Commentary - You’re nothin’ special . . .

 

Take just a minute or two – read this very short article:

Off-duty Chicago police officer attacked while jogging

The take away phrase for me?

“I’m police, I’m police,” the officer yelled as the man tried to strip off her clothes, according to the report.

The attack is already “on” . . . she’s already down . . . the guy is already ripping her clothes off . . . in other words – he really doesn’t give a crap whether she’s a cop or not.

As for engaging this guy with her gun – she didn’t, even after she got him off her. That means one of two things – she wasn’t carrying (it is Chicago ya know, guns are not needed to protect yourself) or she couldn’t clear her weapon until he was so far away it no longer had value for her defense.

The reason this sentence struck me was that she apparently has the belief that since SHE knows she’s a cop, her likelihood of being attacked is smaller than for the average citizen. (ok, I know I’m putting thoughts in her head, this is just how I took the article.) This should be a lesson to her – and everyone – your station in life means nothing to someone intent on doing you harm. If you look like a victim, “smell” like a victim, act like a victim . . . you raise the likelihood that you will be a victim.

What could she have done better?

The fellow obviously rode around her a number of times on his bike – to me the logical thing to have done was to have stopped, kept eye contact, put her hand on her weapon and then announced she was an armed officer. Instead she allowed herself to become reactive rather than proactive.

Farther still, what does this story mean to us – as defensive shooters?

• First – Cooper’s Color Code has real value in keeping us safe – integrate it into your life.
• If possible, move away from a threat – create space between you and it. If you can’t, if you’re in a corner – my opinion is to confront the threat directly and let them know their “cost” won’t be cheap.
• You’re nothin’ special! You’ve taken training – cool! You’re a “real operator” – very cool! You’re a cop – nice – and thank you, genuinely, for your service. You’re ex-military – again, genuinely, thank you for your service. You’re active duty – thank you. But, under all of that – you’re nothin’ special . . . you are NOT IMMUNE to attack. You die like a normal human being.

Bottom line – be aware, don’t be lazy, carry your gun, train with it . . .

. . . . because to someone, somewhere – your nothing more than an easy target.