibly armed people out there, being cautious is prudent.
Good gig, I was payed from leaving home, to returning.

Once a month my Wife and I need to visit our banks ATM, foreign pension transaction, she does the transaction, I do the big old Guy lean and watch bit. Good area, but still stay alert.

I never use ATMs. Those things are magnets for scumbags. Sitting in a car with the doors locked won't save you either. Keep moving.

In my younger days ,I spent some time working robbery/stakeout in the transit system of a major North East city. I found while being the mark for robbery decoy operations that if you made eye contact and stared your possible attacker down he was less likely to attempt to rob you than if you looked away and acted like you didn't notice them.