The winter holidays are right around the corner and so are criminals

Golden Triangle Region (WCBI) –  “You always gotta have your head on a swivel. You gotta be looking around.”

Grocery shopping may be on the forefront of your mind this holiday season but law enforcement tells me that safety while shopping should be your top priority.”

Kennedy Meaders is the Assistant Police Chief of West Point and also a CRAZE instructor for almost a decade.

It stands for community response to active shooting events.

Meaders says people have to learn to read the room.

“It’s basically being aware of your surroundings: looking at people, looking at exists when they go into stores, if they go to the movies, go out to eat dinner or whatever the situation, they need to know where the exits are. But if you can not get to an exit, just in case an active shooter situation happens, then you need to get down, get behind something and get in a place where you can lock yourself in, and stay sheltered in place until the all clear is given.

And if you can’t lock the door.

“If you do get into a door and can’t lock it, then put something up against that door. If that person wants to come in then that’s when you pretty much gotta take care of yourself and not become a victim.”

“Don’t wake with your head down. Get off these cell phones. Look in people’s eyes like ‘Hey I see you just like you see me. Wait till you get in the car and get locked in that car before you start talking to someone.”

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook says its important to practice situational awareness whenever you’re out in public.

“Counting the exits in a room, the number of people that’s in a room, observing who is observing people in a room, and try to figure out why that person is observing people. When you’re talking about going out to your car, your vehicle in a parking lot, you’re looking for people who are seated in their cars, why are they seated in their cars. Training yourself to look for those people, see ’em, count ’em, helps to make that eye contact. They’re looking for an easy target.”