Sometimes it’s helpful to remember lessons that could well be lost to history, forgotten in the rush of current events. For those who are showing “snow on the roof,” current events become reminders of lessons learned, at enormous cost sometimes. I was reminded of some of this a few weeks ago.
Marc MacYoung was on social media making a point about “Situational Literacy.” Going beyond the idea of situational awareness, it’s an old beat cop’s way of explaining to someone new to the life how you process information out in the world.
In an episode of a TV cop show NYPD Blue, an old cop’s son explained that he wanted to be a cop. Dad, appropriately, was against it. He’d had a situation on the job where he’d seen a guy leaving a warehouse, at night, carrying a rifle. The old cop was a rookie then and his training officer kept him from shooting the guy.
Why? The subject of the inquiry worked nights in a toy warehouse and had just clocked out. He was taking a toy rifle home to his kid as a present. What lesson was learned?
One that’s relevant to beat cops – and citizens. If you’re working a beat – or going to the same post office, the same places of business to shop – anything like that – you need to know some things.
Know the people, the places, the things the people do and the times at which they do it.
Marc referred to it as your “database about an environment.” It’s context.
“You see, but you do not observe.” ― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia
If you’re situationally “aware” but you can’t establish the “why,” you have problems. You don’t know what you’re seeing. You can’t assess the situation, Marc notes.
He goes on to explain three aspects of context – NAD.
— What is normal behavior (and timing) in that environment?
— What is abnormal – but not apparently dangerous – for that environment?
— Finally, what is dangerous – a dangerous behavior pattern in any environment?
This should play into a couple of mindfulness games to play. One is “what?” – What are the details of people around you? What cars, other vehicles? Did you see the tag, the occupants? Even without the NAD context, you’re building a habit of seeing and observing.
While you’re doing all this observing – and not looking down at your phone, not considering all the things you have to do in the next few hours – consider something else to look for.
Where is cover (or concealment)? How about anticipating that corner that you’re walking up on – going to take it wide, moving away from the building?
Distance is your friend.
What can you hear? Have you stopped and just listened? When approaching a convenience store, I take a note from Craig Douglas. I park at the pumps and watch. When I’m in an establishment, I like to stop everything and just listen. Consider “transitional spaces,” that space between door and vehicle, at home or elsewhere. That’s a likely place for trouble.
Did you follow the Claude Werner principle and park next to a shopping cart return? That limits the approaches people can take to get to you as you get out of – or enter your car. Absent that, did you use pull-through parking (or back in)? Most minor collisions – considered “bad luck” also – happen when you’re leaving somewhere and backing out.
Next is “what if?” You hear raised voices and, looking, you see two people in aggressive posture, shouting at each other, gesticulating wildly.
What if this is a distraction, a diversion? Who else is around?
What if one of those people is armed – and the other?
Are either of the near-combatants “loosely accompanied” by a confederate who’s waiting to get involved? What if that’s true?
1. Where are your “exits” from the scene?
2. Are there any people between you and escape?
3. Have either of the combatants aware that you noticed them?
Take the inputs and consider the context.
— Rich Grassi