#walkbackwednesday

In the April 1996 edition of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin https://leb.fbi.gov/file-repository/archives/april-1996.pdf/view , Supervisory Special Agent John C. Hall wrote:

“Realistic training does not state general platitudes and then leave officers to figure the rest out for themselves. It provides clear principles to govern the application of deadly force and then illustrates appropriate application through practical examples.” – p25

This could be paraphrased for Private Citizens as:

Realistic [education] does not state general platitudes and then leave [Citizens] to figure the rest out for themselves. It provides clear principles to govern [personal protection] and then illustrates appropriate application through practical examples.

Therefore, let’s consider Surveillance Detection. Surveillance Detection is a preemptive action that we can take to prevent getting into ugly situations at all. The following story is a reminder of its value.

Woman shot in the face in ambush as she’s followed home from store

https://news.yahoo.com/woman-shot-face-ambush-she-153809301.html

“Investigators say the women were driving home from a neighborhood market, and as they pulled into the driveway, they noticed a vehicle had followed them , KTRK reported.

A man got out of the vehicle and fired a single shot, striking the woman in the face, police told the outlet.”

There’s more to this story than stated in the article but that’s irrelevant in the educational context. These are some ‘clear principles’ and ‘practical examples’ of how to perform surveillance detection.

Principle 1

The time to notice that someone is following you is NOT when you turn into your driveway/parking spot as you a sitting duck. You should be aware of their presence long before then.

Look in your mirrors at least three times during turns as you drive home. All three times should be before you make the last turn onto your final approach, i.e., the street you live on. If you see the same vehicle behind you three times, you may have a problem.

Principle 2

If someone is following you, DON’T GO HOME. Or any other place where you will be a sitting duck either. One comment on the article was to go to a POlice station. Especially in the days of officer shortage and defunding the POlice, this isn’t a good idea. Call 911 and keep driving. If you’re in a ‘Hands-free’ State, maybe a POlice will pull you over and then you can explain why you’re on your phone. That should solve the problem right now. Other ideas are in this post. https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2023/09/29/surveillance-detection-after-a-confrontation/

As this poor woman found out, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they are NOT out to get you.”

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