Stalking

[H2O Man]

12. That's good!

When I trained mental health workers in "community crisis response" -- which at the time often involved mental health workers, but has become primarily a lawn enforcement task -- the first thing I would say was to survey the landscape before getting out of the car. In upstate New York, there were a lot of isolated, lonely places we were called to. In cases where we determined police were required, there could be a long wait. Quite a few times, the people with me expressed surprise at the list of things I looked for, I suppose because the average person doesn't look for them in normal situations. But having a gun pointed at you by an angry person just one time can change one's expectations of "normal," I think.

Combine that survey of surroundings with the information from the call that resulted in your going to this home. That is, of course, an intellectual exercise. But at least as important -- and often more important -- is to trust your gut feelings.