Many people train a lot for pulling a trigger (which is good to do), but rarely do they think outside of that. They get NVGs, Body Armor, the coolest guns, and some even acquire the tastiest freeze-dried food in case of food shortages. However, I hardly think that is scratching the surface of what is needed. I personally recommend looking at your prepping subject (EMP, Invasion, Tyrannical Takeover, etc.) from 50,000 feet. This means you need to think big picture and how the world is going to look outside of your neighborhood and even your city. What could this possibly tell you? Well, a lot actually.
Looking at the scope of the unrest will tell you if rule of law is suspended indefinitely, or temporarily. It will tell you if your area is the only one effected and even how bad it is in scope. If your area is untouched, perhaps having knowledge of events outside your area will key you in on possible, or even incoming events. This means that you need to have methods of gathering information. This requires you to have a communications plan, and possibly even the ability to physically observe your surrounding areas to get an accurate determination of the threat(s), situation with emergency services, and the reaction/behavior of the public.
When you are looking for scenarios to train for, people tend to look at the worst-case scenario and work backwards towards the best case. There is some credible reasoning for this, but as a private citizen, the likelihood of experiencing and having to handle a dynamic critical incident is so low that it can be hard to justify the amount of time people train for it. Add to the fact that the training most people conduct is isolated to the use of deadly force. Rarely have I seen people conduct training that involves pre-event indicators that must be read, or even what must be done immediately after a critical incident.
In almost any societal unrest, most people turn out fine and don’t experience this Blackhawk Down scenario that a lot of preppers seem to think they will have to deal with. In fact, every prepper in the US has been straight up wrong in how they prepare. They prepare for complete lawlessness indefinitely, and then come to find out that emergency services are restored in a matter of days. Hurricane Katrina is the most extreme case of a disaster leading to lawlessness, but most people turned out fine and few people were having to shoot it out with the neighborhood druggy. In fact, the most common thing that is needed during these disaster situations or unrest situations is looking after your neighbor and being a calming influence. That does more to help, historically, than having all the ammo and tactical gear available.
It is not unheard of that private citizens have had to take up arms and establish a presence in the neighborhood in order to act as a deterrent. Notice that presence is enough to deter criminal behavior most of the time. This is not to say that you should be presenting yourself as a bluff, but certainly don’t go out with the sole intent to collect scalps. Being ready to protect yourself and your property/neighborhood will require more than an armed presence. Often this will require approachability, tact, and being helpful. Basically, the neighborhood needs to see you as more than just some dude that is all dressed up, looking for a fight.
If things get bad in your neighborhood, you will need to operate similar to Law Enforcement and military units undertaking COIN operations. You will need your neighborhood behind you when you are out, so you might need some volunteers to help you patrol in shifts. Perhaps you should do door to door check on people to make sure they have what they need and see what you can do to make their day. Perhaps having extra blankets for the neighbors’ kids during the winter would do the trick, or perhaps offer to help with some manual labor like moving furniture or gather firewood. Even offering the latest information about what is happening can be enough to give you value and a positive image. Bottom line is be genuine in your level of concern for the wellbeing of others.
Remember that everyone is watching and what they say about you can either be a lifesaver (literally), or be damning when the law comes back around. Any Law Enforcement Officer knows that witnesses can be the worst witnesses, but their testimony in court can sway a jury and get a conviction. Say the Police find a body that was dumped behind your neighborhood and they were riddled with rifle wounds. If your neighbors only see you patrolling with all your tactical gear, it would not be hard for a field interview from your neighbors to be enough reasonable suspicion to label you as THE prime suspect. In cases like this, the court of public opinion will be what decides your fate. Even if the physical evidence is lacking, all it will take is a prosecutor to be convincing enough to 12 people who couldn’t get out of jury duty. How do you think wrongful convictions happen?
If you are baffled by this, just think about how this whole scenario would play out. Police go door to door, informing people in the neighborhood that there was a body dumped nearby and ask if they know anything about that. The Police will ask if there was any gunfire heard or armed people walking around, or even if anything unusual happened (catch-all question). The helpful citizen two doors down from you, wanting to be helpful, may convince themselves they heard X number of shots an untold number of days ago, and they saw you all geared up before that. The witness testimony can go from just having seen you walk down the street armed to the teeth, all the way to watching you execute someone. LE may know that witnesses tend to embellish, but if only one person gives that kind of testimony and no one else gives a statement countering that claim, guess what your future will look like. Hope you spent as much money retaining a good defense attorney as you did on all that Gucci gear.
