The Vigilance Group

20/10/2024

Our training doesn’t just teach techniques —it instills confidence. Our philosophy emphasizes the importance of mental preparedness and situational awareness over physical confrontation. We believe in equipping individuals and teams with the knowledge and skills to act decisively and protect themselves and others in any situation.

17/09/2024

The greatest gift we can give all College coeds…is the “right not to be a victim “. Thanks Piedmont University Lacrosse for allowing The Vigilance Group to help teach your team how to live safely in a dangerous world!

16/09/2024

The Vigilance Group was created 16 years, in an effort to protect college coeds from danger after a tragic abduction & murder at Auburn University! This weekend we were honored to be invited to give a vigilance workshop to the members of the Piedmont University Women’s Lacrosse Team. Many thanks to the Administration, Coaches and special PARENTS that allowed this to happen! Working with young women at the college level, and teaching them how to avoid dangerous situations, is the greatest gift we can give our children!

05/09/2024

Thanks Nick Beres and NewsChannel5, for allowing me and The Vigilance Group to come share thoughts on the tragic school shooting at Apalachee High School yesterday! The next 48-72 hours will be critical for fact finding, so law enforcement and school administrators can find better ways to protect our children. We learned once again from an initial eyewitness, that keeping classroom doors locked during class time does save lives! We also learned that keeping the shooter and guns outside of the building is the only way to defeat a determined shooter. I suspect the rifle was hidden inside a back pack or a similar type bag. If that was the case, educational leaders must immediately consider allowing only “clear or translucent” bags inside of the school, as the NFL and NCAA have proven this has enhanced their gametime safety.

This is simply one man’s opinion for a short term solution! Long term, we as a nation must improve our intra-service and intra-school communication skills, so we can do a better job of keeping guns away from individuals that may be suffering mental health issues. I challenge our State Legislators to work on these type of problems!

24/08/2024

This out of control “drunken rodeo”, affects every female Hospitality Worker in Nashville’s Entertainment District as well as the customers. Leaving the restaurants and bars at midnight, or later, and walking alone to your car, is not only traumatic, but simply extremely dangerous. There must be a concerted effort by the hospitality and restaurant industry, to place safety up above profit, or eventually the appeal to visitors and locals will simply go away!

Exploring the challenges of security on Nashville's Lower Broadway, where tens of thousands of tourists flock to drink and party.

09/08/2024

Stay safe, stay vigilant. The Back to Campus Pepper Gel gives you the confidence to protect yourself wherever you go. Don’t leave home without it—shop now through the link in our bio at the Vigilance Store!

23/07/2024

We had an awesome Vigilance training workshop at Green Hills Pediatric Associates in Nashville! We are really proud of this group of providers and administrators for their hard work and commitment to safety!

26/06/2024

Today is a good day to read & share this “self written Obituary!
God Bless her and her words.

