Situational awareness is a term typically used for law enforcement and the military, and means scanning your immediate environment to detect potential threats. Situational awareness is a trained skill that is used to prevent dangerous situations from happening or escalating. Because of the increase in violence and unrest in our country today, we believe that learning about and practicing this skill can help fellow Wyomingites (and fellow Americans) be safer during these critical times.
Below we provide tips for what you can do to incorporate this skill in your everyday travels. Secondly, we provide links to videos that teach and expand upon these skills. Most of the videos are taught by military specialists and so they offer more than what we do in this article. Forewarning – some of these instructors can be pretty intense, but their lessons are extremely helpful. Lastly, we offer our own thoughts on keeping constitutional perspective as you become more situationally aware and how you choose to react, or not react, to things you become aware of in your community.
Back when you were a kid, you, your parents, your neighbors and your community at large naturally had and utilized a certain level of situational awareness. If there were vehicles parked on the street with out of town license plates – almost everyone knew what neighbor had company visiting. If vandalism appeared in your community, almost everyone knew exactly when it occurred and had their own observational deductions on who might be connected to those events during that time period. If there was a burglary or robbery in your neighborhood, many local residents would be able to recall the unfamiliar cars and persons that coincided with the time of those crimes.
But it is different today. Children nowadays, often the eyes and ears of a neighborhood in the past, spend much more time indoors mesmerized by any number of screens, rather than outdoors playing with their neighborhood friends. Many of us today do not even know most of our neighbor’s names. Also, people change residences more often, making it more difficult for both adults and children to establish long-term neighborhood relationships. Additionally, people on average travel more – thus seeing out of town/state license plates isn’t nearly as meaningful as it was way back when.
Most importantly, people today (of all ages) tend to have their attention distracted and focused on cellphones and tablets. All of us are far too ‘plugged in’ and paying minimal attention to what is happening right under our noses, much less what is happening right outside our own homes and in our communities. Just think of all of the videos out there now of people bumping into other pedestrians, wandering into oncoming traffic, or meandering straight into unseen swimming pools or off cliffs because they are so engaged with the tiny electronic devices they are laser-focused on as they move about. Whether you are running to the grocery store, work, or taking a jog at the park, completely eliminating the distraction of cellphones is essential for situational awareness as you travel about your community, be it walking, running or driving. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have your devices with you at all, it means you should avoid using them when you’re out in public and as you travel – unless it is absolutely necessary. No matter how much any of us believe we are good multi-taskers, the truth is that you can only focus on one thing at a time.
Tips to Increase Your Situational Awareness in Your Neighborhood
- Be aware of out-of-state license plates. Being aware does not mean taking action – it just means you should take note and file that data away for future reference to compare to. Example: It could very well be that your neighbor’s daughter travels from Utah once a month to visit her parents – knowing this helps you know the normal comings and goings of your neighborhood. On the other hand, you might see an out-of-state vehicle with thug-looking kids, dressed in all black, carrying baseball bats and yelling expletives as they cruise around your community – in that case you might want to keep their whereabouts on your radar and forewarn other citizens.
- Be aware of unusual activity in your neighborhood and people who don’t appear to be from your local area. Example: It might be normal to see the paper boy riding his bike every morning at 6AM delivering papers, but it might be abnormal to suddenly see multiple skate-boarders or bike-riders pedaling around your neighborhood in the early evening. Obviously these activities are not crimes, but they might be unusual for your area and that time of day. Be aware and take, if you feel it necessary, the proper precautions for you, your family and your property – and forewarn your neighbors as well.
- Be aware of any new vandalism or graffiti in your community. Again, being aware does not always mean taking action – it might mean you should just take note and file that data away for future reference. Example: It could very well be that there has been some graffiti painted on the abandoned house on the corner for years – however, noticing new graffiti will alert you to becoming more aware of any new people loitering in your neighborhood, as well as any weaknesses in your own home security.
