EDC Lesson

[TomkinsSP]

And you diagnosed that mental condition in 15 seconds?

We are in luck! The APsaA (American Psychoanalyst Association) just declared that their members may make public declarations as to the mental health of people they have NEVER MET-LET ALONE TREATED. ( A practice deemed professionally irresponsible in 1967 after members trashed Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election.) So if you contributed heavily to the campaign of the Senator from Illinois no Arkansas no Washington D.C. no no New York, and are disappointed with electoral results, well the POTUS is a stark raving lunatic. Hell, anyone who disagrees with you should be institutionalized. And loonies with guns...

 

[Old cop]

This is my second experience w/something like this. In January 2013 I posted, "Glad I Had My 442", about an experience in a hospital parking lot @ 3 AM. I'd put a link here if I knew how but w/a little effort you can find it here.

 

[AZretired]

Col. Rex Applegate was a well known CIA operative and Defensive Tactics trainer. He worked with the Hong Kong Police for several years and did wonders for the HK Policeman's ability to survive potential life threatening situations. Like all of us, Rex grew old. He was a large man and duty injuries caused him to have a limp. He self designed a walking stick that looked nothing more than that, but was in effect an enlarged version of the PR-24 Police Baton that was used by most LEO's for years. Well, Rex was invited to San Francisco when he was about 82 to 84 years of age to give a seminar on aspects of his Defensive Tactics experiences. Because his hotel was only a couple of blocks from the sight of the seminar he elected to walk the city streets. Along his way he was singled out by two street thugs in their mid twenties. They demanded his wallet and his watch or he would be severely beaten. Rex merely warned them to leave him alone or they were going to get themselves hurt. They laughed at this old man and made their move. Rex worked them over with his walking stick to the point both were taken to the hospital. From their beds they tried to convince the Police to charge him with assault because "He attacked them for no reason." The Police only laughed at them and charged them with "Assault on an Elder Person" among several other charges. After he told me this story, I asked if he was injured in any way. He said, "No, but I did get a little winded." .......

Great story! But just as a note he never worked for the CIA. He was a trainer for the OSS during WW2 and retired shortly thereafter, before the CIA existed. He was quite a guy!

 

[Big Cholla]

Quite Right

Great story! But just as a note he never worked for the CIA. He was a trainer for the OSS during WW2 and retired shortly thereafter, before the CIA existed. He was quite a guy!

Thanks, I knew that and just didn't stop to think about the difference between the OSS and the CIA. Besides knowing Rex, I got acquainted with a former Hong Kong Police Officer who had managed to immigrate to the USA. He told me that the average HK Police Officer shot about 6 total shots in practice once a year prior to Rex getting there to help. Between Rex's instruction in use of the handgun, baton work and knife fighting, the former HK Policeman said the deaths and injuries to the policemen dropped off to near nothing. This man told me that the everyday officer after going thru Rex's complete training course thought he walked on water. ....

 

[InsideWaist]

This is my second experience w/something like this. In January 2013 I posted, "Glad I Had My 442", about an experience in a hospital parking lot @ 3 AM. I'd put a link here if I knew how but w/a little effort you can find it here.

Found it! Here it is.

 

[Doug M.]

I don't consider it to be a hunch, being psychic, or anything of that nature. It is a different way of observing (not just seeing, but taking in details) and processing information, often small cues. Cops tend to develop this more than most people because it is a literally a matter of life and death. Even now, when I see something that doesn't make sense to me, I try to keep my distance and figure out why it doesn't make sense. Usually it is pretty quickly figured out, often indistinguishable from the actual perception.

If I do not perceive an innocent explanation for the activity, I act accordingly - usually by moving away from the problem if I can. If someone stops at a stop sign as they should, then sits there for more than a second or two with no one coming, there are few likely causes. They will vary by time of day.

