The Immediate Responder

Incidents like the attack on Ohio State University are likely to increase in the months and years ahead.  For quite some time now, jihadist organizations have been encouraging sympathizers to conduct simple attacks using easily obtainable weapons like vehicles, knives and even fire.  Such operations typically cause less damage than a bomb or small arms attack, but they are, conversely, more difficult to detect. After all, vehicles, knives and flammable materials are common items that do not invite scrutiny.  Beyond the ease of gathering weapons, a single terrorist doesn’t have to worry about co-conspirators who might make a mistake or have a change of heart and turn in their partners.   Given the relative ease of such attacks and the accompanying media attention, other groups, as well as, deranged individuals are likely to be inspired to action.   

It has been said that when seconds count the Police are minutes away. This is not a criticism of law enforcement; just an acknowledgement of the fact that the Police cannot be everywhere all the time. The same goes for Fire and EMS; a great deal of damage can be done prior to the arrival of first responders.

The fact is that you might one day find yourself in the midst of a critical incident. If that happens, it is important to realize that while first responders are en route, you are an immediate responder. 

If you professional training that’s great, but what if you don’t?  Can you do any of the following?

(1. ) Try to prevent the incident by being vigilant, recognizing JDLR (Just Don’t Look Right) situations and reporting them to the Police?

(2.) Help people escape to safety?

(3.) Apply basic first aid and CPR to victims?

(4.) Use a fire extinguisher?

(5.) Calm frightened people?

(6.) Provide detailed descriptions of an aggressor to the Police?

(7. ) Attempt to deescalate a tense situation with an aggressor?

(8.) Engage an aggressor with hands, improvised weapons or legally carried firearms?

While not everyone is meant to, or even has a desire to be a professional first responder, that doesn’t mean you can’t help in a critical incident. Take stock of you capabilities today, obtain some additional training and make a commitment to protect yourself, others and your community.  

A Primer on Detecting Deception

Lies are powerful weapons and those who are proficient in their use can destroy relationships, cause financial ruin and, in the right circumstances, even kill.  Much has been written about how to spot deception. Popular media creates fictional characters that can detect someone who is lying by how they wrinkle their nose while looking up and  to the left...or is that down and to the right? It doesn’t really matter because either way, its fiction. 

That’s not to say that there are not elements of truth to some of these fictional stories. Many of the writers do some surface level research and, to their credit, they create entertaining characters. The problem comes when people who watch these shows think they now know how to tell whether their coworker, business partner or teenager is lying.  Some people get so caught up in the surface level specifics they “learned” from television that they ignore obvious red flags. 

Detecting deception doesn’t have to be that difficult; here are a few very basic skills  and considerations that, will help you, if you cultivate them over time. 

MAKE A HABIT OF LISTENING & WATCHING CAREFULLY:  As the old saying goes, God gave us two ears and two eyes but only one mouth. In other words, we should listen and watch at least twice as much as we speak. When we listen only enough to respond we miss subtile verbal cues, changes in body language and conversational undercurrents that can serve to inform us.

ESTABLISH WHAT IS NORMAL: If someone uses gestures when they speak, uses a lot of filler words or fails to make eye contact, these COULD be indicators of deception or they COULD just as easily be completely normal for that individual.You won’t know unless you take the time to discover what normal is for that person. This is where popular media can get us into trouble. We see a TV show that tells us that a certain behavior is a clear sign of deception when, in fact, it might be perfectly consistent with the individual’s baseline behavior. 

WATCH FOR CHANGES IN BASELINE BEHAVIOR & CORRELATE TO THE STIMULUS: If you are having a conversation with someone and their pattern of speech, body language or other normal behaviors suddenly change it is worth taking note of. As the conversation continues pay close attention and try to correlate the change in behavior to the topic at hand or external factor that might be present. 

ASK QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO & CONSIDER HISTORY: If someone lies to you and you have direct knowledge of it’s falsehood than that’s a huge red flag. People who routinely lie about little things are likely to lie about big things as well. Does the person you are talking to have a habit of lying or just being wrong about key issues? In either case, it is wise to proceed with caution.

REMEMBER, THINGS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE USUALLY AREN'T TRUE: As the popular saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The corollary to that is that if something sounds too bad to be true it may very well be exaggerated. Listen very carefully to what is said. Does the person speaking have a ready answer to every question...even those you didn’t ask? Does the person give so much detail that it seems contrived? Does the person mix few details with a great deal of emotion or excitement? 

REMEMBER, SITUATIONS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE USUALLY AREN'T TRUE: So you received that email from the Nigerian General who says that he learned of you through the U.S. Embassy. If you don’t have friends in the State Department or affiliated agencies how likely is that to to be true?  Even more importantly, how likely is it that a person who has  never met you wants to give you $300,000,000 for safe keeping and, as a reward, he’ll let you keep 10%. Similarly you suddenly meet a woman who looks like she came from a photo shoot in Milan and she seems very interested in you. Ask yourself; is this normal for you? If not, she wants something!  Congratulations! You’ve just won the lottery and you didn’t even enter it... Can you win a lottery that you didn’t enter...no, no you  you can’t.

RUSHED DECISIONS ARE RARELY GOOD DECISIONS: When someone pressures you to make an instant decision you can fairly assume that they don’t want you thinking too much.  Take your time, think through the situation and make a good decision. If necessary walk away.