- Check your local news daily for published lists of police calls in your community. Be aware if certain types of crime are on the rise and/or occurring in particular areas. Be informed of new crime info and take appropriate precautions with your home and family, as well as your habits and travels. For example: You might want to have your child walk home from school using a different route; you might need to practice better security habits with your vehicles; you might want to make alternative arrangements if you are expecting packages delivered to your home, etc.
Tips to Increase Your Situational Awareness in Your Community
- On a regular basis, take note of the activity at mass transit services in your area – be it bus stops, train stations or airports. Do the same with motels and hotels. This will help you become more aware of the normal dynamics of out-of-town visitor traffic that happens regularly in your area, and help you differentiate when the activity might be out of the ordinary. For example: You might normally see 4-6 people waiting for the bus at a specific bus-stop at 8AM on weekday mornings, but you might notice 10 – 15 people waiting for that same bus at that same time the following week. Again, it doesn’t mean that something is wrong, it just means that something is different and that you need to take note of it and file that info for future reference. Note that buses in motel/hotel parking lots are typically related to school athletics.
- Get into the habit of exploring and taking alternate routes as you travel to and from work or alternate routes as you run errands. It is good to get out of your routine and comfort zone as you learn new routes and neighborhoods in your community. If at some point you come across something out of the norm, whether it is a car accident or a protest march, it is best to know an alternative route home beforehand instead of potentially becoming lost because you had to suddenly detour into an area you are unfamiliar with.
- Take note of the behavior of people in public places such as parks, restaurants and theaters. There is a certain amount of profiling that one naturally does when they are becoming attuned to their surroundings and the other people (strangers) within those surroundings. Profiling is typically based on how others are behaving and far less often of their physical appearance. For example, a person sitting alone in a restaurant who appears fidgety and nervous might be a red flag – however, it could easily be someone waiting for their date to show up. Anger with aggression is always a red-flag, and most especially if both those are being openly displayed in a public place. (The video below, Spotting Threat Indicators (John Lovell – Episode 2), has more on dangerous behaviors that are very helpful and also quite interesting.) If you smell or see trouble brewing, it might be best for you/your family to avoid or leave that place as quickly and quietly as possible. In similar situations that you cannot leave for a protracted period of time, you should ascertain ahead of time where alternate exits are in case you/your family might need one.
- Take note of the normal traffic and activity around churches, including your own church. This might seem like a strange suggestion, we mention this however for very good reasons. First, as violence and unrest increases across the globe, crimes against churches are also increasing at an alarming rate in America as well in Europe. Examples: Drive past churches on your regular driving routes to see if there has been any vandalism or damages. Also, within your own church, you might want to speak with your pastor or minister(s) to see if they have safety/emergency plans that you and your family should be apprised of, and what you might be able to assist with should an emergency arise. Conceal-carry of a firearm at church has proved to be life-saving in many instances, but is ultimately a very critical and personal decision that should be coordinated with your pastor and perhaps other church-members who are completely competent and willing with their own defense and/or firearms skills.
Secondly, we came across this article recently that points out how the “Unitarian Universalist Churches are serving as home base to violent activists” – serving as both a staging area, and refuge area giving them sanctuary to avoid arrest. Running a search, we find there currently are UU Churches in Cheyenne, Casper, Sheridan and Jackson. This article also gives specific information on the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky that gave refuge during the Louisville riots last month.
Perusing events calendars can give you an idea of what kind of activity is normal at specific churches. Knowing what is normal traffic at their events, such as half the parking lot being filled up on Tuesday’s night (as a theoretical example), will you give a general idea to contrast to when you see the parking lot filled all the way up during other times. Again – being aware is different from being active. Be aware, be vigilant, and use that information to make conscientious decisions for your/your family’s safety.
Additionally, you can expand your situational awareness skills by watching videos where rioters have recently targeted homes – learn from what other Americans have already suffered, and plan ahead accordingly. Take note of rioter’s tactics, where and how they breach private (and public) property, and what types of vandalism and violence they commit. A few examples are here, here, here, and here. Based on what you learn from those videos: It might be a good time to get your fence repaired, or that deadbolt on your door properly fixed; it might be a good time to remove any and all reference to your address or phone number from all of your social media posts; it might be a good time to have some family safety meetings to discuss how emergencies such as these will be handled in your home; it might be a good time to get the security cameras on your property working properly; it might be a good time to stock up on certain household items you might need for a prolonged period of time; it might be a good time to invest in fire extinguishers or, when freezing weather is upon us, garden hose adapters to use for accessing water from your internal home supply.