If it is after about 1600, and certainly by 2000, there is a good chance that they are impaired - at least 30% will be; some times of the day and days of the week, it's over 50%. If they have license plates or a dealer plate frame from out of the area, they simply may not know what they need to do. In this college town, that's not as valid as a predictor as it might be elsewhere. Most of the time, it is simply someone who is indecisive. Just saw a great example of that in a pursuit video today, as some soup sandwich sat like a lump as a cop tried to get past their lawfully stopped car to continue the pursuit. Idjit simply would not get out of the way. I've seen that a staggering number of times, both while driving a squad car to a call, or while on foot at the call. The number of people who are completely unobservant and can't make a decision with the necessary alacrity is truly sad. Then we have the simply stupid. I work in a building that has one public entrance. It has double doors and good signage, and is clearly designed to be welcoming. Every other door that faces a public area has "Staff entrance only" in letters about 6" high, right about eye level. The number of HUA persons who pull on the door handle (repeatedly!), then try to peer through the dark glass, is staggering. My office faces that door, and I am hard to see, but I can see them. This happens 3-5 times a day, and some will actually try more doors that are labelled that way. I don't think I have seen anyone I would suspect to be malicious - which leaves "dumb as a bag of hammers" as the cause.

 

[Yiogo]

old cop, good job. Some people have situational awareness and some do not. My SA is very acute as is my oldest daughter's. My youngest's and my wife's is not so good.
I do not think it can be taught. You have it or you do not. JMO.

 

[GaryS]

Your "gut instinct" is your subconscious trying to get your attention because you're missing something important.

One of the most scary places I've been was a gas station not far from the NOLA Airport. I was gassing up the rental car just before I returned it. It was about 7:00PM in February so it was pitch black.

I had one hand in my pocket holding my 642 as I gassed up. There was no specific threat, but I surely was happy to get in the car and drive away.

A lot of people think I'm a police officer. I'm always looking around my surroundings, don't sit with my back to a door, and give a good lock to everyone who walks in. Plus when I'm talking to people, I tend to look past them to see what's going on in the background.

One always has to be aware of what's going on and who is in the area. Predators, both two and four legged, look for the weak and inattentive.

Don't become prey.

 

[Remmark54]

I am sorry to say that my observation of people has led me to the conclusion that too many people live in a coma and fail to exercise any degree of survival skills; even in the "safest" places like a hospital parking lot unaware they are about to be run over etc.

 

[Old cop]

I know so many people who walk around blind to their surroundings and things are worse w/cell phones. Even when I try and point out things based on my 30 LEO years some look at me like I'm a paranoid old cop (thus my screen name).

 

[badge]

Never discount a Gut Feeling,.....

 

[GaryS]

Harking back to my many years as an EMS provider, I can say the few (but too many) times I ignored or rationalized away a gut feeling I lived to regret it. Fortunately, so did the patients that I under treated.

I soon (but not soon enough) learned to heed that nagging feeling in the back of my head that there was something going on that had not revealed itself... yet. I got some strange looks from others when I made a decision to proceed very cautiously with a patient. More than once the patient "rewarded" me by becoming very ill very fast.

Based on that, I trust my instincts when I'm faced with an uncertain, but potentially dangerous, situation.

Never discount a Gut Feeling,.....

 

[sbuster]

Better to be paranoid than compromised!

Way to watch, Old cop!

Isn't it interesting how young punks look at old men. They don't seem to understand how we got to be old men. We have lived life, many have been to one or many wars. We are tough to have lived this long. When I walk through a parking lot or entre a bulnding stright up like I own the place. I don't know if this works but I've seen punks look at me but behaving themselves.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[Kiwi cop]

I know so many people who walk around blind to their surroundings and things are worse w/cell phones. Even when I try and point out things based on my 30 LEO years some look at me like I'm a paranoid old cop (thus my screen name).

One of my police mentors told me more than once, "There are old cops and there are bold cops, but there are very few old, bold, cops". At least twice as a supervisor I have put aggressive prisoners into a cell in handcuffs and instructed the arresting cop to stand at the door and watch him until he calms down, then to call me to assist in removing the cuffs.

