A Facebook friend posted today about an unusual incident that happened to him and his family. They went to eat lunch at a fast food restaurant. Wishing to keep the car in what little shade was available, he parked in the far corner of the lot by a tree. Another vehicle came and parked right next to theirs while they were in the restaurant. This seemed curious so he took precautions when he returned to his vehicle. The other car pulled off just before he got to his.
It could have been something nefarious but it immediately reminded me of something I experienced several years ago and wrote about on my Tactical Professor Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ATLFirearms/
I had gone to OfficeMax to print some targets. This particular location is a freestanding building on an outparcel of a large Strip Center anchored by a Target. When I arrived, the lot was mostly deserted except for a car parked next to an island with a tree. A woman and two children were playing around the car. I thought this was a poor way to spend the afternoon, playing in a parking lot. I went in to do my printing.
When I came out, that car was gone but there was a different one parked at another nearby tree island. Once again, I was puzzled. I had planned to sit in the lot and drink a milkshake I had bought before entering OfficeMax.
I watched the car as I drank the milkshake when I realized these were Prisoner Exchanges of children by divorced couples. The parking lot was the modern equivalent of the Glienicke Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glienicke_Bridge#Cold_War where prisoners were exchanged during the Cold War between the Americans and Soviets.
That moment of clarity ramped up my thinking and awareness. What would I do if Domestic Violence/murder happened during the exchange(s)? So far, I haven’t come up with a School Solution but I’ve been thinking about it. Lethal violence occurs during such prisoner exchanges regularly. Incidents are reported in the news on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis.
Man shot and killed during child custody exchange in Covina (June 10, 2026)
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/man-killed-child-custody-exchange-covina
Man accused of killing child’s mother during custody exchange (July 16, 2026)
https://www.live5news.com/2026/07/23/man-accused-killing-childs-mother-during-custody-exchange
Fatal shooting happened during child custody exchange (July 21, 2026)
https://www.katc.com/lafayette-parish/update-fatal-shooting-happened-during-child-custody-exchange
Cleveland police investigating fatal shooting after custody exchange on police property (July 22, 2026)
Grandmother shot during child custody exchange in Avon (July 24, 2026)
https://www.wmtw.com/article/grandmother-shot-during-child-custody-exchange-in-avon/73263835
As Bill Rogers says in his Sunday night lecture, when you’re driving and raindrops start falling on your windshield, it’s time to stop daydreaming and pay attention to what’s going on around you. In my case, that means while drinking my milkshake.
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