Transcript SAFER LIFESTYLES Responding to Crime in the 90's

Personal Safety
2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22202
202-261-4153 FAX 202-296-1356
[email protected]
www.ncpc.org/ncpa
Personal Safety
Training Precautions
 This training focuses on Personal Safety for women
because women are a good barometer for personal
safety - they are more likely to express their fears
about crime than most men.
 This training does not make the trainer or the
trained self-defense experts or authorities.
 This class offers advise and makes no guarantees.
Continuum of Survival
1. Awareness
2. Avoidance
3. Defensive Resistance
4. Compliance
5. Physical Defense
6. Weapons Defense
7. Reporting the Incident
Victim’s Goals
 Prevent or reduce bodily injury
 Survive
 Escape
 Report
Please Remember
 There is no one right option for everybody in every
situation.
 Avoid cookie cutter solutions - they can be lethal.
 Crime can strike anywhere!
Safety Concerns of Women
• Parking lots and vulnerability with children.
• Safety while exercising – running/walking.
• Safety when home alone.
• Safety while traveling.
• Stalking.
Violence Against Women
For women, the leading cause of death
in the workplace is murder.
Recognizing the Perpetrator
It can be:
 A stranger, client, customer
or someone you know.
They may use:
 A ruse or trickery, followed by
an attack, or a surprise, full-force
attack.
Common Red Flags
Perpetrator’s behavior may include :
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Undue attention
Stalking activity
Blind side approach
Scanning the area
Hyper-alert
Practicing deceit
Smell of alcohol
Be Aware
 Always be alert to your surroundings and notice
who or what is around you.
 Be sure to continually scan and inspect your
immediate area.
Display Confidence
 Your alertness, body language, and tone of voice
communicate how you feel about yourself to others.
 Project that you believe your safety is worth
defending.
 People who look like good victims are good victims.
Be Assertive
 Communicate clearly and specifically about what
you want.
 When threatened, remain calm and don’t show your
fear.
 Quickly size up the situation, develop a plan and
act.
 Don’t ignore strong instincts!
Be Committed to Act
 When a situation is uncomfortable or threatening,
take control to change it.
 Act sooner rather than later.
 Your ability to successfully defend yourself will
depend on your level of preparation and training
beforehand.
When Out and About
 Avoid taking a bad position.
 Don’t be preoccupied as you transition between
your car and activities.
 Avoid carrying lots of packages.
 Become aware of situations & locations where
crime may occur and avoid them.
When Out and About
 Be confident and purposeful in your walk.
 Use a firm, steady pace.
 Dress comfortably, so you can move quickly if you
have to.
 Always let someone know where you are going and
when you will return.
When Out and About
 Keep a safe distance between you and any
stranger - about 2 arm lengths.
 Walk near the curb, walk face on-coming traffic.
 Avoid passing close to shrubbery, doorways,
blind corners, and other places of concealment.
 If you think you are being followed, change the
situation, cross the street, change directions, go
to a safe place.
When Out and About
 Avoid dark and isolated areas.
 Avoid places were you cannot be
seen, heard or escape from easily.
 Avoid short cuts that conceal
you from public observation.
 Avoid traveling or walking alone.
There is safety in numbers.
When Out and About
 Carry a cell phone with you wherever you go: work,
travel, exercising, shopping, walking, etc.
 If you need assistance, as a last resort, you select
your helper. Not vice-a-versa.
In Your Vehicle
 When driving, and you think you are being
followed, drive to a safe place, do not drive to your
home.
 Avoid strangers who contact you first.
 Never let a stranger (male or female) into your car.
 Don’t open the door for any reason.
 Avoid vulnerable situations - drugs, intoxication,
lack of transportation, etc.
The Workplace
• Does the physical design and management of
your workplace discourage criminal behavior.
• Does it send out a strong message of ownership
– caring.
• Can you see and be seen.
• Can you control access to the site.
