A slightly different take on Situational Awareness.

I agree with the video about appropriate paranoia. I do disagree though on who is most likely to be a victim. Most violent crime victims are deliberately chosen and are known to their attacker. In my law enforcement career the overwhelming majority of violent crime I've seen is through domestic violence, jealously over a girl, and drug related home invasions. Very little has been random or wrong place wrong time involving strangers. Failing to realize this skews our idea of how likely we are to be involved in a violent crime.

TL/DR: IMO Situational Awareness can not be taught only learned.

From the video: "If your experience prompts you to recognize a pattern and that pattern feels unsafe, leave."

That is situational awareness in a nutshell. That is the most important thing the video had to say.

My wife and I go out to eat maybe once a year. When we do I don't insist on sitting with my back to the wall where I can see the entrance. What I do insist on is a table in the back as far away from the entrance as I can get. I do that because my experience has taught me that if there's any trouble it's going to be at the entrance and I want to be as far away from that as I can get.

I've made this analogy before. In the book Band of Brothers it's discussed that the general consensus of veteran members of easy company was they didn't bother to get to know the new guy's name until they'd been with the company for a couple of weeks. The same practice was common in Vietnam.

The reason for it is because new, inexperienced troops make stupid mistakes and they die.

Before I leave this analogy I want to point out that the new guys and the veterans all had essentially equivalent training. The new guys and the veterans all had essentially equivalent knowledge that they were going to a combat zone (the ultimate "bad neighborhood") and they all knew they were going to be in combat.

The difference between the FNG and the veteran was having experience to recognize dangerous or developing dangerous situations.

I said this before and I will say it again you cannot teach somebody situational awareness. You cannot decide to increase or decrease your level of situational awareness. You can decide whether a given action (such as varying your route home) is prudent or unnecessary but I don't believe that you can make a conscious decision to be more or less situationally aware in any given situation at least not for any extended period of time.

I've made this analogy before and I'm absolutely convinced it's correct, situational awareness is like a radar detector. The majority of the time your radar detector is sitting on your dashboard doing its thing and you're paying it no attention, until it picks up signal and it beeps.

The majority of the time your "situational awareness" is sitting on your brain's dashboard doing its thing and you're not paying any attention to it until it picks up a signal that your experiences taught you is bad juju.

When I worked as a security guard the absolute worst part of my job, the thing that I hated the most was approaching an unknown vehicle. Especially approaching an unknown vehicle after dark. I only ever did it when I had to and every time I did it my heart rate would go up. my respirations would go up, my pupils would dilate and my body would go into fight or flight.

But never once did my brain think to itself "Oh this is a dangerous situation I had better increase my situational awareness."



Am I the only one that looked at this scene in the video and thought to myself this woman has put herself in a perfect position to get knocked flat on her ass with her arms immobilized and no chance to defend herself?

Various edits to correct grammar, spelling and typos.

I stopped watching where he mentioned "relaxing in a safe environment and switching it on when it becomes not so" or something to that effect.

In today's world theres no such thing as a "safe environment" and to think there is is being on his naive end the his scale.

Good video. Thanks Jeff.

For a while, back in my 20s, I used to worry about things like being seated so I could see the entrance of a restaurant. Now I simply settle for being far enough from the door that I won't be the first person shot. I figure if I don't stand out as anything special to bad actors, I won't be treated as a priority.

Honestly, I don't often push myself into a state of conscious situational awareness these days. That is reserved for unfamiliar territory and known areas of potential danger. In familiar places I generally let my subconscious do the heavy lifting.

Good Ol' Boy said:

I stopped watching where he mentioned "relaxing in a safe environment and switching it on when it becomes not so" or something to that effect.

In today's world theres no such thing as a "safe environment" and to think there is is being on his naive end the his scale.

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This is what gave him more credibility with me. Everyone needs to relax somewhere. It isn't possible to be "on" all the time. A wise person is someone who chooses an appropriate place to chill out.

So many people in the firearms community think that they need to life their life in Mayberry as if it's anFOB in Afghanistan.

Narrator talks rather slow. I ran the video at 1.5x speed and it was not too fast. I already knew a lot of this stuff, but the key is not knowing it, but practicing it.

Night Rider said:

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Am I the only one that looked at this scene in the video and thought to myself this woman has put herself in a perfect position to get knocked flat on her ass with her arms immobilized and no chance to defend herself?

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Combine that with no holster, and no tigger discipline... this lady clearly has absolutely no training at all... but, I noticed most internet stock pictures of concealed carry have these same exact mistakes.

Jeff White said:

That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. Subconscious situational awareness is a thing. Most of us develop it, especially in the places we frequent but a lot of people never recognize it.

Everyplace has a normal rhythm and if you pay attention it doesn’t take long to tune into it. Once you do, anything that disturbs it jumps out at you.

You sense “a disturbance in the force” and you increase your alert level. Some people might not even realize they do it.

Now to the Uber-tactical people that’s witchcraft or voodoo, one must keep his head on a swivel, his gun hand empty and his back against the wall at all time.

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may the zen be with you,

murf

"Never walk by a cargo van parked along the side of the road or sidewalk"

Whew! I'm sure glad I know about this one. I've been flirting with disaster

Jeff White said:

How do you live with the PTSD? No one can live at a heightened state of awareness 24-7. The military has rotated units on and off the line since forever. Living in a heightened state of awareness for too long will give you PTSD. The mind needs to relax and shut down.

