Aware of what is around you?

[Frisco]

How many of you are really aware of what is going on around you?

I was at Wal Mart this morning, and I noticed the sheeple walking around totally focused on...well...nothing.  Only two other men I noticed were really aware of what was happening outside their shopping cart, or their cellular ear appendage.  One was positively carrying...IWB under a t-shirt that was too tight for decent concealment.  The other was dressed better for CCW, as he was wearing a demin button down over a t-shirt, but he was wearing cargo pants, and a "trainer" belt that is all the rage nowadays.  He was also "checking" his pistol with his elbow a lot.  I never saw the piece...but I "know" one was there.

When I am out amongst a flock of sheep, I am ALWAYS scanning around me.  I do it as a game.  I look for the CCW's.  I look for the shoplifters.  I look for the drunks, and dope heads.  I look for the person who just doesn't fit.  One game I play every once in a while is to go by, and move someone's cart 2 or 3 feet and see if they notice. 

I have only been caught one time, and I said..."I'm sorry...they sure don't make these aisles big enough for a cart and a scooter..."  I would suppose that some of my "invisibility" is because people in wheelchairs, or on mobility scooters are ignored by others, and not seen as a threat in any way.  But MOST of it is from people just not paying attention.  It doesn't wonder that felons whom I have arrested over the years always took down the same type of people.

Play the "What If" game.  I do....and truthfully...if you do, you will see some funny stuff.

[PegLeg45]

Yes, I do this regularly....at Wally world and the mall. I don't do the high-traffic walking thing, so I park it on a bench and "people watch".
You are correct that you can see some crazy people lurking around. I watch everybody in places like this. I also make a point to keep up a 360 degree scan going in and out and while in parking areas. Sometimes I let my wife out at the door and then I park where I can see the exit and watch for her to come out so I can drive over to get her. You can people watch pretty well in the parking lot too. I watched a woman walking around in circles one day for a half hour just talking to her self.
One thing, when I drop my wife off, I always keep the exit door in my direct line of sight. She never has to come out and hunt for me. She calls me on the cell and lets me know she is on the way out and I watch for her to exit and drive over to pick her up.

[ericire12]

It doesn't wonder that felons whom I have arrested over the years always took down the same type of people.

Great post..... See I knew you were going to be a great +1 for this forum......


.... So how bout you use those years in LE and wisdom gained to put together an in depth profile and description for us of those "types of people felons always take down". I would be very interested to read your take on who are soft targets and why. I try to make myself as much of a hard target as possible, but I must admit that I often drift into that 10-15 foot comfort zone when I am out and often times loose touch with my surroundings.

[shooter32]

Great post..... See I knew you were going to be a great +1 for this forum......


.... So how bout you use those years in LE and wisdom gained to put together an in depth profile and description for us of those "types of people felons always take down". I would be very interested to read your take on who are soft targets and why. I try to make myself as much of a hard target as possible, but I must admit that I often drift into that 10-15 foot comfort zone when I am out and often times loose touch with my surroundings.

I would like to hear about those years also..

People watching at parking lots and airports..

[PegLeg45]

Heck, I saw what you would call an easy mark or target yesterday in the wally-world parking lot. I had dropped off my wife and mother-in-law and pulled out to the area where I normally park to wait on her call. A young lady came out with a small child and some goods in a shopping cart. She went to her vehicle (an SUV) and popped the back hatch. I never figured out 'why', but she then opened BOTH rear passenger doors and the driver's door, all the while her little girl was in the cart at the rear of the vehicle. She started the engine and then went to the back and unloaded the items. Then she put the kid in the rear child seat. Then she grabbed the shopping cart and took it two rows over to a return stall (all while the vehicle was running with three open doors and the kid in the back). Finally she came back and closed the rear doors and got in and left.
All a carjacker needed to do was get in and drive off at any time. She was totally oblivious to her surroundings.

I visit there several times a week (much to the pain of my bank account) and things like this are not uncommon. Just a horror story waiting for the evening news.

Scary.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Watched a "little old lady"  (5'2" 60 years old or so) steal a 50lb bag of potting soil one time, LMAO 

[Timothy]

The hairs on the back of my neck have been twitchy since September 11, 2001.  Doesn't matter where I am, it's just natural now to scope my surroundings.  I don't stand with my back to a door, allow the wife to go too many places after dusk alone and the kid is either armed herself or her Man-Meat is carrying 90% now...

Sometimes it can't be helped but better safe as they say...till now, I hadn't really given it much thought...

Once again Frisco, a great topic....

[2HOW]

Im always in condition yellow.

[Texas_Bryan]

+1 on condition yellow, I never knew what kind of scumbags walked this planet till my dad opened up about his years as a LE.  Always be on guard.  Those who mistake that for paranoia won't be able to say that to my face while their in the ground.

[ellis4538]

I'm always on the lookout also for store security...fairly easy to spot because I was one for a while.  Don't usually spot CCW's in my neck of the woods and don't think I'm spoted.  Good exercise though.

Richard