Suggested Professionals to Learn From About Situational Awareness (Language warning in some..)
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS without Being Paranoid (John Lovell – Episode 1)
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: Spotting Threat Indicators (John Lovell – Episode 2)
Tim Kennedy Teaches Fundamentals of Situational Awareness!
Pat McNamara (‘Agent In Charge of Your Own Executive Protection Detail’ – he’s pretty intense but well-worth watching. And he really grows on you quickly! 🙂
Article: Get Your Head Outta Your Ass! Situational Awareness with Pat McNamara
Video: Sunday Sentinel Sermon. Your Car is Your Limo
Video: Self Defense. Sentinel Series Part 1
Video: Self Defense. Sentinel Series Part 2
Don’t Get Paranoid
It is near impossible to know when something is ‘off’ in your neighborhood, if you don’t know how it looks when things are humming along as they normally do. Knowing the general “baseline” of how your neighborhood appears and behaves when things are normal gives you something to compare to when you might sense things are off. If your situational awareness has been weak up until now, you might be surprised at how many ‘odd’ things occur in your neighborhood that is actually usual and normal.
As you grow and hone your situational awareness skills it is essential to not get carried away – try not to turn into a fanatic where everything different now seems like a threat or every person now seems like a criminal! You can burn yourself out, your family out and you can also the burn the police out if you get in the habit of calling them often. Your ability to remain rational, discerning and cool-minded is just as important as your ability to act appropriately and swiftly when there is an emergency.
Keep It In Constitutional Perspective
While typically credited to Thomas Jefferson, there are apparently several historical figures that have been attributed with the following quote, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Imbued in this passage is the necessary weight of responsibility that lies upon the individual for right action to maintain and preserve the principles that our republic was founded upon. Those who uttered these words of wisdom in newly founded 19th Century America were calling upon citizens to keep constant vigilance (watchful and alert, especially to guard against danger, difficulties, or errors) over their elected government representatives – being both vigilant and proactive against a government who can quickly become over-reaching and bloated – bloated with bureaucracy who will inevitably promote unconstitutional laws and encroachments, and bloated with money from excessive taxing of citizens to fund that bureaucracy.
There is however another side to the double-edged sword of vigilance – it is also being prepared to guard against danger within society at large and not calling upon government to make you feel safe, because of perceived dangers. In other words, and now quoting from Benjamin Franklin, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Expanding upon the wisdom within that quote, it is the responsibility of every American to practice proactive, preventative measures to guard their family, home and property from potential dangers present in our society – whether it be assault, theft, vandalism, arson, violence from riots, or home invasions. While certain portions of the rule of law, on all levels of government, were written specifically to keep us, our families and our property safe and free from assault and theft, the primary responsibility of being safe and maintaining that safety is on us as individuals.
A simple everyday example to prove that point: To prevent their cars from being ransacked or stolen, most people do not ask government to constantly surveil their neighborhoods for car thieves – instead they remove their keys from the ignition and lock the doors to their vehicle. To ask government to constantly surveil our neighborhoods for potential car thieves, would be inviting government deeper into our lives and asking them to surveil all of us on a regular basis as well. That would be giving up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety – which is NOT how a free republic is supposed to operate.
With the ultimate responsibility of being safe rightfully placed on the individual (or heads of household), there are several things that we already automatically do, such as locking up our cars and our homes, raising fences or barriers on our property, guarding our children from certain dangers, and arming ourselves with guns that we are practiced and competent with. In times of increased crime and violence, such as what is happening in our country right now, it might be tempting to some to call for an increase in police presence. We must remember, however, that if we do that we can also be unintentionally calling for our own liberties to become limited or infringed.
