Non-Permissive Environment Tools – Part 2

[DISCLAIMER: The information herein is not meant as advice or instruction. The reader is responsible for their own actions. Neither the author nor the website are responsible for your own actions.]

Lets talk about Non-Permissive Environment Tools a second time. It’s going to be fun. Last time we spoke about NPE Weaponry which was “Part 1” of a multi-part series. Don’t forget, NPE means “Non-Permissive Environment”, right? So what kind of place is that? Well, any type of NPE is generally going to be a “secure area” such as an Airport, Courthouse, Jail, Military Bases, Prison, etc. You could go so far as to classify the Non-Permissive Environment’s into smaller groups based on the level of their security. I’ll give you an example: How much easier do you think it would be to take a knife into a college classroom versus on a plane? But, could a school or college, or even a bank be considered an Non-Permissive Environment? I would think so, but not to the level of a Courthouse or Airport, etc. You get where I’m coming from? Good. So, with that in mind, you can maybe come up with a number rating system for Non-Permissive Environments and what Non-Permissive Environment Tools you can likely carry. One that denotes how secure each place is. Such as:

Non-Permissive Environment’s: Secure Areas

Hopefully you know what an Area Study is. When I put together my area studies (yes I have multiple, don’t you?) I use a Secure Area Rating System. The system is 1-10 with 10 being the most secure, like Fort Knox or the White House, and 1 representing a severe lack of security like… maybe… Burger King? And a 5 representing a ‘middle of the road’ level of security like some churches have these days or some types of stadiums.  Granted, this rating scale is just for you to work on yourself as you gather intel on NPEs in your area for your Area Study specifically, but the info is important to know and bears on our subject matter. Wait, are you not doing area studies yet? You should be. You need an Area Study, and you need an NPE study within that area study. For example: Where is your nearest Airport, Nearest Military installation, etc. What level of security do each place have? Again, all this info is for YOU only. So, do the work my friend. If you need help, contact me, the team at AP, or the team at Forward Observer for training on Tradecraft and building an Area Study. Knowledge is power.

So here are some examples (These are just arbitrary example ratings, you decide what they are for your area based on the intel you have):

Airport = 7 (They have their own security on site as well as police on site. They ALWAYS have cameras everywhere. They also generally have K-9s, X-Ray and Backscatter X-Ray, metal detectors, millimeter wave scanners, trace detection, and random checks. And this is just what we know about. Some items can be brought on the plane in the CHECKED Luggage, but not on your Carry On… learn this.)

Military base = 9 (They have MPs, 24/7 security, cameras everywhere, thermal, night vision, Xray and metal detection gear, vehicle check points, and more. Not easy to take any gear in with you.)

Prison = 9 (They have 24/7 security as well, live guards everywhere, cameras everywhere, night vision cams, some have thermal FLIR cams, Xray and metal detection gear, vehicle check points, and so on. You are stripped going in if you’re a ‘special guest’, so don’t expect to take any tools in with you. You’ll have to salvage and work with what you can find inside.)

Hopefully you see what I’m getting at here. Again, the list is for you and your area only. Remember to update it regularly. You will want to refer back to that info at a later date. Do not include any info that you cannot deem as credible or factual. BS is nothing but BS. Intel and knowing how to use that intel are extremely important and becoming more important daily. Start that area study ASAP.

Always ready

So, let’s talk tools… no, not Dewalt tools… Non-Permissive Environment tools. Being able to have tools on you when things get “hairy” is an advantage I ALWAYS utilize when I can. When I go thru an airport, I have “tools” on my person. When I go into a courthouse, I have “tools” with me. I always do. What I carry depends on where I am going. But I can tell you this. The mentality is: “Even if I am naked, I am still ‘armed’.” You’d be surprised what you can get someone to overlook. You’d also be surprised at how many things get “let thru” the ‘detectors’ that courthouses and other ‘higher security’ places use. It’s kind of silly.

You need to be prepared for as much as you can handle, as often as possible. The mentality above stretches throughout your life and to your family and friends, and beyond. You need options everywhere you are going to be, and anywhere you spend alot of time. OK, Let’s discuss some options for tools, and for places to hide them.

