The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence (47 page)

The Bulletproof Mind: Prevailing in Violent Encounters…and After
, with an Introduction by Gavin de Becker, is a five-part, five-hour video training series.

Police officers and soldiers know all about maintaining physical readiness for combat, but it is the mind that must first be properly prepared, the mind which controls the hands, arms, eyes, and ears.

This video series was recorded live at a special meeting of experts from law enforcement and the military. They gathered to discuss just one thing—killing—with our Nation’s leading expert on the topic.

From him, you’ll learn how the body responds to lethal combat, what happens to your blood flow, your muscles, your judgment, memory, vision, and hearing when someone is trying to kill you. You’ll learn how to keep going even if you’re shot, and how to prepare your mind for survival instead of defeat.

Dave Grossman’s training is not merely information—it is armor you’ll carry throughout your life.

For more information about
The Bulletproof Mind
, visit:
www.gavindebecker.com

Since 1977 Gavin de Becker and Associates has been developing pioneering strategies for protecting public figures, government agencies, corporations, and others facing substantial safety and privacy challenges. Today, its 200 associates provide security and consultation services from offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Hawaii.

PSD

The
Protective Security Division
is the world’s leading provider of high-end protection services for at-risk public figures and sites. The division also houses the
Secure Transportation Office
, which provides safe and confidential transportation using strategically armored and security-enhanced vehicles. For qualified groups of seven or more, this division provides specialized training in public figure protection (including exercises from the firm’s Academy).

TAM

The
Threat Assessment & Management Division
evaluates and assesses threatening and otherwise inappropriate communications, and assists clients in managing situations of unwanted pursuit. This division provides consultation on the wide and ever-changing variety of safety and privacy challenges clients face.

The TAM Division houses the
Investigations Department
, which performs high-level, sub-rosa investigations related to safety and wellbeing. These include gathering information on unwanted pursuers, pre-employment background investigations, and due diligence assessments of people and businesses that might have an impact on clients’ well-being.

Training

Twice a year, the firm hosts the
Advanced Threat Assessment Academy
at the UCLA Conference Center. Attendees travel from all over the world to participate in this widely-known program, with alumni including professionals from the FBI Behavioral Sciences unit, the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Supreme Court, the US Capitol Police, dozens of major police departments and prosecutors’ offices, major universities, and more than 150 of the Fortune 500 companies.

MOSAIC

Gavin de Becker & Associates developed
MOSAIC®
, a comprehensive method for assessing situations that might escalate to violence. The firm was selected to design MOSAIC systems for State Police agencies protecting ten governors, twenty-five university police departments, the United States Supreme Court Police, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Capitol Police, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency. MOSAIC systems are currently used by threat assessment practitioners for screening threats to public figures, assessing domestic violence situations, assessing threats by students, and assessing workplace violence hazards. The Division also develops new customized MOSAIC systems for specialized applications, such as the customized domestic violence training system commissioned by California for distribution to all of the State’s 800 police departments.

TSD

The
Technical Security Division
performs comprehensive security surveys of properties and provides technological and procedural recommendations to reduce or eliminate security risks. This division provides technical specifications for builders and systems installers.

ISD

The
Information Security Division
conducts audits of information systems and provides solutions to prevent loss of sensitive and personal information transferred between computers, PDAs, and wireless networks.

