Limited Circumstances, Color Code of Readiness
From stanleyscoop
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 00:31:44 -0400
Limited Circumstances
Deadly force can only be used in very limited circumstances relating to self-protection. Keep in mind, self-protection is only a defense. In order to use a "defense," you're first arrested and brought to trial, which can be, at the least, financially lethal. Your short-term problem is the threat. Your long-term problem is his free lawyer, the one you're paying for with extorted tax dollars.
Color Code of Readiness
Our illustrious "society" has determined that it's "uncouth" to listen to our instincts, hunches and intuition, so we've had to develop a conscious substitute for it: the color code of readiness. Remember, as your focus intensifies, your stress increases, narrowing your perception. These states neatly line up with legal definitions of evidence: mere suspicion, articulable suspicion, probable cause, and preponderance of evidence. To help you visualize and quantify threats, Ed Lovette suggests you use Lieutenant Colonel "Jeff" Cooper's Color Code of Readiness, incorporating Colonel John "Genghis" Boyd's O. O. D. A. Loop, where you Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act, sometimes referred to as the P. A. D. E. cycle, where you Perceive, Analyze, Decide, and Execute.
These events can be nearly simultaneous. You observe, or perceive, as you orient, or analyze, then you decide and act, or execute.
White: the NRA calls this unaware: your heart rate is below eighty beats per minute, you're unaware of your surroundings and immediate environment, like a social fascist who walks blithely into the side of his Volvo (don't worry, it's safe). The lights are on, but nobody's home. Any perceived threat in this state would be mere suspicion -you'd have no evidence to support it.
Yellow: the NRA calls this aware: your heart rate is between eighty and one hundred beats per minute, you're conscious of all that goes on around you, especially people; a condition of caution that you should be in twenty-four hours a day (you carry twenty-four hours, don't you?). In this condition, you should Observe, or Perceive: you have the opportunity to recognize a threat. Your perception will be as broad as a floodlight, easily picking up every detail around you. A threat perceived in this state would constitute articulable suspicion -you'd be able to say something isn't quite right. It wouldn't, however, allow you to engage a threat, even with verbal compliance.
Orange: the NRA calls this alert: your heart rate is between one hundred and one hundred twenty beats per minute, a general state of alarm in which you've perceived a specific threat. In this condition, you should Orient or Analyze: make effective use of your remaining time by practicing autogenic breath control to slow your respiratory rate, thereby lowering both your heart rate and blood pressure, reducing your level of stress, and by quickly assessing the situation, Decide: make a hasty plan, including immediate goals and options. Your perception narrows to a spotlight, making it difficult to discern additional threats. You need to physically move your head ninety degrees to the left, then ninety degrees to the right in order to gain a one hundred eighty degree scan. A threat perceived in this state would constitute probable cause - you'd be able to point to a specific person or thing and say this isn't quite right. This is the state where your presence and verbal compliance would be legally justifiable in court.
Red: the NRA calls this alarm: your heart rate is between one hundred twenty and one hundred forty beats per minute, a specific threat is acting in a manner immediately detrimental to your personal safety. In this condition, you should Act or Execute: Use loud, clear verbal commands, immediately identify and use cover (not concealment). Your perception has become a laser beam, blocking out everything except the immediate threat: the firearm barrel, the knife point, etc. This is the first circumstance where in a court of law, a jury would agree that the preponderance of evidence would indicate that you were right to point your legal defensive firearm at a specific, identifiable threat. Gain and maintain distance (Tueller drill). Know where the exits are. If shots have been fired and the threat's down: scan left to right, check your "six" and, without fail, reload before reholstering, check yourself for injuries. Under stress, you may not feel being shot, and until you come down from your adrenalin high, reopening your peripheral veins, may not even bleed.
Call for backup: mercenary proxy-guardian "police." This establishes you as the good guy, and will be referenced in court proceedings. Give NO statements.
