We then welcomed today's speaker, Field Training Officer Jay Morningstar from the Michigan State Police. He spoke about the ways that we should plan to be safe in our daily lives. He talked about noticing things around us, expanding our perception, enhancing our communication skills, mental awareness, basic safety skills, and protecting the people we serve. He spoke of safety being not the absence of danger but the presence of protection. He then shared with us the different condition levels to assess situations:
Condition White: environmental unawareness
Condition Yellow: constantly perceiving and watching, having a plan
Condition Orange: you know there is trouble
Condition Red: what looks wrong is wrong
Condition Black: lethal assault
He shared that awareness without knowledge is paranoia, while awareness with knowledge is preparation.
He closed by talking about noticing people's body language, how we walk, how we gesture, your appearance (what seems out of place), facial expressions, and tone of voice/inflection.
Thank you, Officer Morningstar, for an informative presentation!
