In a thread on anoTHeR forum someone made a comment about not having to plan every move like a tactical exercise or words pretty close to that and it got me thinking.
Some of us (I'm positive I'm not the only one) do live in places where going out the front door requires some forethought. Like the thread title says I live in a shady neighborhood, I've been hit up by panhandlers right out side my door, I've found needles in the parking lot and we do have the (very) occasional drive by as well as robberies and rapes in the neighborhood.
Here are a couple of things I've learned
Don't flaunt your valuables. I have neighbors that leave their cars unlocked to save on replacing window glass. I'm not that bad but I do not leave so much as a Wal Mart bag in my car over night and I make it easy to see that there's nothing in the car.
When we moved in here we moved the gun safe in early in the morning and put it in a closet. When we bought a new TV I took the box to work to throw it in the dumpster.
Mind. Your. Business. I've seen at least 4 deals happen right in front of me this week. I make a point of taking zero interest. I didn't see it, I didn't hear it it's not my business. I was walking the dog the other day I saw two guys start a fight just down the side walk in front of me. I have no need to involve myself in their drama, left turn walk away.
Pay attention to people and pay special attention to people that are paying attention to you. Around here if they're focused on you they're deciding if you're a mark. A couple of weeks back some meth head was walking through my parking lot, took one look at me and made a beeline right at me. About 10 feet away he starts the interview "Hey, what time is it?" My response "Sorry, can't help you." He flips out, "************ you can't tell me what apartments these are?!" (Note the two different questions?) at this point I put my hand on my gun and say "Can't help you man, you need to step." The guy knows I have gun and his response is " Yo dawg you best watch the **** out" before walking all the way around the building and heading back the way he came.
Pay attention to your surroundings. I find homeless people sleeping in the halls or the entries once a month or so. Before I open my door to go out I look through the peephole. I never open the door if I hear someone in the hall. Before I open the fire doors at the end of the hall I crack them and check the stairwell. I look at the parking lot from the top of the stairs. I reverse the process coming in. On a related note I never go to my car with my hands full and once I'm in the car I lock the doors before I do anything else (seatbelt, cell phone charger,anything )
People shoot meth behind our dumpsters ( someone dumped an ATM machine out there one night) I take the trash out in the middle of the day and I pay attention while I'm walking up there.
Last point (and I've said this before) if don't know you I don't open the door for you. When I lived in a "nice" neighborhood I'm convinced I stopped a home invasion just by not opening the door to some random stranger I'm not about to do it here
Best way to learn situational awareness is to live somewhere you have to use it daily.
Some of us (I'm positive I'm not the only one) do live in places where going out the front door requires some forethought. Like the thread title says I live in a shady neighborhood, I've been hit up by panhandlers right out side my door, I've found needles in the parking lot and we do have the (very) occasional drive by as well as robberies and rapes in the neighborhood.
Here are a couple of things I've learned
Don't flaunt your valuables. I have neighbors that leave their cars unlocked to save on replacing window glass. I'm not that bad but I do not leave so much as a Wal Mart bag in my car over night and I make it easy to see that there's nothing in the car.
When we moved in here we moved the gun safe in early in the morning and put it in a closet. When we bought a new TV I took the box to work to throw it in the dumpster.
Mind. Your. Business. I've seen at least 4 deals happen right in front of me this week. I make a point of taking zero interest. I didn't see it, I didn't hear it it's not my business. I was walking the dog the other day I saw two guys start a fight just down the side walk in front of me. I have no need to involve myself in their drama, left turn walk away.
Pay attention to people and pay special attention to people that are paying attention to you. Around here if they're focused on you they're deciding if you're a mark. A couple of weeks back some meth head was walking through my parking lot, took one look at me and made a beeline right at me. About 10 feet away he starts the interview "Hey, what time is it?" My response "Sorry, can't help you." He flips out, "************ you can't tell me what apartments these are?!" (Note the two different questions?) at this point I put my hand on my gun and say "Can't help you man, you need to step." The guy knows I have gun and his response is " Yo dawg you best watch the **** out" before walking all the way around the building and heading back the way he came.
Pay attention to your surroundings. I find homeless people sleeping in the halls or the entries once a month or so. Before I open my door to go out I look through the peephole. I never open the door if I hear someone in the hall. Before I open the fire doors at the end of the hall I crack them and check the stairwell. I look at the parking lot from the top of the stairs. I reverse the process coming in. On a related note I never go to my car with my hands full and once I'm in the car I lock the doors before I do anything else (seatbelt, cell phone charger,anything )
People shoot meth behind our dumpsters ( someone dumped an ATM machine out there one night) I take the trash out in the middle of the day and I pay attention while I'm walking up there.
Last point (and I've said this before) if don't know you I don't open the door for you. When I lived in a "nice" neighborhood I'm convinced I stopped a home invasion just by not opening the door to some random stranger I'm not about to do it here
Best way to learn situational awareness is to live somewhere you have to use it daily.
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