A WOMAN WHO WROTE HER OWN OBITUARY.
This was shared with me out of Virginia.
I did not know Valerie Ann Smith, but she sounded like a wonderful brave woman.
And much of what she writes here hits home for me.
I thank her for writing and sharing.
——
Valerie Ann Smith, age 39 of Meadows of Dan, passed away peacefully at her home on June 20, 2024 surrounded by family:
After months of fighting, I have finally won my battle against Renal Medullary Carcinoma and now sit at the feet of Jesus!
I have been blessed to live my final 4 years in an old farmhouse in Meadows of Dan with my best friend and devoted husband, Denny Kelvin Smith, Jr, and our youngest children, Kijah Rothrock, Denny Kelvin Smith III, and Thomas Finley Smith.
My oldest daughter, Acacia Roberts, has flown the nest and resides in East Bend, NC. I am joining my Mamaw Virginia, and I leave on earth my parents, Thomas Rose and Stephanie Steelman; siblings, Katlyn Keaton, Charity Rose, Holly Davenport, and Jamie Steelman; remaining grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the rest of my family.
Between meeting the locals and enjoying this beautiful area, my time in Meadows of Dan has been abundantly blessed!
Some of the most compassionate people live here and are part of what makes this small town so special and unique.
I finally met my tribe of Moms who forever changed my life, and I found my church home, Grace Baptist Church in Stuart, VA.
Death at 39 years of age was never in my 5 or 10 year plan, or even my 15 or 20 year plan.
Especially not with 3 babies still at home, in the best years of my marriage and at the height of my career.
This whole ordeal has taken so much from my family, but it has taught me some very valuable insights.
One of the most important lessons this journey has taught me is that your plans and God's plans rarely align.
So, remember when you're making your plans, they really are tentative.
Focus on not holding grudges because holding a grudge is only putting you in a sour mood. When is the last time you really let your friends know you appreciate them and invested your time in them?
Your life would look a lot different without them in it, you know.
If you still have your spouse with you earth side, spend time with them.
Imagine sitting in the shoes of my husband who wishes he had just a bit more time with his wife and children together.
Spend time with your kids.
Put your phone down, pause your work, and give them a hug.
Tell them how proud you are of them. M. Love all over them and invest in quality time with them.
Go out regularly, see and experience things and sites with them.
They need you.
Most of all, I encourage you, if you haven't already, find a church home.
I struggled for years to find somewhere that felt like home.
I needed somewhere that I could wear what I was comfortable wearing.
I needed a church that would actually open the Bible and read and teach from it.
I needed a Pastor, not a preacher. I needed a church family.
If you're reading this, there's at least one chair open now in the front row at Grace Baptist Church.
It was my favorite place to sit.
There are other seats too, but you're welcome to find your way to Grace and use that one.
You'll feel right at home.
To all my friends and family, thank you.
I hope to see you again! With all my love, Valerie Ann Smith In lieu of flowers,
I ask that donations be made directly to The Chris Johnson Foundation, the only foundation dedicated solely to research and funding to fight the rare disease of Renal Medullary Carcinoma. Contributions may be sent by visiting https://chrisjohnsonfoundation.org/donations/.
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE.

07/05/2024

TVG founder Moose Moore knocking it out of the park with a great podcast interview. Check him out on the Biz Crossover Podcast hosted by Jay Power. The show highlights the crossover between people and their professions. Moose shares his fascinating career journey and what led him to his ultimate passion which is helping women live safely in an increasingly dangerous world.

This episode means a lot to me personally. My wife was a victim of theft and assault at gunpoint in our own home. I hope this episode helps others avoid similar situations and learn what to do when unforeseen situations arise. What you learn, could save your life. This episode of the Biz Crossover P...

02/05/2024

I think every American college student and adult should view this Documentary. Use caution as the description of the sexual violence against women and children by Hamas is heartbreaking & demonic. https://www.screamsbeforesilence.com

26/04/2024

👉Not surprisingly, sexual assaults account for the majority of crimes on college campuses. Vigilance, awareness and self-defense training is paramount for young women! Contact us to arrange a workshop or Empower Hour at your school or place of work!

25/04/2024

Utah teachers being given firearm training!! Now see some real statistics:

Studies reveal, that skilled Police Officers only hit their target 14% of the time if the armed intruder is shooting at them! (Morrison & Vila, 1998; Rostker et al., 2008).

Officers confronting an unarmed suspect fire 4.7 shots on average compared to 11.1 during ‘opposed encounters’ where suspects are returning fire (Rostker et al., 2008). Such reductions in accuracy, combined with an increase in the number of shots fired during reciprocal engagements could result in a significant number of projectiles missing their intended target. Increasing the risk of impacting unintended targets.

EXPLAIN TO ME AGAIN WHY ARMING TEACHERS IS A GOOD IDEA!

24/04/2024

Catch the full segment on NewsChannel 5+. TVG founder Moose Moore discusses the negative impact and potential problems concerning the bill to arm teachers in Tennessee schools. That bill was passed yesterday by lawmakers and is heading to the governor’s desk. We believe in safer schools for both the students and teachers, and there are better ways to do this!