Hiding Places for Non-Permissive Environment Carry

One of my favorite places to hide tools is my shoelaces. I can conceal a ton of gear in my laces if I am using hollowed out 550 cord. You know the first part of your laces at the bottom, closest to your toes? That part of the laces is straight, so there are multiple options you can get in there, depending on the size of your shoes or boots. Make sure the boots or shoes you are using do NOT look tactical though, it’s a dead giveaway. My Merrill hiking boots have about 2.5”-3” inches of laces straight across there. I can hide a ferro rod, a small striking saw blade in a little straw or tube that sealed with heat on both ends, a couple of small rod magnets for general direction finding, a sealed micro ceramic razor (has to be the right kind), a small straight handcuff key like the TIHK or one of the many homemade ones I have produced, and so much more.

If you look at your laces going up your shoes, you will see them ‘criss-cross’ as the shoelaces up. Have you ever measured how long each part is? Well, mine are about 2.5”-3” just like the bottom one I mentioned first. You can store small gear in each part of the laces. One part at a time. Or, if that too complicated, stick to the top of the laces that you might wrap around the “high top” part of the shoe or boot. You can pull out the innards of those parts and LOAD them up with gear.

The other option is to upgrade your boots or shoes with Shomer-Tec Escape Laces and Boot Lace Handcuff Keys. The Shomer-Tec Escape Laces are made of black Technora cord, which has a tensile strength of 950lbs. (950 pounds) and comes in many lengths. The laces can be removed and used to “saw” through zip ties, duct tape, and some other materials. The laces can also be used for less than cordial things if all you have is these laces to defend yourself in a very bad scenario. Hopefully you never have to do that. The Shomer-Tec Boot Lace Handcuff Keys are a stellar option as well. You can attach them to any laces or even any jacket or hoodie that has cordage on it. These handcuff keys were developed for operatives that work in dangerous places, and, like everything I am showing here, are available to civilians.

Another stellar place to hide gear is in your hat. It could be a baseball cap, beanie/stocking cap, hankerchief/bandana, or really any piece of headgear. My wife has a cute little headband she wears to keep her long hair out of her face, but its not your average headband. It conceals a small ceramic razor, a couple handcuff keys (to be deployed all over her person if needed), a few Bogota lockpicks that double as tension tools, and a couple of magnetic rods to be used for direction-finding.

The key to that headband is, I MADE THE POCKETS IN IT MYSELF. The BEST covert gear you can make, by far, is the stuff you make yourself. Items that are not on the open market for everyone to analyze and defeat. I’m not going to show you how I did it, you can find examples on various video hosting sites though. Don’t get me wrong, the gear on the open market is awesome, but you are ultimately responsible for how its staged and deployed throughout your person. Granted, your wife or husband may wonder why you modified their favorite headband or hat, but hopefully you can explain it to them in a simple and concise manner. Or maybe you can buy a duplicate of the item and mod that instead.

There are companies that make baseball caps with pockets inside such as the Wazoo Cache Cap and Patch Cache Cap. This cap can hold a lot of survival gear and quite a bit more than you might think. I havent personally put one to the test, but I have a friend who owns one and says he loves it.

Other places you can stage your gear for rapid deployment (I’m not going to have pics of every suggestion.):

• The sole or heel of your footwear- This may require a bit of work, but it is very possible. You must do this yourself and you must do it right. But when it’s done correctly, it is hard to detect… depending on where you are. Keep in mind this is a better technique for 3^rd world countries. You can hide a lot of gear in your footwear… in the laces, in the tongue, in the heel, in the sole, etc.

• Your watch band or behind watch- watchband survival bracelets are common, and easy to make. I have used a ranger band to keep a few pieces of gear on my watch strap, and glue dots to keep gear under the watch face. I have also used other options along that same line. The Covert NATO Watch Strap from Tracer Tactical is cool, but I think it would be cooler it the little pocket was on the INSIDE of the strap, but thats just me. Under that picture, you can see the Watch Kit from Superesse Straps. Superesse Straps has MULTIPLE Watch kits fr SERE, E&E, Survival, Navigation, and more… so take a look.

