COLOR CODE OF MENTAL AWARENESS
By Joey “Chief” Rubio

I recently read an article in SWAT magazine by Patrick A. Rogers, which contained the following story.  I really left me wondering what people are thinking as they walk around this big blue marble.  Please, read on:

In the early 1980s, I was assigned to NYPD’s storied Central Robbery Division. We identified and arrested a mutt who had committed a number of rapes/sodomies/robberies in midtown Manhattan. We did a quick line-up with several of his victims—enough to anchor him, but as he’d just been released from a 10-year pop for doing the same things, we were confident we could tie him in to more. We brought the perp in for a follow-on line-up, getting a lot of victims where the description (unique) and forensic evidence justified it. I was with one victim, a very bright female executive. We briefed her on the procedure while waiting for another victim to clear the viewing room.

After acknowledging the instruction, she wanted to retell the incident: “When the elevator door opened, I saw him, and my stomach clenched. I knew … I KNEW that he was going to hurt me.” I was befuddled by this and asked her what she did. She stated, “I got in the elevator.” I was beside myself now, and asked why she had boarded the elevator with someone she “knew” would hurt her. Her comment was telling of how we as a society are. She said, “I didn’t want to embarrass him.” This woman was brutally sodomized, beaten and robbed. She saw what she considered a threat. But instead of acting on preserving her life and safety, she intellectualized and, as a result, lost.

OK, people, breathe.  You’re probably thinking the same thing I did.  “Why would she do that?”  But the reality of it is that all of us, even the best trained, let our guard down from time to time.  We walk straight from our car into the bank without looking inside to see if there might be a robbery in progress.  Or we cross the street while talking on the phone unaware of on-coming traffic.  This woman knew she was in danger, but decided to ignore her gut feeling.

Now, most people walk around without the knowledge that danger lurks around the next corner.  This brings us to the Color Code of Mental Awareness.  In the tactical world, these people are at Mental Awareness Level Condition White.  Walking down the street with your hands in your pocket, head in the clouds, whistling this week’s top ten song…  In this state of awareness, the fight is over before they even know they’re in one.  Most attacks are over in three seconds leaving the victim wondering, “how did that happen to me?.

The Color Code of Mental Awareness has Five Levels: Conditions White, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Black.  In this article, I will be discussing conditions White and Yellow, but don’t worry; I’ll cover the other levels of awareness in a future article.

Now, I’m not saying we should all walk around paranoid, spinning our heads around so hard that we keep our local chiropractor game fully employed.  But a good state of mind to be in is in Mental Awareness Level Condition Yellow, relaxed but alert.  Example:  you’re walking down the street and you see a reflection of two youths in a store window behind you, eyeballing your Rolex watch (ok, maybe it’s a knock-off since no one can afford one on a government salary, but go with it).  You turn to look at them and they back away.  That doesn’t make you paranoid, but aware of the world around you.  Most criminals don’t go after people who are aware of them because they are prepared and not as easy a target as the people in condition White.  Here’s another example.  As a fireman or EMT, you arrive at the location of a 911 call reporting a man having been shot and in need of a paramedic but notice that you’re in a bad part of town with a high crime rate and decide to wait for the local PD to arrive on the scene to insure that the area is secure and the shooter is not in the AO.  That’s condition Yellow and may very well save your life as well as that of your fellow firemen or EMT’s.  When you’re on the job, don’t let the adrenaline get the best of you; stop, look, listen, and yes, even smell before you jump into action.  Trust the hairs on the back of your neck and your six sense.  Remember, you’re no good to the people you serve if you walk into an ambush.  Stay alert and thanks for serving.

 
Chief Out