Victim Avoidance, Situational Awareness and Personal Protection for the Lone Worker

Meeting Dates: 
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Meeting Time and Location: 

1-4pm
(Registration begins at 12:30pm)

 Location: Library of Michigan, 702 West Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48915
* Special Note About Parking: Please allow extra time for parking in the State Lot, as attendees will need to pay and enter through the gate.

Note: 

About This Training:
The seminar focuses on preventing victimization in community settings. The Community / Lone Worker who cannot often be seen or heard by others, who work independently in the community, or in remote or isolated locations without direct contact with co-workers or supervisors.

The “Lone Worker” includes, but is not limited to:

  • Healthcare workers, social workers, public health nurses, aid workers, ministers
  • Utility workers, construction workers, real estate agents, building inspectors, truck drivers
  • Traveling sales personnel
  • Public employee code enforcers, inspectors, temporary agency workers
  • Delivery drivers, individuals in public areas (e.g., homes, malls, stores, sidewalks, elevators, garages)
  • Retail, gas station attendants, convenience store personnel, food outlet employees

 1. Risks of Victimization in Field/Work Settings

  • Field/Home Setting Environment Risks
  • Risks in Community Settings
  • Potential Perpetrators – Customers, Clients, Gangs, Citizens, Criminals
  • Disgruntled Individuals
  • Behavioral Indicators of Aggressive Individuals

2. Situational Awareness and Victim Avoidance

  • Did You See It Coming? Avoiding Complacency
  • The “Fight, Flight, or Freeze” Reactions
  • Paradigm Shift: Seeing the World Differently
  • Non-Verbal and Verbal Pre-Attack Indicators
  • Reactionary “Gaps” – Protecting Your Personal Space
  • Assault/Robbery Considerations

3. Developing a Survival Mentality

  • Scanning Your Environment for Threats/“Anomalies”
  • Color Codes of Awareness
  • Looking for and Assessing Threats
  • Contingency Planning for Dangerous Situations
  • Taking Action

4. Verbal Diffusion and De-Escalation Techniques

  • 10 Seconds to Safety
  • Active Listening and De-Escalation Strategies
  • The ABCs of Verbal Diffusion

5. Safely Exiting At-Risk Field Situations

  • Creating “Exit Excuses"
  • Using Agency and Law Enforcement Resources

The training includes discussions and videos of incidents to illustrate crime situations, conflict resolution strategies, and personal safety counter-measures.