Security for Court Personnel Defend Yourself Darren Jackson Law Enforcement Consultant Texas Association of Counties
Instructor Background Snyder P.D. 1984-1985 Scurry County S.O. 1986-2012 Williamson County 2013-2014 T.A.C. 2014- Masters Certification Officer/Jailer Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice
Situational Awareness
White Zone A Person who is in this zone is unaware, oblivious and pre- occupied. They can be described as daydreaming and what some people describe as “living in a bubble.” You will often see them looking down while they walk, they can often be unresponsive when you try to get their attention and are often not prepared for their actions in daily life. This a a very dangerous state of mind to be in, regardless of the threat level that you live in. Much of the public exist in this condition, too pre-occupied to notice the dangers around them. In this condition, you take no responsibility for your safety or the safety of those around you.
Yellow Zone A Person is in this zone is aware but relaxed. Someone who is in this stage is relaxed, but alert to their surroundings. They are not focusing on any specific person or thing in particular, but are difficult to surprise because you are assessing the world around you. This is a very good level to live daily life at, as it does not induce the stress levels commonly associated with orange, red or black, but you can respond quickly and efficiently because you have already formulated thoughts about what may happen. This person has realized that dangers exist, and takes steps to recognize potential threats as they become apparent.
Orange Zone A Person in this zone is Maintaining Awareness and Focused on the Threat. This is a heightened alert level, generally association with a specific threat or focal point. The only real difference between yellow and orange is the specificity of threat being assessed . In yellow, you are simply analyzing everyone and everything, but here you are now focused on one threat and are already making decisions about how to react. This a good level to take action at because it can allow you to avoid an engaged altercation beforehand. The primary reason that yellow is a better day to day level is because you are not tunneled in on just one potential threat as you are here in orange.
Red Zone This is the Fight or Flight stage. Complete focus on the threat and emotional and instinctive responses are heightened. Intellectual responses are lessened. At this point you are either engaged in a struggle or taking action (either mentally or physically). It is important at this point that you take the physiological effects of adrenaline dump into consideration. Ensure that you diligently avoid common reactions such as auditory exclusion, tunnel vision and other physical responses that occur in high stress incidents. Some of this will be unavoidable, but with proper training and preparation it can be minimized.
Black Zone Blind Panic / Psychological Shutdown and sometimes in a state of comatose. You have succumbed to the panic and stress of the incident to the point that you cannot react or respond to stimuli. This paralysis was most likely brought on because of a lack of mental preparation in any other state of awareness discussed previously. The most hopeful of scenarios is that there is someone nearby who can save you or that the conflict will end without harm to you, but this feeling will forever have a lasting impact on you psychologically.
Implementation Immediately upon entering any public place, you need to scan the area and identify the exits, and take notice of any obstructions or obstacles that would be in your way if you needed to exit quickly. Pick your seating or standing place that will give you the best advantage if there were to be an incident. Also, take time to look at other people in the area. What are they wearing? (A trench coat in July would be odd, but it may not always be that obvious).
Observe Behaviors of Others Take note of people’s behaviors and be prepared to act if you feel others in the room could get hostile toward one another. There have hardly ever been fights that I witnessed in which I didn’t see plenty of advanced warning through their body language, gestures, volume and pitch of their voices and other clues. Alert others to this possible increase of hostilities if possible.
Workplace Violence An active shooter in your workplace may be a current or former employee, or an acquaintance of a current or former employee. Intuitive managers and coworkers may notice characteristics of potentially violent behavior in an employee. Alert your Human Resources Department if you believe an employee or coworker exhibits potentially violent behavior. Employees typically do not just “snap”, but display indicators of potentially violent behavior over time. If these behaviors are recognized, they can often be managed and treated. Potentially violent behaviors by an employee may include one or more of the following:
Warning Signs Increased use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs Unexplained increase in absenteeism: physical complaints Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene Depression / withdrawal Resistance and overreaction to changes in policy and procedures Repeated violations of company policies Increased severe mood swings Noticeably unstable, emotional responses Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation Suicidal: comments about “putting things in order”, “I can’t take this anymore”, “I’m tired of this”.
Warning Signs Behavior which suggest paranoia, “everybody is against me.” Increasingly talks of problems at home Escalation of domestic problems into the workplace: talk of severe financial problems. Talk of previous incidents of violence Empathy with individuals committing violence Increase in unsolicited comments about firearms, other dangerous weapons and violent crimes.
Try to Escape the situation Run as soon as you are able. While you may be forced into a physical confrontation or self defense, take the first opportunity to flee. Make as much noise as possible, in the hopes that you’ll alert a neighbor or a passerby to your situation.
Shelter in Place If you can not run and safely get out of the building or location, shelter in place. Get as far way from the attack as possible and lock all of the doors between you and the threat. If they will not lock, push items up against the door to barricade them, and hide as far away from the door as possible. If there are windows open them and try to draw attention to bystanders outside and alert them to your situation. If you feel like the threat is close, stay calm, quite and don’t move. Noises will give away your position and draw attention to you.
Choose your Weapon Identify objects in the room that can be useful to you. Often referred to as “weapons of opportunity”, there are many things in our environment that can be utilized to defend ourselves or others. Some of these might include: pencils, pens, letter openers, table weights, keys, staplers, umbrellas, fire extinguishers, or even chairs. Know your limitations and consider them when assessing your potential response to a situation.
Defend Yourself / How to Attack Aim to incapacitate : While it’s generally recommended that you try to escape or cooperate with an intruder, you may be forced to defend yourself. If you need to fight, you should fight to incapacitate the intruder so that you can escape. Aim for the groin, neck, face (eyes, nose, mouth) or knees. If you have the distance then kick at his knees or groin. If you are in his grasp then attack his face and knee his groin.
Defend Yourself / How to Attack Hold you dominant hand open and flat, with your fingers straight and close together and jab or chop into the persons neck. You may also be able to incapacitate the person by making a forceful upward thrust with the heel of your palm into his nose. Use your elbows: You might be able to throw your elbow up into the persons neck, face, groin or even stomach. Use your leverage and throw your body weight into it. If you are thrown to the ground, immediately roll over onto your back and start kicking at his knees and groin area.
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