Back in the 80’s when we had communist terrorists (Bader-Meinhoff, Red Army Faction, etc) and Islamic terrorists (PLO, Libyans, etc) attacking us in Europe, the military made it a point to train us on our “situational awareness” so we could be less a victim and more a survivor.
Some of the things they taught us:
• Being aware of one’s surroundings and identifying potential threats and dangerous situations is more of a mindset than a hard skill. You can train yourself to do this!
• When in public buildings/events, know where the exits are. Stay close to them. In a restaurant or bar, don’t turn your back to the entranceway. Ideally, sit facing the door and a close by exit.
• Keep looking around. Note the people around you. Anyone acting weird, nervous, out of place—be ready to react.
• Take different routes going to and from places you often visit. Don’t be predictable in your public routine.
• If is doesn’t seem/feel right—it isn’t. You subconscious will register things your conscious mind will ignore.
• Profile. Sure it’s not politically correct but it’s necessary to your defense. Anyone is capable of crime but you’ll identify the most threatening and prioritize.
I would add go armed.
Sounds very much like the training we give our new police recruits.
I may have not been clear enough in my post. What I meant is that it surprises me that anyone is shocked that this happened.
They still teach that.