On this episode of MorningLine, Nick Beres is joined by security expert, Michael "Moose" Moore, to discuss the reasons why he believes that the proposed legislation was not fully thought out.

22/04/2024

TVG founder on weighing in on the TN bill allowing teachers to carry guns - a bill that we believe could have disastrous consequences. Link in BIO to watch the full segment. Tomorrow morning, catch us on speaking on the topic and taking questions and answers.

22/04/2024

TVG founder Moose Moore on WKRN News 2 weighing in on the TN bill allowing teachers to carry guns - a bill that we believe could have disastrous consequences. Tomorrow morning, catch us on NewsChannel 5 Network speaking on the topic and taking questions and answers.

It’s a race against time for some Tennessee parents. With this year’s legislative session rapidly drawing to a close, Republican lawmakers could take the final vote on a bill to arm tea…

19/04/2024

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We are always passionate about keeping women safe, but over the next few days, we’re going to highlight some startling facts. There has never been a more important time to learn vigilance, situational awareness and self-defense skills!

11/04/2024

Grateful for the opportunity to be a voice of reason on the topic of arming teachers in classrooms. Please see our post from yesterday for a detailed explanation or see the link in bio to catch Moose on News Channel 5.

10/04/2024

One man’s opinion….I am saddened by this new TN Legislation that permits teachers to be armed in schools once they have completed 40 hours of training. It appears the public discussion on this bill was done during the Easter break, which kept most of the opposition in the dark.

The 40 hours of training, is being touted as the same training that Resource Officers receive. This is a very deceptive statement, as a Resource Officer in TN is normally a sanctioned Police Officer that has received a minimum of 480 hours in the TN Law Enforcement Academy. In addition, many have a military background with developed mindset to protect and defend regardless of the threat. This is not the primary job or mindset of a school teacher, whose training and dedication is to love and teach children.

This new law was a knee jerk reaction to a tragic event, which simply was not thought out. Since the Covenant shootings, I would estimate that nearly 90%-95% of all TN schools have hired qualified Resource Officers and have hardened their schools with upgraded equipment and procedures. To give a firearm to any novice, and tell them that protecting their school or business is your secondary job, is “flirting with disaster”! I know this personally, as I was 20 year military trained veteran and a graduate from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy. Yet, after 10 years of service in the Air Marshal community, I personally made a shooting mistake (under stress and increased adrenaline) that could have resulted in innocent deaths when performing a training exercise that I was prepared for.

I am a lifelong advocate of the 2nd Amendment, but I am convinced that giving a loving and dedicated teacher 40 hours of training, to take on this huge responsibility, will end up in tragedy. I am very concerned about this new legislation.

03/03/2024

This headline can apply to almost all college campuses! However, don’t believe for a minute that “Blue Security Lights” are the answer to stop most abductions or sexual assaults perpetrated against college coeds! On average, less than 20% of all female college students in the U.S. live on campus. That means most of these women spend a majority of their waking hours in apartments, parks, public buildings, bars and restaurants, that do not have dedicated security in place for their personal safety! Since 2008, our mission has been focused on teaching young women on how to live safely in a dangerous world. It is a learned behavior and must be taught and practiced, in order to experience a real mindset change! To avoid a crime of opportunity..you must remove the opportunity!

29/02/2024

This is a compilation of part of my life as a USAF Fighter Pilot: (1) F-4 days in the 3TFS, Clark AB w/Bros-circa‘82 (2 & 3)F-15 days 27TFS, singing “Swing Low” at Langley, and flying with John Denver circa ‘78-‘79 (4) Finally, back in the Eagle at Langley circa ‘87 (5) Signed note from world famous Russian defector Victor Belinko, before his death, circa ‘99. I wouldn’t change a thing in my journey! 🫡🇺🇸