People who have never lived in a heightened state of awareness for an extended period of time have no idea what it entails. I'm going to give you a little rundown on what that entails for an Infantryman. This is your day. An hour before Earliest Morning Nautical Twilight the person on watch wakes you. You wake up, put on all of your equipment, pack up your sleeping gear and get in your fighting position ready to repel an attack. After the sun is well up, you do your morning toilet while your buddy watches then you switch. You follow the same procedure to eat. You take your buddy with you when you go to the bathroom so he can watch while you do your business. You go about your day's activity like this. An hour before Earliest Evening Nautical Twilight you're packed up in your fighting position ready to repel an attack, you stay there until an hour after dark. Then you go to bed, but you have an hour to stand watch.

If you aren't living like this at home you are not being ready at all times. You are relaxing at home and letting your guard down if you aren't living that way, something you just said a person should never do. Who is awake at your house when you are asleep? Who is watching for intruders while you are eating, watching TV or posting on THR? If the answer is no one then you aren't living the way you say one must live in this day and age.

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Not 24-7 just when out in public. At my place or a friends place I let my guard down a little.

So maybe 18-7?

My Dad told me "you can only stay scared for so long..." about his tours in Vietnam (65 & 69... we never spoke about Korea...) - this from a man who volunteered for the draft in the winter of 1942 then served for 28 years in the Army - first as enlisted (airborne gliders, engineers... he told me "thank God they cancelled that program since the casualties just on landing were 50%...) then went on to become a drill instructor then got lucky enough to be selected for Officer candidate school.. and served in that capacity the remainder of his career - something that wouldn't be possible today...

On the street, I developed a few ideas that served me well in my career in police work... The first is to trust your instincts (once I developed them...) - if something feels wrong - act accordingly - be cautious but ready to go the moment a threat is revealed.. For the small business types I came in contact with daily (and at all hours of the day or night...) in any occupation... that was my first advice always... If you something feels wrong - act accordingly -don't wait until things turn ugly... If you can - leave the area - if you can't (for the clerk in a convenience store) call it in and get ready to duck or flee if possible...

Can't remember how many times I spoke with victims or witnesses to a violent event - that said, after the fact... I knew something was up - yet they did nothing to protect themselves. As an armed citizen we call it situational awareness - but you simply can't live like your next gun fight is only a moment away... Maybe you can - but I know I can't... and I can remember talking to other vets that mentioned that when they first got into a combat zone (mine was Vietnam) they ducked and covered at the slightest sound - but by the end of a year only reacted to incoming rounds if they were hitting near them... That initial instinct comes into play even for the experienced conflict ready individual since it helps boost your dormant situational awareness. At least that's my take on it but I've been off the street entirely since I retired out of police work. Watching actual videos of street encounters (both for ordinary citizens and trained officers ...) I wonder at the level of training they received since their survival instincts seem seriously lacking... but that's just my opinion..

Kleanbore said:

I've watched it several times now.

Yesterday when I sat on our front porch, I was very relaxed. I was carrying, as I always do.

Three cars went by. I recognized two of them.

The postal carrier came. I know him. /so does our dog, and all the others.

Three dog-walkers went by. Two had their noses in phones. They were vulnerable.

A woman pushing a baby carriage on the street went by with ear buds. She was vulnerable.

I think the video puts such things in perspective rather well.

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We are our own worst enemies when it comes to awareness. It doesn’t require training in the black arts of the ninja, but it takes a bit of discipline to put those things away and stay aware when out and about.

Phones, earbuds, etc. all put us into a state where focus is 100% elsewhere. When driving, I sit at red lights all the time and watch people walking about with their noses buried in phones or chatting away on a phone call. They are so distracted and oblivious to what is going on just two feet away from them it is amazing more folks haven’t become victims yet.

Stay safe.

Riomouse911 said:

We are our own worst enemies when it comes to awareness. It doesn’t require training in the black arts of the ninja, but it takes a bit of discipline to put those things away and stay aware when out and about.

Phones, earbuds, etc. all put us into a state where focus is 100% elsewhere. When driving, I sit at red lights all the time and watch people walking about with their noses buried in phones or chatting away on a phone call. They are so distracted and oblivious to what is going on just two feet away from them it is amazing more folks haven’t become victims yet.

Stay safe.

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Scariest moment in my life was one afternoon I was riding home from work on a motorcycle. I stopped at a light and I looked around and the driver of every car around me was on their cell phone.

Night Rider said:

Scariest moment in my life was one afternoon I was riding home from work on a motorcycle. I stopped at a light and I looked around and the driver of every car around me was on their cell phone.

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Have you seen the car line at your local school lately? Soccer moms in their heavy, loaded Suburbans with their noses in their phones …. just imagine a child getting hurt or injured, much less another driver or pedestrian.

Anchorite said:

Have you seen the car line at your local school lately? Soccer moms in their heavy, loaded Suburbans with their noses in their phones …. just imagine a child getting hurt or injured, much less another driver or pedestrian.

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My youngest grandchildren are in Jr. High if gives you any indication how long it's been since I picked up my children from school.

Always told my girls never walk near the street side of a sidewalk and when they come to an alley, move over to the middle or away from the opening. On a busy sidewalk middle is best. Once in awhile look askance behind you left and right for reoccuring views.

PWC said:

Always told my girls never walk near the street side of a sidewalk and when they come to an alley, move over to the middle or away from the opening. On a busy sidewalk middle is best. Once in awhile look askance behind you left and right for reoccuring views.

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Guy I work with, and a big guy who looks like a poster model for the Marines, but he got jumped by three guys when he was walking past an alley in Chicago late evening in a lonely part of town. He threw some punches, thinks he broke one guy's nose, and managed to get away, but had a nasty gash above one eye. For sure, stay away from alleys and other openings. Things happen fast.