Resisting - Decision Guidelines
 The decision to resist or comply is a personal
decision made only by the victim based upon their
immediate circumstances.
 Review the “totality of the circumstances” before
selecting self defense measures.
 You should be looking for a chance to escape.
Decision Variables
 Location: isolated - day or night - help available?
 Victim: mindset - capabilities - children to protect?
 Perpetrator: mindset - capabilities?
 The key to survival is the threat assessment of your
immediate situation.
Escape
When escape is possible, it’s your best choice.
 Get back in your car.
 Go back to the store.
 Roll under a vehicle.
 Move towards a safe place - people & light.
Verbal Challenge
When on the move and a stranger contacts you from
a distance of 15 feet or more ...
 If you are moving don’t stop.
 If you are standing, get ready to run.
 Be forceful, make eye contact.
Say, No, I can’t help you!
Don’t come any closer!
Verbal Alarm
 Not a good tactic if you are isolated.
 Use short sentences to identify the crime to
others and discourage the attacker.
 Yell:
 STOP! NO! GET BACK!
 STAY AWAY FROM ME!
 HELP ME!
 RAPE!
 POLICE!
Noise Makers
 Whistles, car horns, or other noise devices.
 Noise is best used during flight or when your
attacker is at least 15 feet away from you.
 Not a good tactic if you are isolated or your
attacker is close.
Negotiate: Brains vs. Braun
 Stall for time:
I need - a beer, a cigarette, to go to the bathroom, to
take my medicine.”
 Use trickery:
I’m pregnant, I have a sexually transmitted disease,
my spouse is nearby
 Bodily voiding:
vomit, urinate or defecate
Robbery
 Cooperate
 Stay Calm
 Don’t Surprise
 Don’t Fight
 Don’t Chase
 You can replace property!
Abduction
 Don’t panic - avoid antagonistic behavior.
 Be observant - memorize details and sounds.
 Establish contact and talk with suspect.
 Avoid being blindfolded or tied up.
 Plan to escape or launch a surprise attack.
 The chance for survival decreases once you are
forced into a vehicle and transported away.
Self-Defense in One’s Home
“Castle Doctrine"
One may, without retreating, use force, to include
deadly force if necessary, to keep aggressors out of
one’s own home.
Basic Self Defense Issues
 Use of personal and improvised weapons against an
attacker’s vulnerable points.
 The force applied should equal the perceived threat.
 You must consider your own abilities.
Basic Self Defense Issues
 The goal is to STUN the
attacker so you can safely
disengage the fight and
ESCAPE.
 Once you start fighting back,
there’s no turning back.
 Formal training and practice is
recommended.
Improvised Weapons
What are some weapons available to you now?
Anything that when used will have an
immediate impact on the attacker
and supplement your defense.
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Keys
Pens
Flashlight
Bottle
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Shoe Heel
Ice Scraper
Telephone
Nail File
Non-Lethal Weapons
Weapons used to distract or incapacitate.
Pepper spray
Stun Gun / Taser
Baton
Lethal Weapons
 Lethal weapons are weapons used for a lethal
effect, to cause serious bodily injury or death.
 Examples: Knives and Firearms
 Recognize that a lethal weapon may produce
lethal results. Can you handle killing a person?
Problems with Weapons
 Not always accessible when needed.
 Not always effective.
 Require close proximity to the attacker.
 May be taken away and used against you!
Public Safety Issues
You have a legal right to carry a weapon. If you do,
you must consider the following issues:
 Know and obey the law!
 The weapon must fit the user!
 Receive training - maintain proficiency!
 Lock it up at home - child safety!
 Carry it safely and protect it from theft!
Legal Issues
§ 18.2-308 Concealed Weapons - Virginia
Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in
writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the county or
city in which he or she resides, or if he is a member of
the United States armed forces, the county or city in
which he is domiciled, for a five-year permit to carry a
concealed handgun.