Watch the video and determine at what point you KNOW something is going to happen. The comments section will have my breakdown of the video, but add in your observations as you may see something different.
Watch the video multiple times. The goal of the video is to build your file folders for threat behavior, increasing your ability to identify these behaviors in real-time.
Establishment of these File Folders is what will allow you to become effective at Predicting threats before they occur.
One comment
Patrick Van Horne
October 28, 2011 at 9:40 am
Video 3 Breakdown – Convenience Store Robbery
What I would expect as a pattern (for customers) for a convenience store:
1. Customer enters store
2. Customer goes to cashier (Proxemic Pull to this spot)
a. Directly to cashier upon entering to just pay for gas
b. Picks up some product from the convenience store, than goes to counter
3. Upon completion of the sale, customer immediately leaves, despite being a habitual area, generally people don’t desire to hang out in a convenience store.
Geographic Breakdown of Convenience Store
A convenience store is a habitual area, anyone can come or go, but there is still the expectation that you are there to purchase something from them
– Inside the store is an anchor point, behind the counter, only employees are allowed into this area with access to the cash register
– There is a natural lines of drift from the door directly to the cash register, as well as manmade natural lines of drift (the isles) created by the shelves, dictating movement around the store
– Atmospherics are generally subdued and quiet. There isn’t much conversation since people want to get in and get out, not loiter
Pre-Event Indicators
Criminal #1, man in the black shirt and black shorts, enters the store, does a full lap around the outside of the store and then moves down an isle
o He is moving quickly, which I would say FITS the baseline
– When he comes up to the counter, he breaks from the baseline (being in a hurry) by stalling and delaying at the counter, appearing to have all the time in the world. This does NOT FIT his prior behavior.
Criminal #2, man in the green shirt, enters the store– Kinesic indicators that stand out include the lack of arm movement in his right arm
o This is due to his limbic system response to conceal the handgun he has in either his waistband or pocket on his right side. Take a look at What Every Body Is Saying by Joe Navarro, page 25 for more on restricted body language.
o Also, his actions with his left arm are likely more similar to his baseline as he has an arm swing when he walks
– His behavior also does not fit my anticipated baseline/pattern because he is just trying to appear busy (picking up snacks, but doesn’t take any of them)
o This is an application of heuristics, slowing the decision making cycle of the clerk by trying to appear legit
Man in the Black Shirt leaves the store, leaving his purchases and cash on the counter, not fearful that his money may get taken by the clerk or the man in the green shirt
– When the Black Shirt leaves the store, the man in green proves he has no legit reason for being there, as he is just standing in front of the counter with no purpose
– Black shirt comes back into the store, has some interaction with Green shirt, proving they have a relationship, proxemic distance and access to intimate zone
o Up to this point, neither had explicitly acknowledged each other
Black shirt returns with gun in hand and immediately jumps over the counter– Green shirt, while still on cell phone, removes his gun from (either pocket or waist band) on right side.
– Green shirt understands proximity negates skill, and continually moves further away as cashier gets closer to him, keeping standoff.
Key Takeaways
Some indicators may by subtle, but by understanding the baseline and the expected patterns for a convenience store, you will see that the behavior of these two did NOT FIT the baseline. You may not have known that the guy in the Black shirt was going to return with a gun, but their behavior should have alerted you to further observe these two individuals. This would have shifted the clerk into Condition Orange and could have taken action to prevent the robbery.