www.gavindebecker.com

1)    
MEASURABILITY OF OUTCOME

 
4
obvious, clear

 
3
discoverable and shared definition

 
1
discoverable, but fluid or inconsistent

 
0
not measurable/undiscoverable

2)    
VANTAGE

 
3
perspective view

 
2
proxy view

 
0
obstructed or no view

3)    
IMMINENCE

 
4
imminent

 
2
foreseeable

 
0
remote

4)    
CONTEXT

 
3
fully revealed

 
0
concealed

5)    
PRE-INCIDENT INDICATORS

 
5
several, reliable, detectable

 
3
few, reliable, detectable

 
0
unreliable or undetectable

6)    
EXPERIENCE

 
5
extensive with both outcomes

 
3
with both outcomes

 
2
one outcome

 
0
elemental/partial/irrelevant

7)    
COMPARABLE EVENTS

 
4
substantively comparable

 
1
comparable

 
0
not comparable

8)    
OBJECTIVITY

 
2
believes either outcome is possible

 
0
believes only one outcome or neither outcome is possible

9)    
INVESTMENT

 
3
invested in outcome

 
1
emotionally invested in outcome

 
0
uninvested in outcome

10)   
REPLICABILITY

 
5
easily replicable

 
2
replicable by sample or proxy

 
0
impractical or not replicable

11)   
KNOWLEDGE

 
2
relevant & accurate

 
0
partial or inaccurate

This scale helps determine if a given prediction can be made successfully (which is distinct from whether it will be made successfully). To evaluate a prediction, answer the eleven questions described in
chapter 6
by selecting from the range of possible answers above. Then add up the total points.

Note:
The vantage question asks if the person making the prediction is in a position to observe the pre-incident indicators and context. If you can observe the situation and pre-incident indicators directly, then you have a Perspective View, but if you can only observe them through some medium (such as reports or other evidence), select Proxy View.

Following are some popular predictions, scored on the assumption that the person answering the question cares about the outcome and is as objective as possible:

(This prediction ranks higher than that of a regular guest because we all share a common definition of what it means for a comedian to do well: The audience laughs. The definition of what it means for a regular guest to do well is more fluid—the audience could be informed, amused, or moved. This prediction also scores higher because a comedian’s performance can be replicated with another audience first.)

• Do you have a policy manual or teacher’s handbook? May I have a copy or review it here?
  
• Is the safety of students the first item addressed in the policy or handbook? If not, why not?
  
• Is the safety of students addressed at all?
  
• Are there policies addressing violence, weapons, drug use, sexual abuse, child-on-child sexual abuse, unauthorized visitors?
  
• Are background investigations performed on all staff?
  
• What areas are reviewed during these background inquiries?
  
• Who gathers the information?
  
• Who in administration reviews the information and determines the suitability for employment?
  
• What are the criteria for disqualifying an applicant?
  
• Does the screening process apply to all employees (teachers, janitors, lunchroom staff, security personnel, part-time employees, etc.)?
  
• Is there a nurse on-site at all times while children are present (including before and after school)?
  
• What is the nurse’s education or training?
  
• Can my child call me at any time?
  
• May I visit my child at any time?
  
• What is your criteria for when to contact parents?
  
• What are the parent notification procedures?
  
• What are the student pick-up procedures?
  
• How is it determined that someone other than me can pick up my child?
  
• How does the school address special situations (custody disputes, child kidnapping concerns, etc.)?
  
• Are older children separated from younger children during recess, lunch, restroom breaks, etc.?
  
• Are acts of violence or criminality at the school documented? Are statistics maintained?
  
• May I review the statistics?
  
• What violence or criminality has occurred at the school during the last three years?
  
• Is there a regular briefing of teachers and administrators to discuss safety and security issues?
  
• Are teachers formally notified when a child with a history of serious misconduct is introduced to their class?
  
• What is the student-to-teacher ratio in class? During recess? During meals?
  
• How are students supervised during visits to the restroom?
  
• Will I be informed of teacher misconduct which might have an impact on the safety or well-being of my child?
  
• Are there security personnel on the premises?
  
• Are security personnel provided with written policies and guidelines?
  
• Is student safety the first issue addressed in the security policy and guidelines material? If not, why not?
  
• Is there a special background investigation conducted on security personnel, and what does it encompass?
  
• Is there any control over who can enter the grounds?
  
• If there is an emergency in a classroom, how does the teacher summon help?
  
• If there is an emergency on the playground, how does the teacher summon help?
  
• What are the policies and procedures covering emergencies (fire, civil unrest, earthquake, violent intruder, etc.)?
  
• How often are emergency drills performed?
  
• What procedures are followed when a child is injured?
  
• What hospital would my child be transported to in the event of a serious injury?
  
• Can I designate a different hospital? A specific family doctor?
  
• What police station responds to the school?
  
• Who is the school’s liaison at the police department?