It’s amazing the amount of seemingly mundane, day-to-day activities that take on a whole new perspective when you have been trained to be situationally aware and to avoid conflict… For instance, the following story recently came to my attention from a friend. She shared a situation in which she was startled by a knock on her door. Here’s the story:
Tonight […] I hear a knock on the hotel room door.
A million thoughts run through my head.
I check the security peephole.
Young female.
I ask how I can help her through the closed door.
She says they were partying on their balcony right above mine and her ID fell on my balcony.
If she could just grab it?
In my mind I’m like OH HELL NO, but I calmly tell her I’ll go check and to stay put.
I check the balcony.
Sure enough, ID card is there.
I go back to the still closed door, ask her what the name is on the ID and after she verifies, I slid it under the door.
BEFORE [USCCA], I probably would’ve let her in to grab it, making myself an easy target/ victim, even if she was just “scoping” things out.
But you can never be careful enough.
I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned […] so far!
How many of YOU have an experience that shows YOU were thinking ahead and making wise choices based on your USCCA training? (Not just related to staying in hotels or answering doors, of course!) I’d love to hear it!
I use the Ring doorbell camera to know who’s behind the door whereas before, I entertain just about everyone behind a metal security door.
Now, if they look like selling something, I won’t even bother to answer.
If they appear to have a legitimate reason (a concerned citizen possibly meaning to tell me I left my vehicle door open, etc.), I’ll talk.
If I end up approaching the door, I’m armed.
As someone who has stayed at many hotels/motels, scary part is some look good on the internet, but turn out to be pretty seedy when I have gotten there. Although a major inconvenience at times, I have always carried where my permit allows and had it ready at the hotel. Would I let someone in? Only If I know who it is.
I have discovered this though, you get what you pay for. Pay $200 per night or more, probably safer than the $100 per night Hotel.
Where I have changed is situational awareness while traveling (and out around home), avoiding areas where it just doesn’t look right. Activity at home too, I avoid standing directly in front of the door by using a video doorbell, or standing to the side of a door not directly in front.
BTW, you did the right thing with the card, they may have dropped it purposely.
I think situational awareness is one of those things you don’t notice until you are not aware and something unexpected happens. I vaguely remembered crossing the street to avoid a situation but thanks to you and USCCA I am aware enough to avoid potentially dangerous situations.
When I was much younger and much more bullet proof, I Worked at a mine in Texas, my partner was a big, body builder type 6-5 350 or so. One morning he tells me someone BANGED on his door very late at night. He looked out the peep hole and didn’t know who it was so he called Hotel Security and the Security guys called the cops. I asked him why he didn’t just step out there and tell them to leave, his answer, "Nobody wants to fight with the big m.f., they just shoot him… That was a real learning experience for me, good sense wins out over testosterone.
With my job I’ve laid over in hotels, and once had a late knock at the door while asleep. I just called the front desk, and they took care of whatever the situation was. At home, I live in a nice neighborhood. We look out for each other, and report anything out of the ordinary to police, sort of a neighborhood watch.
Ive had a few situations, where my situational awareness, either got me out of a potentially bad spot, or got me to respond in a situation to where I was ready before it happened and the aggressor decided there were easier fish out there.
I have outside cameras tied to my security system of my house. If it’s at night they turn All the outside lights on if someone approaches. If I don’t know who it is I can talk to them through my cameras while I observe. Even if I’m not home they immediately route to my cell phone and I can do the same. Once had a teenage girl at 2:00 a.m. come to my door and ask if she could take a shower! Told her this was not the motel 6 and to please move on.
When I was much younger I was staying at a cheap old hotel with the doors that connect rooms. At some point during the night someone started playing with the handle on the door on their side connecting the rooms. Then they started pushing on the door and eventually banging on the door and moaning. I’m pretty sure they were drunk and trying to get to the bathroom but chose the wrong door. Fortunately he apparently couldn’t figure out the lock on his door and never got to the door on my side. They seemed to pass out before the hotel night clerk finally got there to see what was going on.
I have to stay in a lot of hotels for work. Staying at the top end hotels really cuts into my earnings so I always look for well rated mid tier hotels and always avoid the cheapest places in town. I also check out the satellite imagery to try to avoid hotels near sketchy neighborhoods. Though that can be very hard to do in many of the run down SoCal towns I work near.
The other day I was walking my dogs and as we headed up the street to our house, I noticed a cell phone propped straight up on the lamp post. As I passed it, it started to ring. I knew better than to answer it. It was so strategically placed. Not even lying flat, like someone dropped it. It was so creepy. I wondered if I should alert the authorities. I just kept walking and made sure I didn’t see anyone strange. I hope that didn’t work on anyone.
Had a situation at work where I was called to respond to someone trying to gain access to our building. We have access controlled doors. You have to buzz in. Long story for a different time.
I was in a different building. So I used a different entrance so they wouldn’t see me or tailgate me as I came in. Got the intel from the office staff on what was going on before I went to speak with them. We have two sets of double doors. I left the building using the set opposite from where they were standing so 1) they couldn’t grab the door after I came through it and 1) I could come in to the side of them and have more distance.
Everything turned out ok. I called the cops who spent a long time at our facility sorting out the situation.
Long time ago when I was a young pup in the Air Force without much income my wife and I and a newborn son bought a house and not the best neighborhood. It was what I could afford at the time and was just a small two bedroom stick built on cinder blocks. Every once in awhile at night I could hear the door knob being rattled. Even though back then I was full of piss and vinegar I had enough sense not to go outside. I slept with a 22 magnum Western revolver and it’s holster hanging on the bedpost. Needless to say as soon as my income was sufficient we sold that little house and moved into a safer neighborhood.
I guess the takeaway is sometimes no matter how invincible we think we are the best course of action is discretion and restraint. I really wanted at that time to grab my pistol and go out and see what was up. But when I thought about my wife and baby I restrained myself.
Before I retired from the FAA, when I did tons of traveling all over the world I was an avid Martial arts fan. I started when I was 34 and earned two black belts in two different styles. I was a bit older so my mental approach was quite different. I learned very early in my training that nothing is guaranteed. not every situation is the same.
Several of my work buddies would want to learn how to defend themselves. They thought they were going to learn some secrets in defense. Especially the women.
One of my co workers asked me to teach her. I told her to meet me in the hallway at quitting time. She was so happy! I told her to take her keys out of her purse. She looked at me like I was teasing. As we walked down the hall I suggested she walk down the middle of the hall and not near the wall. I showed her how each doorway was recessed just enough so that someone could hide. the end of the story is knowing your surroundings.
Before my 1st USCCA membership in 2015, my only situational awareness was my common sense. After watching countless videos & reading so many, many great articles I most likely would have opened the hotel door & handed the ID to the person. That being said, any knock at my door raises my situational awareness to a hard condition yellow. If it’s not a friend or relative & they are insistent upon me opening the door, I am calling 911. I will have a firearm with me & will be aware of other entrys being attempted. If it is my assessment that an individual or individuals are actively trying to gain access, I will give clear & concise commands for them to leave & 911 has been called then move to my strategic room and wait for police to arrive or if entry is gained by forcing a door open etc… then it’s a completely different scenerio which I won’t go through step by step in this post.
So, YES, USCCA has made the way I live a much safer place & thank you for that
