These are previous posts because the current problems dictate that we be careful everywhere, at school, at work, at a concert, dancing at a club, and even in church.
This is a letter I sent my kids the morning of December 8, 2011. By that afternoon the news of a shooting at Virginia Tech. This information is indeed timely. I present the information to you for your consideration.
I just had an e-mail discussion with an old friend of mine. We met in jump school in the military. He works now for church security but is ex-FBI. We originally were talking about concealed carry but then we got on the subject of recognizing when someone is armed. These are some of what I learned.
These are common behavioral indicators of an armed person:
1. Security Check - instinctively checking and rechecking to see if there weapon is still there.
2. Un-natural Gait - moving unnaturally due to being uncomfortable.
3. Jacket Sag - pistol in a pocket causing the coat to hang unusually.
4. Hunchback Stride - Stock of the long gun protruding from the armpit.
5. Bulges and Outline/Weapon - The imprint of the weapon against clothing.
6. Visible Weapon – My friend had a partner who once called this being over exposed.
7. Palming - Concealing the weapon from frontal view; hiding behind the leg.
These are the ABC’s response
A - Stands for Action; this consists of #2, 4 and 7 gunman signs.
B - Means Behaviors; Gunman characteristic #1, or anything else relating to it like looking to see repeatedly if a weapon is in their waste band. Other suspicious mannerisms count as well.
C - Denotes Clothing the suspect is wearing; #3, 5 and 6.
Applying the seven characteristics of a gunman to the first three letters of the alphabet allows for the rapid recall, and affording a life safety reaction quickly.
Being aware of others in certain situations is something I’ve talked about a lot. Situational awareness is something few practice, but most of us should. Especially in places we are comfortable. I’ve talked about the Cooper color code. Here’s a reminder.
CONDITION WHITE- White is the lowest level on the escalator. In Condition White one is unaware, not alert, and oblivious. This state can be characterized as "daydreaming" or "preoccupied". People in White tend to walk around with their heads down, as if watching their own feet. They do not notice the impending danger until it literally has them by the throat.
CONDITION YELLOW- This is a relaxed state of general alertness, with no specific focal point. You are not looking for anything or anyone in particular; you simply have your head up and your eyes open. You are alert and aware of your surroundings. You are difficult to surprise, therefore, you are difficult to harm. You do not expect to be attacked today. You simply recognize the possibility.
CONDITION ORANGE- This is a heightened state of alertness, with a specific focal point. The entire difference between Yellow and Orange is this specific target for your attention. Your focal point is the person who is doing whatever drew your attention to him. It might be the fact that he is wearing a field jacket in August. It might be that he's standing by a column in the parking garage, instead of going into the building, or getting in a car and leaving. It might be that you have been in five stores at the mall, and saw this same guy in every one of them. His actions have caused you to take note of him, so you must assess him as a potential threat, just as the fighter pilot assessed the blip earlier.
CONDITION RED- In Red, you are ready to fight! You may, or may not, actually be fighting, but you are MENTALLY PREPARED to fight. In many, or perhaps even most, circumstances where you have gone fully to Red, you will not actually physically do anything at all. The entire process of escalating from Yellow, to Orange, to Red, then de-escalating right back down the scale as the situation is resolved, occurs without any actual physical activity on your part. The key is that you were mentally prepared for a conflict, and thus could physically act if the situation demanded.
Unfortunately we can be in white too often. Some places may include, our living room, at church, at work, or at school. Places that are very familiar we need to ensure we are alert and have situational awareness. When someone is out of place, or seems wrong, that’s when we should be ready for anything and applying the ABC’s above.
My friend Choirboy knows firsthand the dangers of complacency. He was caught unaware at a restaurant in Salt Lake City. An armed man tried to rob the register. Choirboy said he was lucky he was semi-concealed from the man and was able to draw his weapon and stop the situation from getting worse.
Remember to keep your eyes open and always have a plan. Stay in Yellow.
Choirboy and Burn's List of Security At Church 8/23/2017 This is a re-visit from the original from 2014.
Security In An LDS Church 5/19/2014
I refer to my good friend all the time because of our history together (we were the only LDS members in our jump school class back in the day) and his perspective (ex Law Enforcement, currently Church Security). His call sign is Choirboy. He and I talk about scenarios and “what ifs”. We were just discussing how LDS members are so lax in their family security at church. It’s true that this happens in places we are very familiar with. Parents that would never let their small children just run through a park or a mall, let those same kids take off in Church buildings and leave their sight. We discussed this at length and came up with our own list of how to be more secure at Church.
1. Lock your car, take your keys
Can’t believe there are people that still don’t do this. I’ve lived in small towns and big cities. Lock your vehicle and don’t leave your i-pad sitting on the seat!
2. Lock the building behind you
If you will be alone or even just having a Presidency meeting, after everyone has arrived, if there are no other meetings going on, lock the door behind you. I know the sign says “visitors welcome” but there are times when you don’t really want someone off the street to just be able to walk in.
3. Always ensure your children are being watched
Your children should be watched by a leader, a teacher, a family member, or yourself! That’s all there is to it. Don’t let your children just run (I know it’s easier said than done!). Use family “Code” words so your kids will know who they can go with. I don’t care if it’s the Bishop’s wife, if they don’t know the word, no go!
