Situational Awareness

Wife an I go out to eat in different places and cities. I try to get her to sit at a distance from the door and cash register. She has to use a walker now and doesn't want to walk far. But I still try to make her do it. I also try to sit where I can see the front door and other entrances or exits. Kinda hard to keep an eye on people now cause I can't see very well.

We still go to the movies when she feels good enough. Same rules for those places as above. Kinda getting really hard for me to see in those places and she doesn't move well.

We do not go into any bars anymore. Usually too dark to see much of anything for me.

I worked probation for @ 20 years and often had to assist with transportation of violent offenders. We always had to be on our guard with anyone violent or not. Had to go into and out of assorted holding, long term drug offender and violent offender facilities. Mostly juvenile and some adult locations. Even though we didn't have many high profile offenders, we always had to be on guard in parking lots, food stops, bathroom stops etc. for any possible abush or escape attempt. Man times I was in situations where I was transporting one or more in MY OWN VEHIClE and alone. Yeah, it's a cheap rural county with poor services.

I was not authorized to carry a weapon by State law in Texas as a juvenile probation officer. However, the sheriff in this county didn't care if I did or not and preferred if I did. Didn't risk it cause I was usually with an armed officer. Eventually I got my own departmental investigator that was always armed, even though I wasn't suppose to have him working for me. That helped alot with transposrting drug trafficers from the lcoal border patrol checkpoint and kept the office staff at ease while they were being held for processing and transport.

Got to train sometimes bi-yearly with LEOs on disarming people with handguns and knives. Quick take downs. Only had to use it once in the office. Diffusing confrontational situations. Defensive stances or postures to best overcome a physical assualt. Always having to deal with intoxicated and belligerant individuals, often more than one. The domestic disputes were a pain cause anything in the house could be used as a weapon.

Even got to go "qualify" a few times with local LEOs when the ammo budget allowed it and the politics. After seeing some of the local yocals shoot, I was glad to have my own firearm. Kinda knew most of them cause they had worked under my dad as trainee LEOs. He was long tetired by then and they still looked like trainees.

And living in a brushy rural area known for drug trafficing and illegals, we have several outside dogs, inside dogs, and security lights around the old rancho. When I go outiside I always scan the brush around the house for illegals. Sometimes the dogs don't alett. I have had 2 instances where a groups got to 10 feet of me from before the dogs alerted. when they saw I had a gun in my waist band, they decided they did not want a anything. I was outside then. Two other times, I had groups of men from a "bailout" try to "talk" their way in the back door even with the dogs on them. I had to produce a handgun both times from behind my back before they changed their minds about a "ride to Houston." Didn't have to point the gun wither time, just bring it to my side. They refused to back off in English and Spanish. I speak both. They did understand gun. Even with a call to "La Migra" and LEOs, it took them @ 20 minutes to get out here and they know where I live. I try to keep the mesquite and other brush cut back at leat 50 feet from the house, mostly as a firebreak. But it helps to see if anything is around. Cutting the brush back is a losing battle. At least I have a 100 yds in 2 directions cut pretty good. Gotta work on the other 2 directions soon.

Yeah, I have some experience in situational awareness.

That's a good idea, paying attention to wear you sit in a restaurant. Probably a good idea to make quick mental note of exits and possible cover.

I want to actively train myself to be more observant. I'm trying to pay more attention to people around me. Are they wearing a Logo of some kind? Can I see any tattoos, scars, or other distinguishing features? Do they appear nervous, excited, tired, stressed? Do they seem like they're looking for someone, or keep checking their phone like they're expecting a text? Are there signs of an injury - limp, favoring an arm, hard time standing up...? Can I spot anyone else around me carrying?

I don't want to walk into a wall because I'm concentrating so hard on everyone around me, but just trying to pay more attention, and hopefully make it second nature.