Both times the "young, bold cop" entered the cell to remove the cuffs after a few minutes on their own and was assaulted after removing the cuffs. One was foolish enough to turn his back on the prisoner and ended up badly injured.

As for cellphones, my wife recently spent 4 months in hospital. I lost count of the number of times I was walking up a hospital corridors behind someone dawdling along, more immersed in their phone than where they were going. Every time I tried to pass them they would wander into my path. I'd back off and try again on the other side only for them to do it again!

I ended up letting them crash lightly into me so I could give them a "watch where your walking please" as I passed.

And outside on the footpaths it is a whole lot worse.

 

[RobertJ.]

We were in Seattle a couple years ago, and I went to get my wife some dessert from a nearby restaurant. It was about 8pm. I cut diagonally across a parking lot, and a tall thin "gentleman" was walking directly toward me, and said, "Hey, buddy". He was about 30 feet away, and I pointed at him with my left hand, and as hostile as I could, said, "NO!!" It was like he hit a wall he stopped so fast! My next words were going to be "Do NOT approach me!", but I didn't need to. I was carrying a Model 39 at the time.

Needless to say, I don't cut across parking lots anymore!

 

[Old cop]

Well done RobertJ!

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I go armed every where I go .I keep a gun on me even in my own yard and I keep a 357 at hands reach in my house yes even in the bathroom .Why? Two weeks ago a grandfather and grandson were shot to death in there home in front of the grandmother ,two weeks before that an elderly man was beaten to death in front of his wife after being followed home from grocery store .These home invasions are more frequent and these thugs are targeting seniors and disabled people .Yea I have been called paranoid ect but being paranoid has saved my behind a couple of times so I'll stick with it .Go armed every day everywhere .My dad said cops could sense things about people but criminals can to .He said a criminal can sense if you are afraid of him and he will act upon that fear but he can also sense if he is the one who should be afraid .

 

[mbok]

I learned long ago from working around law enforcement that your eyes are probably only second to your firearm as a defensive asset. A hard direct gaze that says "I know who you are and what you are thinking" often sends the only required message to a potential mugger or assailant. Most times that is all that is needed to make the thug reverse gear and go looking for a less aware mark.

 

[Toyman]

My wife and I went to a gun show late one afternoon and when we left it was dark. My wife wanted to stop at a grocery store so we did. I parked along the outside edge of the parking lot where the lighting was no the best.
As we exited the store I gave my wife the keys and I pushed the cart and surveyed the parking lot, all looked OK.
I wife pushed the button to open the rear hatch and as I got to the rear of the car a person stood up between the cars and asked "GOT ANY MONEY"
I pulled my Ruger LC9 and advised him in pleasant but business like tone to get the @##$@ away from me.
He understood and left the area post haste. He was in dirty clothes like a street person and may not have posed a problem but coming up out of the shadows late at night was not the best way to approach people.

 

[GaryS]

Without knowing the NV self defense laws, I can't comment on whether what you did was legal or not. That aside, I think drawing a gun because a person spoke to you might be hard to defend if you were questioned.

Maybe not in NV, but in MA if I did that and the homeless person called 9-1-1 and complained, I'd likely lose my license to carry even if I wasn't charged.

Again, NV probably has a different standard, but I don't know what threat you could articulate that would support drawing a weapon.

My wife and I went to a gun show late one afternoon and when we left it was dark. My wife wanted to stop at a grocery store so we did. I parked along the outside edge of the parking lot where the lighting was no the best.
As we exited the store I gave my wife the keys and I pushed the cart and surveyed the parking lot, all looked OK.
I wife pushed the button to open the rear hatch and as I got to the rear of the car a person stood up between the cars and asked "GOT ANY MONEY"
I pulled my Ruger LC9 and advised him in pleasant but business like tone to get the @##$@ away from me.
He understood and left the area post haste. He was in dirty clothes like a street person and may not have posed a problem but coming up out of the shadows late at night was not the best way to approach people.