EMOTIONAL DECISIONS ARE RARELY GOOD DECISIONS: When someone with who you have absolutely no relationship tries to pull at your heart strings, it is almost always a sign of manipulation. Take your time, find out all the facts and then make a decision.

CHALLENGES TO YOUR IDENTITY: Some people will try to subtly challenge your identity in an attempt to manipulate you. If you see yourself as a “good person” who wants help others, the challenger will inevitably be the person who needs help.  In worse cases,  If you see yourself as “non-judgmental” you might very well ignore your gut feeling to leave a bad situation. If you grew up believing that you always had to “be polite” then you are likely to wait too long to draw clear boundary lines 

TRUST BUT VERIFY:  Take time to verify the truth claims of someone you are not sure about. If you can’t verify the claim it might be because the claim is false.

Finally, remember that in most situations, you are not required to call a liar out. You are not required to give an explanation as to why your answer is no and you are not required to debate.  In fact, explaining your reasons for distrusting someone will only help educate them to become a better liar.

Personal and Group Security at Large Public Gatherings

As an introvert, I’ve never been especially fond of large public gatherings. Some people can relax and lose themselves in the crowd; others like me find such events fundamentally unrelaxing. 

As a career security professional, I even have more reason to dislike large public gatherings.  I know that 99% of the people at a given event are there for the right reasons. What concerns me is the remaining 1% that is often composed of drunks, thieves, predators and those prone to social violence.  Rarer still, but with greater potential consequences, are groups that want to disrupt the event, mentally unstable people who want their 5 minutes of fame or even terrorists seeking to kill and call attention to their cause.

Nonetheless, it is unreasonable and possibly even unhealthy to avoid all large public gatherings. Like most people, I’ve enjoyed going to conventions, concerts, lectures, gradations, games and similar events. Unlike many people however I embrace the need to maintain a heightened level of situational awareness not only for my own security but for the protection of those around me.

If you are a protector; if you believe that someone needs to be the adult and look out for others then I invite you to consider the following basic principles on how to deal with personal and group security when in crowded venues.

MINDSET: Understand that bad things happen to someone, somewhere every day and nothing exempts you from trouble. In other words, it can happen to you.

RESPONSIBILITY: Whether you are male or female, young or old, you have a responsibility to protect others within your capabilities. So, if you possess the physical capability to protect others then you should do so. If you are discerning and can see trouble developing, then you have a responsibility to alert others. If you have the ability to deescalate bad situations then you should do so.

ATTEND AS A GROUP: Groups of people present a harder target than an individual or a couple.

COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP: When gathering a group of people try to maintain a reasonable ratio of men to women and children. It is never reasonable to expect one adult male to effectively protect a large group of women and children. The more balanced the ratio the more deterrence and response value is present.

HAVE A PLAN: As a group determine, what you will do in various circumstances. What if someone gets separated?  What if there is an evacuation of the venue? What if someone gets hurt? etc. etc.  An incident will never take place exactly as you have planned, but the act of planning will give you a baseline to make informed decisions.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: Make a habit of noticing details. Where are the primary and secondary entrances and exits? Who is nearby? What are they doing? Do they seem to be carrying a weapon? Does their demeanor seem reasonable given the environment?  Do they seem to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Where is the focus of their attention? If they are paying too much attention to you, your group or the Police there may be a problem.

MOVEMENT & POSITIONING: Most people do not consider how their movement and relative position impacts their security and the security the group. If your group has people who need additional levels of protection, such as children, then those people should be in the middle of the group. The people in your group who are the natural protectors should maintain a box around this group and closely monitor anyone who tries to enter the box. Similarly, when moving, the box should be maintained as much as possible. If you are you not used to doing this it is difficult and can feel alien, but it does provide better group security. With significant practice it becomes second nature.

BE WILLING TO TAKE ACTION: Many crime victims say that they had a feeling that something wasn’t right before the incident. Don’t rationalize danger signs. Take action to either remove yourself and your group from the threat or, if that is not possible to effectively engage the threat.

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY:   By now, we’ve all likely heard the phrase, “If you see something; say something.”  It is almost cliché, but it is nonetheless true.  You should report any activity that looks suspicious to you to the proper authorities. By making the environment safer for others you will also make it safer for yourself and your group.  

KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE: Most people have no intention or desire to hurt you however it only takes one incident to significantly impact you and your group. Be vigilant, plan and be willing to take action, but remember that God is in control.

Still On Watch...In Papua New Guinea

It has been a very long time since my last post and a great deal has happened in the intervening years.

In January of 2014, I left the corporate and consulting worlds, became a missionary and moved to Papua New Guinea, where I now serve as the Security Operations Manager for the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Ukarumpa. 

For readers who are interested in our missionary work, please feel free to visit our mission blog at:

 Highland Mission: The Watson's in Papua New Guinea

As far as this blog goes, my intention is to keep it going in an effort to provide readers with foundational security concepts, best practices and ideas for consideration.

About Consulting & Speaking: 

When I am in the U.S. I typically have some consulting  and security related speaking availability, but my preference is to accept pro-bono assignments for Churches, Christian Schools, Missions etc. 

More posts to come soon...