@Todd30 @Mike164 @mattm @Scott52 > Hay > I had a choice of going insane or crazy at age 19, I heard it was better to be crazy so I went that way in life but they didn’t tell me it
Irreversible.
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It’s nice to be in a well respected club.
Insane doesn’t know they’re insane!
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Not yet. I’ve had people look at me funny as I’m walking out to my own parking lot, and if I see somebody I don’t need to spotlight them since I already know they’re their. Plus when I go through my parking lot, I sweep with the flashlight.
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In my area {on the Next-door app} lots of people have reported young males verifying that the owners have locked their cars parked outside at night, although that was not the wording they used.
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Um, are those young males members of your local social affinity group?
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I understand the benefit of finding potentially hidden bad people. But if I saw someone not dressed as an LEO shinning a light directly into a bunch of different cars in a parking lot I would probably call the cops. I might even call if a saw someone dressed as an LEO doing that to make sure they were an LEO.
If I was to use that technique I think I would try to be very subtle about it. Use the flashlight to light my way and occasionally “accidentally” let it sweep a broader area or the cars close to me. When it is not too dark I often prefer to let my eyes adapt to the dark and use my ears to probe for danger. I keep my flashlight ready to light anyone up who makes a sudden appearance.
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It’s just a general sweep, and I’m sweeping the flashlight 40+ feet away from the area I’m sweeping. If you were to call the cops, I’d be long gone before they even get there. My parking lot at my apartments are pretty dark.
The USCCA even recommends it. I’m surprised everyone can make their way to the community but they can’t look at the guides or any of the basic USCCA videos that’s out there.
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I live in AZ…havent really heard or seen to much except “Juggin” which is when going to the bank, the criminal will follow you home and attempt to rob you. Other than that I try and stay clear of everything. I cciwb…but if later at night I cary owb.
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Dang, Id still have shot back even not having a permit. Well, in AZ you dont need one. Thats one good thing about AZ.
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The article recommends sweeping as I suggested. Not peering into cars. I would be calling the cops with a license plate number if I saw someone peering into cars before driving away.
On the very rare occasions I’m in town at night I park in well lit areas. And avoid walking near vehicles I can’t see into. I still keep my light handy just in case something pops up from a dark corner. But I live in a dark rural area. We get amazing views of the Milky Way here. At least when my neighbor doesn’t leave their annoying spotlight on. That light lets them see their back yard but blinds them to everything beyond its reach.
There are very few trouble makers out here to worry about but when I’m walking around my house or the woods at night I know the lay of the land and where trouble could be hiding so I like to use the darkness to my advantage. If you let your eyes adjust and use your peripheral vision you can actually see surprisingly well on all but the darkest of nights. Not to mention how well your ears can pick up the slightest of sounds on a quiet night.
I’m not suggesting using that tactic in an urban environment if you parked your car in a poor spot or are walking at night in a bad area for some unexplainable reason. But I think it is important to make sure you are looking aware, natural, and confident in your actions instead of suspicious or overly concerned. Not saying you are doing that but that’s the image that came to mind when you described your actions in the earlier post.
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When I sweep with the flashlight everytime I do a sweep, from a distance I’m looking into the cars, around the cars, underneath the cars. Flashlight is never focused in one spot.
I approach a row of cars as I get out of my apartment I do a sweep on the first row, and then do a sweep on the 2nd row, making sure to sweep the very dark hidden areas of the parking lot, once I get past the 1st row of cars, I do another sweep on the cars behind me, back to doing a sweep on the 2nd row of cars, and the hidden areas again, and then I start sweeping where my car is, as I pass the hidden dark areas and the 2nd row of cars, I sweep again.
I never stop, I keep moving forward, I don’t get close to any cars, and I’ve tried using my natural night vision. There are somethings you just won’t be able to see.
I was walking down home one night from my job because my car was in the shop for brakes. Now when walking home I do a technique where if I approach a street corner or moving from one transitional space to another, I light up my way meaning I do a sweeping strobe, and walk through the dark.