If you have been training for that glorious firefight to end all firefights, that is fine, but now it is time to broaden your skillset. I recommend starting with knowing CPR and other medical treatments for when things get bad. You are more likely to need to stitch someone up, splint a bone, or treat heat/cold injuries that use your firearm. Whatever you learn in medical training, learn it with the intent to teach it to someone else. If you were the only one who has medical training, you will want to spend time passing on that knowledge to your neighbors so you have others to call on and even help you/themselves.
Next, you should learn to be self-sufficient in the home, to include establishing and maintaining a garden. Limit the plants to things that actually have a caloric/nutritional value. Avoid Tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, berries, peppers, and other vegetables that lack a high caloric value. It is fine to grow these things, but not at the expense of veggies and fruit that have a higher return for your efforts. Consider things that are less labor intensive, faster to grow, and more calorically dense. I personally will grow things like Potatoes, Einkorn Wheat, Broccoli, Kale, Apples, Peas, Grapes, Strawberries, Thyme, Garlic, and onions. I know I said that berries are not a good idea, but if you can start Strawberries and grapes now, and get them to spread, you can have buckets of berries to harvest when things go bad. If you are trying to plan a garden, first I would recommend you think about what it will be like to LIVE off the harvest you have. Perhaps you don’t have enough planted or maybe you just don’t like a certain vegetable enough to eat it for days or weeks at a time. Think about this before and be prepared to supplement with vitamins and other shelf stable options like freeze-dried or canned food. Again, learn to do everything with the intent of teaching others to do the same.
Lastly, I would say that you need to learn how to handle non-violent conflicts or conduct conflict resolution without violence. This means learning de-escalation tactics, body language, etc. I highly recommend coupling this with learning something like Krav Maga and how to use less lethal weapons such as OC (Not store-bought crap!) and Taser/stun guns. You can get training in these less lethal weapon systems, and even be certified in using them. However, laws still matter, so check the criteria that warrants their use now. Don’t get rolled up for OCing some jackass because your OC container was way above the legal limit for civilians.
The primary job of a security professional is to observe and report. This means that you do not have universal crime stopping authority, and the best you can do for the most part is be a GOOD witness. As much as it pains Patriots/preppers to hear it, the best option for us is to simply observe and report when we do not have the authority or resources to intervene. If five of your neighbors are having a brawl in the middle of the street, you are not going to do much good by charging out their and trying to break up the fight. Theoretically you can act to prevent a felony in progress, such as a street brawl. If your local law allows intervening when people are under threat of serious bodily injury/death, you could give verbal commands and then administer a dose of OC for those continually assaulting each other.
If you use force on another citizen, I would recommend preparing for retaliation by standing ready at a safe distance with your Taser. After about 5 seconds, generally people will prioritize their comfort over whatever squabble they had, or turn on you. But that is on you to think about these issues ahead of time, get training, and plan for it. You are not a Law Enforcement officer and you are not a jailor, but as a citizen, most states will allow citizens arrest, to some degree. Even under citizen’s arrest, your ability to hold someone against their will is going to be limited and vary in each state/county. Understand these laws and your responsibilities to the detainee. Be prepared to provide aid to everyone, ensure the health and safety of your detainee(s), and get any witness statements or evidence to help justify your actions. Even writing a report on the event will be helpful. Again, the law will come back at you, so document the events accurately and get the detainee and all information in the hands of an LEO as soon as possible.
I am not saying that everyone should shift from plate carriers and NVGs to a duty belt and a badge. I am simply trying to make you aware that the reality of WROL and SHTF is that is will be temporary, and your actions will be watched. I am recommending that your defense plan be based on reality and not on fantasy. Prepare for solving squabbles, providing first aid, providing for those who are in need (kissing babies and petting dogs). If all you are preparing for is shooting people, doing battle drills against roving bandits, and eating MREs, you are kind of on the wrong track. Not saying you won’t possibly have to fight at night or stage an ambush, clear a house or two, or duke it out with thugs, but that will be quite the exception. It is nice to have the training to go to that extreme, but if you don’t know how to train others in what you know, I would say you are about as disposable as TP. Keep in mind that history is filled with societies collapsing, and at no time were these events total or permanent, except in fables. Hold your own, but don’t be selfish, anti-social, or a dictator/power-monger.