Welcome back Street Survivors.

Seems like the year is already flying by, wasn’t Christmas last week? We are already into February, and the world is spinning ever faster. A lot of this is due to the high-tech world we live in. Even microwaves seem slow by today’s standards. 

In the not-too-distant past, if you were planning a trip you stopped at your local gas station to hit the rack of maps for every state along the way. Grab a highlighter and go to work. Today, you punch the address into your personal GPS device and your electronic friend will tell you exactly how long its going to take to get there based on existing traffic patterns, will warn you of accidents or delays along the way, and walk you through every stop sign and traffic light to get you exactly where you want to go. Most people rely so much on their GPS they can hardly get around their neighborhood without it.

Another shocking technological advancement is in the world of drones. Just a couple of years ago, photographers used them to capture perfect sunsets while emergency rescue teams searched for dementia patients that walked off their porches. Today, Amazon delivers packages with drones, power companies inspect their damaged lines after major storms, major construction projects, oil rigs, and roofing companies perform inspections, agriculture operations include monitoring crops and spraying insecticides, mapping and surveying rely on drones every day, and commercial and residential real estate companies promote their properties for sale using drone flyovers. In dangerous or hard to reach areas, drones are increasingly used to provide an inexpensive solution. Thermal cameras can be mounted to help spot problems on wind turbines, solar panels, cell towers, and bridges. 

And the military, as usual, takes technology to the next level. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are drones with weapons, remotely operated, offering look-ahead capabilities for frontline units to identify and track enemy activity. Miniaturized versions are used by Tier 1 units (think Delta, Seal Team 6, etc) in hostage situations to identify location of bad guys and their weapons and help plan the best and shortest route to rescue the hostages. These silent surveillance drones are the size of dragon flies and can easily fly in an open window and look around, providing real-time intelligence just prior to an assault. They send encrypted data back to the teams while resisting attempts to jam their signal by the enemy. Drones today are incredibly reliable while being extremely covert and hard to detect even from a few yards away. 

Much larger versions are one-way drones that seek out a target and destroy it like a Kamikaze pilot back in World War 2. These fixed wing versions do not operate like miniature helicopters or quadcopters, they are more like gliders with a propeller, and deadly accurate. The Russia-Ukraine war has demonstrated the creativity and success of this rapidly advancing technology as viewed almost real time on the daily news. Modern warfare has changed drastically due to drone technology and the drone pilots that have created a whole new career path for the next generation.

As you can see technology can change everyday life in the blink of an eye. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), you cannot even believe your own eyes and ears. As of this writing Today Show host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother Nancy, is going into her fourth day of captivity after being brutally kidnapped at her own home. The plea from the family to the abductors asked for verifiable proof of life, and with AI enhancements our voice patterns and even facial images can be so closely duplicated that a family member going through emotional stress, could not tell if what they see and hear is true or false. 

Certainly, drones are being used in the search to track vehicles involved, remote areas that are tough for vehicles to access, and home security cameras from neighbors that could provide additional clues. Even advancements in DNA technology are being employed to identify and confirm Nancy as well as her abductors. Medical technology built into Nancy’s pacemaker helped determine the exact time of her abduction, as it disconnected from her phone app. 

Despite all the technology surrounding this case and in our everyday life, we often find that going back to basics can be the answer. Search dogs with their amazing sense of smell can track a person even through bad weather, visual surveillance using helicopters and other vehicles with basic binoculars have solved many cases, and one of the most important ingredients is you, the friend, family member or neighbor that notices behavior that is abnormal, and contacts local authorities to report this information. Get involved, be aware. Situational Awareness is key to surviving and thriving every day that God gives us. Prayers for Nancy Guthrie and her family. 

Rick ‘Pirate Hunter’ Grover strongly believes we are all in this together, and the more we learn and train, the better we will be prepared for any eventuality. This makes all of us part of an amazing neighborhood team of American Patriots. 

God Bless America! 

Drop us a comment or question at email: StreeTactics@gmail.com

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