Situational Awareness
October 1st, 2011 | Author: Dr. Ross Riggs
Sometime back I posted a blog on Situational Awareness and the concept of TEDD: Time, Environment, Distance, and Demeanor. In reply to a question for clarification, I submit to you the following:Mr. Fred Burton from STRATFOR writes,
“…one common denominator of all the different potential threats — whether from lone wolves, militant groups, common criminals or the mentally disturbed — is that those planning an operation all monitor their target in advance. However, while pickpockets or purse-snatchers case their victims for perhaps only a few seconds or minutes, a militant organization might conduct detailed surveillance of a target for several weeks or even months.”The longer that a person or group of persons does surveillance prior to committing any type of criminal attack or other illegal operation, the more susceptible to being discovered and even neutralized. The key, as mentioned, is TEDD.
T (time) - are these people or is this person with you, or near you for too long a period of time, or at several apparently disconnected times? Do they continue to appear, the same person(s) over and over? To know this you must be paying attention to people, their appearance and dress as well as demeanor. Anything that you can spot quickly that will tell you this is the same person you have seen previously.
E (environment) – do they not fit in the place you are seeing them? If you want to test this, say for example you are a female being followed by a male. If the person does not seem to have an accomplice who is female, or if you want to see if they might, if you can drop into a place that is usually only for women. A ladies store such as a Victoria’s Secret, even though some men do shop there, if this person follows you in and looks totally out of place; you may have identified a threat. Or, if suddenly a female enters the store and pays too much attention to you or follows you as you leave without buying anything; again you may have found our threat (or at least part of it).
D (distance) - This can be either too close or strangely too far away at odd times or just a sense you get as you notice someone at that distance.
D (demeanor) – how do they act, particularly when you turn and face them or purposely put yourself in their way. (This is a tactic that must be used only most cautiously when you have ample witnesses like in a very public area.)
Mr. Barton writes,
“An effective CS program depends on knowing two “secrets”: first, hostile surveillance is vulnerable to detection because those performing it are not always as sophisticated in their tradecraft as commonly perceived; and second, hostile surveillance can be manipulated and the operatives forced into making errors that will reveal their presence.”
There is a great deal more to be said on this particular issue but for now, keep these basic thoughts in mind and if there is a marked interest I will follow up with a series of blogs on this topic.
