When Seconds Count …

When seconds count the police are only minutes away. This is not a slam on Law Enforcement, I appreciate them and what they do, you couldn’t pay me enough to put myself in their shoes. But their role is primarily reactive, vice proactive. I had a recent event where I needed to call 911. The operator stayed on the phone with me for maybe 10 minutes, until I was comfortable that the immediate threat had passed, but I still wanted to make a report. This was after having told her there were two armed people on site, and the person we had just ejected from a meeting had a history of erratic behavior and threats. A couple key points. I told her who I was and that we had armed security and that I was also carrying. I described myself and our security guard, including what we were wearing. I also gave them a physical description of our “problem”, his vehicle make, model and plate, as well as his history. When you are calling the police, they need to know what they are walking into. When officers arrived, someone else intercepted them and started to complain about an unrelated aspect of the meeting. As I approached, I simply said; “I’m the one who called” and stated my name. That was all it took, I had both of their full attention. The responding officers knew I was carrying concealed, but I kept eye contact, and kept my hands in front of me and away from my body when I approached them. They never asked me about my gun. It wasn’t an issue for them. I made no quick moves, no threat and gave them no reason to ask. Always let them know who you are and what you look like so the first responders have an idea who the players are and what the situation is. Remember that the entire conversation with the operator is recorded and may help you to clarify the situation if needed later. Let them know if you are carrying. Describe the other people involved. The more information you can provide, the less likely there will be a misunderstanding. In this case, calling 911 had the desired effect, and the individual who had resisted leaving, left without additional intervention, but I didn’t trust him not to return so I continued my call. It took the officers approximately 20 minutes to respond. That is not unusual in my area. I’m in a densely populated area, serviced by the county, which is spread over 348 square miles. The odds that they will be where I need them when I need them are not great. That, coupled with traffic…our response times aren’t measured in seconds. I try to avoid situations that may pose a threat. If that isn’t possible, I try to arrange for professional security in advance. Sometimes this is enough of a deterrent. Sometimes not. But we had discussed everything in advance, from the layout of the room, to who was responsible for what, to what to tell the police if they needed to be called to the height and weight of the security person (I’m not great at judging those things). I even had a small piece of paper with the street address where we were under my phone so I wouldn’t forget. Be prepared. Run “what if…” scenarios. Think about what could happen and how you would respond. The more of that you are able to do, the calmer you will be if you need to act. Plan Ahead and Stay Safe! When help is minutes away the seconds count.