Personal Safety: Precautions

Gems From the Forum

I live alone. I am also crippled from Polio and Post Polio. This means I use crutches on a good day and crawl around the office on bad days because the wheelchair won't fit. On the surface, this might seem to indicate physical vulnerability.

There's a trailer park full of PWT down the street. When anything goes missing the cops check there first. There is a bar directly across the street. On Wednesdays, it's Biker Night, O joy. This would seem, on the surface, to indicate a dangerous neighborhood.

My office is in the house. Well, that's not quite true. The livingroom is the bull pen, three computer stations. The dining room is my office, Computer Station I. Bedroom I is the waiting room. Bedroom II is the FAX/Copy room and a fifth computer station. I live in the master swuite and kitchen. So, it's more like I live in my office. The equipment makes it a crack addict's wet dream.

I have no electronic security system. There are no bars on the windows. Such things can be circumvented by any idiot with the will.

All adds up to a prime site for crime, right? Yes and no. Because of the two hot spots there's a very frequent police presence. They are aware of me because I have made them aware of me.

I keep no predictable schedule. I am very likely to be awake at 3 AM and asleep at 3 PM. No one can tell. Right now, I am in the FAX room. That light can't be seen from the street. I can't even be predicted by the presence or absense of my car. The staff and the gofer frequently use it.

There are motion detector lights around the house. I have a 160# bitch with a mouth big enuf to encompass a human head. There is no way to approach the house without her knowing it even before the lights can be triggered. She can't be disabled because she is inside the house. The staff walks her to the mail box every day. Her presence is well known.

In case the electricity and phones are disabled, I have a cell phone with me. The local cop shop is less than 3 minutes away even if there's not a car already on my street. Because I write letters of complement to their boss, I get a helluva police response any time I call. Self interest, they want those letters in their jackets.

There are deadly weapons within my reach at all times. I've trained with them, am willing to use them, and my attitude leaves no doubt of that. I will shoot to kill. I have no ability to retreat.

The staff all have non deadly weapons at their stations. They have no set schedules so they're liable to show up at any time, even on their day off. That's when I help them with their homework. We run senarios. Their defense is to disable and flee. They're never to touch the guns. They haven't been trained with them and I don't want someone who is only 21 or 22, to have to live with having killed. I do NOT recommend a gun for anyone not willing to train with it and KILL with it.

Everything is designed to make it obvious that this operation will be too expensive to take down. The message has been received and understood. How do I know? I get feedback from the local cops.

All of this is just automatic. Takes no effort at all. When I leave the office, I have a whole 'nother set of protocalls. If anyone is interested, I'll do another post. I think this one will freak out enuf people.

I called this thread PERSONAL SAFETY, because it applies to MEN as well as WOMEN. Up front, my posts can just as easily apply to men. Men get mugged all the time. If a predator is after ONLY money, chances are, he'll choose a male victim, if he's able. He thinks they have more money. If a predator chooses a female victim, SURE he will rob her, but chances are he wants easy prey, or some sadistic "fun, too. Think about that, Ladies. (Sorry, just the facts, ma'am.)

PARKING LOTS

Did any of you see "Extremities" with Farrah Fawcett? In that movie, Farrah leaves her house at night to go get ice cream. It's after dark. The ice cream store is one of the few lighted in the strip mall, but all parking spots close to the door are taken. So, she parks about 50 feet from the door, where there doesn't happen to be any light. It's almost closing so she jumps from her car and runs to the store, which closes before she can reach it, comes back and gets in the car. There's a man in the back seat who attacks her.

WHAT did this character, who is alone, do WRONG?

1. Your car doors should ALWAYS be LOCKED, even in your own garage. Make it automatic to lock all your doors. You get in, you lock your doors. You get out, you lock your doors. I haven't owned a car without power door locks in 18 years. Any woman, who goes out alone, should consider power door locks basic equipment on a car. If it doesn't have 'em, you don't buy it.

2. After dark you NEVER park where it's dark. If you go there when it's daylight, you never park where it WILL BE dark when you come out. If you are too far away from heavy people traffic, you can be attacked even at high noon.

3. If the only available spaces are dark, you sit in your locked car until one opens up in a lighted spot or go to a different place. I have three full malls, 50 bars, and 2 dozen strip malls all within 15 minutes of each other and I live in a hick town in Florida.

4. Even if your car is locked, you always look underneath it from a safe distance. Don't make a big deal out of it. From 20' I can see under my car to the other side without crouching. I NOTICE. Have your keys out. LOOK INSIDE before you get into the car. I do this even in daylight with people around.

5. If you see ANYTHING wrong, like shoes on the other side of the car but no head above the roofline, or a now lumpy blanket on the back floor, you act like you've forgotten something. DO NOT like you SAW anything. If you ask like you saw something, the predator will run while you're calling the cops and may attack another woman in 10 minutes.

You turn around, go back inside the store or find a pay phone and CALL A COP. That's why you PAY them. Sure you could be wrong. Who gives a shit? Ya wanna look silly or ya wanna look dead? Your choice.

6. You make this a habit. You remember to always do it, because you always do it. Like I said, I do this even in daylight. It's automatic.

I'm not saying the character, CHOSE to be a victim or that it was her FAULT. But, she ALLOWED herself to become a victim by abdicating her responsibility to guard her own safety. SHE hadn't read my post.

I was speaking with some women about a carjacking incident where the victim had been raped and beaten half to death. I advised them to keep their car doors locked at all times. One woman, suposedly terrified of carjacking, complained that locking her doors was a pain because the passenger door only locked with a key!

1. You have to be willing to do what it takes NOT to be a victim.

2. NO ONE can keep you safe but YOU.

3. This requires effort and thought on your part.

4. NOTHING in life is without risk.

If you are not willing to take these types of simple precautions, PLEASE tattoo, "I am a victim!" on your forehead so the predators will know who you are and will leave the rest of us alone!

More Forum Gems on Personal Safety

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Most of the people on the internet mean you no harm. But there are those who will use information they can obtain from your internet activities to cause harm. Your Guide and forum member AdrenaGrrrl share some tips for safe surfing.

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Sometimes, the worst happens and you find yourself under attack. Forum members PaxtonJR and NiceAsIWant offer tips for surviving that worst-case scenario.

Gun Safety
Forum member and former armed self-defense instructor ACHESSOR offers his expertise to those who choose to include guns in their self-defense planning.

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