With each and every client or employee TPOP trains, we stress the importance of developing skills like situational awareness and recognizing suspicious behavior. Learning, growing, and applying these skills isn’t paranoia but rather critical to true preparedness in today’s world.
However, sometimes implementing these lessons when the time comes can be challenging for a variety of reasons. We hear and read stories about these challenges every day:
The second guessers, who identified behavioral indicators or warning signs pointing to an imminent threat, but chose to remain silent going against their instincts.
The fearful, who thought it better to avoid conflict and not ruffle any feathers despite the risk to themselves and others.
The naive or overly optimistic, whose situational awareness training helped them spot a suspicious individual, package, or situation—but they chose to shrug it off and ignore it.
In each one of these scenarios and those like them, individuals equipped with even a baseline level of preparedness knowhow stand as the first line of defense against workplace violence or potential active shooter events. But how they respond to apply that training can make all the difference.
Taking Action: A Recent Example
In May, authorities in New Jersey arrested a US Marine in connection with a series of online posts where he openly touted his plan to commit mass violence. The plan was detailed. He talked about his intended targets, including specific locations like a nearby gym and grocery store where his stated goal was to “cause mayhem on the white community.” He detailed performing reconnaissance on these locations to identify his plan of attack, and he mused about gathering firearms and ammunition while researching how to smuggle more into his home state. All of it in the light of day on a number of social media platforms.
Thankfully, someone spoke up. But what if they hadn’t? What if they shrugged it off as performative, decided to take it as a joke, or simply gave him the benefit of the doubt because they liked that he was in the Marine Corps? While each of these responses might seem reasonable, fortunately an individual chose instead to put their preparedness knowledge to good use.
It may not always be the comfortable choice, but today’s risk environment demands action. At TPOP, when you notice what might be a threat or witness suspicious behaviors online or in the real world, make the right choice: “If You See Something, Say Something.”
With expertise including Run-Hide-Fight, active shooter preparedness and response, situational awareness, de-escalation techniques, and more, The Power of Preparedness provides critical guidance that can save lives. Contact us to learn more.