• Under bandaids or gauze- Enemies, Police, Prison Guards, etc. are much less likely to want to see your “wound” under the dressing, and even less likely to dig into that wound looking for gear like small lockpicks and diamond wire saws. Keep this in mind. I am not going to show this to you, but needless to say, most captors will hesitate to look at your wounds, especially if you fake sick or some kind of something they don’t want to catch.

• In the seam of any piece of clothing- This technique is an old one from the WW2 spies and resistance members who wanted a way to conceal a small, thin, triangular dagger/spike up their sleeve without having a “sheath” conspicuously strapped to their wrist. Many examples exist even before WW2. Any seam of your clothing will work. It’s difficult to show this to you in the manner it was done back in the day. I also don’t plan to show anyone the items I have sewn into my clothing. You get the idea. If you dont know how, seek out someone older than you who knows how to sew. If they ask why you want a triangle bladed dagger into your pants seam, just tell them you are doing a project for a historical video.

• Inside or along-side the frame of your glasses or sunglasses- So how decorative are your glasses or your sunglasses? Could you maybe wrap a few pieces of electrical tape on them to conceal a Bogota lockpick set? Do you have the skills to un-screw the “arms” of your glasses and replace them with your own design that consists of a lock picking set on the one side and a tiny triangular dagger on the other? Just food for thought.

• Sewn into your undies in various ways- Tools and weaponry concealed in underwear is a common concept that dates back to the first prisoners being taken. But it is really no different than HOW it’s done today. Using seams and thicker areas of the undies is a great place to stash items such as lockpicks. (I have this set up in some of my gear and clothing, but I am not going to show what, where, or how I did this. You can figure this one out yourself… be creative.)

• Worn as a necklace- I have and wear the Oscar Delta APEK 5.2 (Advanced Personal Escape Kit) Technora cord necklace with the Micro Striker Bead for breaking glass, a Micro Light Stick, an R-Clip, the Uber Gulag Shim 2.0 and the AHK3 (Advanced Handcuff Key 3) that is set up for use with at least 13 types of handcuffs from all over the world… Chinese, US, NATO, Russian, etc.  oscardelta.co.uk/escape_tools.html

• Worn as a bracelet- I also have and currently wear the infamous GTFO Wrist Strap & AHK3 handcuff key installed. This is a stellar setup for any person who wants to be “ready” for a worst-case scenario but is on a budget and doesn’t want to stand out in a crowd. The GTFO is a tiny bracelet, very small operational signature, almost none. It can shatter glass and get you out of handcuffs from all over the world extremely fast if you know how to utilize it properly.

• Worn under clothes on an IWB shock-corded container of some sort, etc.- The final E&E item I have from Oscar Delta is their “Plan B- 3.5” kit. It is shock-corded and contained in a small black tube that’s no more than 4” inches long and about ¾” three quarters of an inch in diameter. Inside the IWB 2.0 with breakaway connector, the tube contains the Oscar Delta SAD Tool 3.0, a T200 High Speed Friction Saw, Uber Gulag Shim 2.0, 120lbs. SS Split Ring on the IWB strap, 1x of the 4-hour Micro Green Light Stick, Optimized Hair Clip (AKA it’s a Bobby Pin), and a combination Padlock Bypass Tool. (Keep in mind that this would be worn UNDER your clothing, not on top of it. Most Law Enforcement are reluctant to feel up your private parts, so use that to your advantage.) Again, this product is available at: oscardelta.co.uk

Keep in mind also, that just like you see above in the Oscar Delta Plan-B 3.2 which is part of the FT-CCK 4.5, (Fast Track-Counter Custody Kit)… I know, the acronyms are many.) you can use ‘shock cord’ to keep certain items and/or gear “close at hand” for an emergency.

