This condition and state of awareness that you enter when, from being in
Condition Yellow, you have noticed something that could be a threat. It is
not a general awareness of a threat but a specific, focused one. It is a
potential threat, there are not enough clues to know if it’s a threat. Let me
cite some examples. You pass a few young men while walking down a
sidewalk, they are going the opposite direction. Soon after they pass, they
turn and walk behind you. You are walking out to your car after being in a
store late at night and you notice that a van has pulled up next to your car
and parked. The driver has stayed in the van and the parking lot is nearly
empty. While enjoying a lunch with your family at a park, you see a man
that was on the walking path, suddenly veer and walks straight toward
you.
When in Condition Orange, you have identified a potential threat and you
carefully watch it and evaluate it to determine if the potential threat is
developing into a real threat. Are there clues that the potential attacker is
giving off? Is he looking around for people that could be witnesses? Is he
putting his hand in his pocket, possibly reaching for a weapon? Is he
making eye contact with an accomplice? To the man that left the park
walkway and is walking toward your family, you yelled a loud “hi” to him.
Analyze his reaction. Did he veer back onto the walkway? Did he answer
“hi” back? Did he not react but continue his way toward your family? All
of these are clues. Gather them as soon as possible, remember, time and
distance are your allies.
At this point several things could happen; what appeared to be a threat
was not, using the example above, the young men had turned around and
followed you had decided to eat at a restaurant that they had passed
earlier. Another thing could happen, the bad guy sees that you see him
and are watching him closely and aborts the attack. The worst outcome is
that the potential threat turns into a real threat and he is about to attack.
Given your condition of readiness, if the threat turns real you have at least
known about it as soon as you could have. Next week covers what to do if
the threat has turned real. Don’t miss it.
Condition Orange