The one day I was walking I didn’t see anybody upahead of me it was clear or seemed clear. I strobe and sweep with a flashlight and a man appears 30 feet in front of me and starts taking off dropping ■■■■ and hiding behind cars, now I know where he is but I never use the light to identify him since I’m trying to get home. But I walk through the dark maintaining the information where he is and where’s he’s moving.
So I found something that works for me. People who don’t know me and see me do it assume I’m a cop, and are afraid to do their drug deals or business, by using the flashlight I can point out potential adversaries and do my best to not engage those people, and some of the other tenants who are standing outside smoking a cigarette when I come up, I just tell them I have no ill intent I’m just trying to maintain situational awareness because the parking lot is very dark and they typically agree with me. I’ve had other tenants be wary of me but I’ve been living here since October, they can get over it. If somebody wants to call the cops, the only thing I got to say to the cops is I live here and I’m being situationally aware, besides our cops are typically lazy, don’t want to do the paperwork, and sit around and eat donuts all day.
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Though I do admit, I look fishy, I look weird, people don’t understand what I’m doing, and if you tell some people what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, they will give you a dumb look and think you’re just ■■■■■■■ crazy.
Working at a gas station there’s plenty of times I work alone, go to the cooler to stock it people come in and just stand and stare at the cigarette rack and wait for me to come to the counter, and don’t actually check to see if it’s me.
Other people shout hello, and the one time I thanked a guy for maintaining his situational awareness and I said I thank you, so many people aren’t aware, I could be hog tied in the back room and you could be next, I have been robbed 3 times.
Other customers come in during the conversation and asks me, and I tell them. I was thinking him for being situationally aware because nobody else seems to be when they walk in here because you could be walking into the middle of the robbery being put in the same set of circumstances I’m in like being hog tied in the backroom.
They look at me as if I’m bat ■■■■ crazy. So my general outlook is really I don’t care what people think. If anything it questions peoples behaviors if someone plans on attacking me, the question then becomes to them how will I react, and if he’s sweeping everywhere, how can we sneak up on him? They can ask me for money, directions, or something, and all I’ll do is shine it directly in their face and tell them to get back. OODA Loop. Observe Orient Decide and Act. Everyone heavily relies on it. Bad Guys use it to select their victims, we use it to get out of danger.
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Yeah that is not good.
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Suggest a friendly conversation with your apartment management about their potential liability should an incident occur due to poor lighting. Often something as switching to a different (and often more energy efficient) bulb may help significantly.
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Sounds like you live in a sketchy area. If you don’t mind standing out and being noticed maybe a thermal imager would be a good investment. Don’t think it will let you see into cars but will certainly reveal people hiding in dark corners.
I prefer to not draw attention to myself. Those watching me will likely realize I am aware of what is going on around me but most people don’t even notice I am there. I try to come across as neither an easy target or potential threat. I like to “fly casual” as Han Solo once said. But I’m ready to react aggressively if needed.
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Surprised that no one has mentioned “check the eyes”. Of course, if they’re close enough for you to check the eyes and the eyes say “big trouble”, you’d best start reaching for something, provided you have it.
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eh, I’d rather stick to check the hands/watch the hands, there are other things of course, but I wouldn’t want to divert thought or attention or mental preparation away from thinking about watching their hands.
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Indeed, the hands are the fastest part of the body and they should not be ignored but the eyes signal the attacker’s intentions before the hands go into action. If you see some guy marching toward you, focused, unblinking, eyes narrowed, you can pretty much anticipate he’s going to do you some damage if not stopped.
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If that situation, a guy marching toward me, I don’t care to see if he is blinking or if his eyes are narrowed, personally, nearly as much as I want to see his hands.
There is a reason it’s handcuffs and not blindfolds and why law enforcement is all about watch their hands. Hands are what injure or kill.
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