4. Always ensure there is a priesthood member (man) at all activities.
I know, this is a sexist thing to put on this list. But fact is, men can do things differently than women. Some men may not be the right match for this job. I mean, it IS security! You do not just need a warm male body. Someone that fills this assignment should have an idea what they are there for. He should be aware of someone who may be out of place or acting different. Some activities men should not attend. So a man at a Relief Society meeting is out of place (Unless he is a priesthood leader or possibly a husband). These “security” men should have some sort of idea what they should be looking for and what they should do if they see something odd. At the least, a cell phone should be in this security guys pocket. Any other skills or gear is up to the priesthood leader in charge. I’ll be honest with you, the average leader will not think that anything more than a priesthood holder needs to be there. I don’t agree. It’s only a matter of time before something serious will happen. That seems “doom and gloom” maybe but even our Prophet says we live in difficult times.
5. Be aware of strangers
Again, the sign outside says “visitors welcome”, so visitors will come. Usually visitors come with members or missionaries. Be very aware of someone who is not with someone, or has not been asked to attend. Usually there will not be a problem, but a Bishop in Vasalia, California was murdered by someone that no one really knew. The killer was a mentally unstable ex-member. This was a random act but particular to the Church. The assailant believed he had been wronged by the Church in the 1980’s. This kind of thing is why being aware is very important. (Don’t even get me started on being armed at Church!)
6. Train your family
This is controversial. Some people do not feel the need for something like this. I feel different. All my children (many are grown and adults now) have been trained in the use of firearms. My wife has been included in this. Also, other weapons have been introduced to them. One of my rules is “Never leave home without a knife, or a gun.” Guns, knives, batons, stun guns, and pepper spray have been taught.
Choirboy agrees with me. He has trained his whole family too. If we are truly a self-sufficient people, we will take our security into our own hands. When someone asks why I carry a weapon my answer is “Because I don’t carry a policeman”.
7. Ensure that doors are locked when the last person leaves.
This seems like a no-brainer but my wife has taught early morning Seminary for years. Nothing bothers her more than to find the building door left unlocked. Now she has to discern whether someone is in that building! I’d like to teach her how to clear a building but that would take a lot of time in a building of that size. We have at times assigned a person living near the building to drive by and check it for lights on and doors locked. That may have to be the answer if your building is constantly left open.
8. Emergency Planning
Make sure a plan is in place in case of fire or other disaster. This is something that the Church has given leaders direction on yet I’ve found it ignored more often than not. You can be a catalyst for this to happen. Your Stake/District and Ward/Branch should already have this in place. If they do not, you could suggest that you would work with counsels to make this happen. Maybe you have a Stake or Ward preparedness specialist that you could work with. Perhaps a High Councilman is assigned emergency preparedness and is not sure what to do. There is some direction from the Church on this that could help. Once a plan is in place ensure that leaders and families know what their part in this plan is and maybe even practice it. Make sure your safety features are in place. First Aid kits, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, marked exits, all these and more should be in place. In the U.S. and other countries these things are checked by fire inspectors. Some areas have more than one unit attend that building and assign the unit not meeting with parking lot patrol.
9. Law Enforcement
Make sure to touch base with any law enforcement that are in your units. They can help with these plans and other security concerns. They can also ensure that someone is armed in your building. That depends on the number of members who are in law enforcement in your unit. We happen to have several.
10. Carry If You Can
If you are a law enforcement officer and can legally carry anywhere, you should carry in church. The Church officially recognizes that you can carry in Church buildings. Now this is also something controversial. I will not tell you to carry at Church. If you are in Utah you cannot legally carry in any Church building. Other states have their own laws that you need to know. The Church’s position is that it is not appropriate to carry in Church. You must decide for yourself what that means. I can tell you that the wording means to me. If the Church wants you to do something, they will say “should” or “shall”. The Handbook of Instruction was not just written flippantly. I know prayer, inspiration, and legal advice was used. So I’m not trying to justify ignoring instruction. One thing I do know, most members don’t know that instruction exists. Is this any reason to “do what I want”? No. I will tell you I am not a law enforcement officer. All my training is military. But I carry everywhere I can legally carry. This is something I’ve thought about and prayed about for some time. Until I’m asked by someone to not carry, I will carry. Here’s my reason and you can take it for what’s its worth.
I knew a law enforcement officer who was a large metropolitan city cop. He has a friend who is a sheriff’s deputy in his county. This deputy was in church when a deranged man came in and shot several people during a service. He told us he couldn’t live with himself if that had ever happened to him. This is exactly how I feel and so I carry. I do so with the blessing of my state, but not with the blessing of the Church. You must decide for yourself. I do rely on my Heavenly Father after all I can do. Does it make any sense that our Heavenly Father, who loves us, would want us to leave it to Him alone? We need to do all we can so God can take care of us when we need Him.
These are “reprints” from previous posts. I try to stay away from this but with the current shooting in a Texas church I decided to post them again. I hope they are helpful and maybe will stimulate ideas and dialog. If you want, I can and will write to your LDS Church leader. I’m not sure it would really do any good, but I’d be willing to influence a leader into changing the way they do things in their meetings.
Thes articles have been geared toward LDS members as is the name of the blog “LDS Gunsite,” but most of these things can be considered in Church’s of all denominations.
Stay safe my friends!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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