One of my FAVORITE ways to carry gear is my pocket change and EDC gear. The technology involved in making viable gear that is the size of your pocket change is badass, no doubt. One of the coolest pieces of gear that is around that same size is the Shomer-Tec Escape Wire Micro Saw , the Nickel Escape Saw , and the Shomer-Tec Floss Escape Kit. Yes, you heard that right, a Nickel Escape Saw, a Micro Escape Saw, and even a Floss Escape Kit.. each of which utilizes Escape Wire™. Escape Wire™ is diamond wire that is 1/100th of an inch thick, weighs almost nothing, and can cut quite a few things. I tested it, you’re about to see how. First, lets look at the Micro Escape Saw and how I tested it. I wanted to see if it could live up to the hype of the “Escape Wire™” that I had heard so much about. I took one of my smaller Master Lock padlocks, and tried to saw into the “U” bar piece. (I dont know the exact name of it)

The Shomer Tec Floss Escape Kit is quite epic as well. It is hidden inside a basic floss container like the one you would get at the dentist for free. Within the kit is the special diamond-impregnated Escape Wire™ that deploys just like the floss would. In fact, there is a few feet of floss initially so if anyone pulls on it, they get floss initially… then comes the Escape Wire™ Also contained with the Floss Escape Kit is a micro Handcuff Key. It is a nice little kit you can get yourself, if you want one. (If you want to pick one up, its only $32.00) Whether you have LEO, Govt. or Civilian credentials, it doesnt matter.

Staging Area

For my personal set ups, I have a “staging area” and an EDC Cabinet set up for me to use while I am getting dressed day or night, or immediately after getting dressed to stage my Non-Permissive Environment Tools all over my person. For example: In the morning, I take a shower, get dressed, then I go to my staging area where my EDC Gear and E&E gear is, stage whatever gear on me that I think I will need for that day, and then I finish getting ready. Here are some pics of what my staging area and EDC Cabinet looks like. I hope to build a much nicer version someday, but this will do for now.

My staging area includes a small Craftsman toolbox with 3 drawers and a top section that can store additional gear if need be. Truth be told though; I don’t use the top section much cause of where my staging is.

In the top drawer there is all sorts of E&E, counter-custody, and survival gear.

The 2^nd (second) drawer is full of EDC Knives, Covert and Overt EDC Pens, Glass-breakers, etc.

The 3^rd (third) drawer has over 1000 rounds of 22 Mag ammo, 9mm, 45ACP, a tourniquet or two, 2 weapon-lights, multiple 1911 mags, and a stack of CR123 batteries. Feel free to comment on what gear you have and what gear you think I might need to add as opposed to what you see in the pics here.

Remember too, there are “other ways” and “other places” you can “stash” Non-Permissive Environment Tools and gear that have been used in prison for many, many years. Granted, in many jails and prisons within the USA, they have X-Ray Chairs now so that kind of “stash” is not going to be effective, but the point is to never let ourselves get to the detention facility in the first place. There are multiple levels of detention and custody, and its best to effect your escape long before you reach any kind of prison, but we will have to touch on that subject another day. If you are being abducted, and you can create enough space to “hide” something, that “internal option” might be your only one. There are a few ready-made versions of this kind of item on the market, and old Cold War versions. Shomer-Tec offers one when they are in stock. But you can also use a simple Delrin Battery Locker from County Comm. There are also other ways and means to accomplish the same thing, but we will have to touch on this subject a little more in-depth another day. (Yes, that was a pun, a very bad one.)

Finally, remember that the level of security is going to increase each time the prisoner or detainee is handed off. For example: Police hand off their arrests to a transport vehicle, then they take the detainee to the station. From there, they take the detainee to the local jail. The detainee may be taken to the jail right away too, or the detainee may be taken to prison at some point after jail. Just keep in mind that the level of security continues to increase the “deeper down the hole you go”. That and the “guards” at Jails and Prisons are going to be much more adept at finding your escape tools than the average joe police guy in any country. This holds true for unlawful detention even more. If you are abducted in another country, the initial team doing it likely doesn’t know much about prisoner searching and holding them for a long time. They may, but it is highly unlikely. Now, in those 3^rd world countries where you can get grabbed, those people DO know how to abduct someone quite well. Again, keep these things in mind and stack the odds in your favor.

I hope this info was useful to you and you enjoyed reading it. I will be putting out Non-Permissive Environment Tools Part 3 very soon. Non-Permissive Environment Tools Part 3 will be all about lockpicks and keys and such. I may also include some other awesome gear that is hidden in plain sight. Don’t forget to check out Non-Permissive Environment Tools Part 1 as well as the massive catalog of interesting and badass articles right here on American Partisan. If you have any questions at all… Just Ask me. Stay safe out there. Dane out.