Crime-Safety-Security
Newsletter
11 March 2008

Folklore and fables – from vampire and wolfman legends to tales of The Brothers’ Grimm – tell us of ogres, fiends, and monsters. Today we call them violent criminals. They’ve always plagued us and – as long as passions, madness, and evil exist – always will. Let’s blow away a predator's biggest advantage: the naïveté of the prey.

BREAK-IN: An intruder breaches your home security either by quietly burgling an opening or smashing his way in.

PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

AFTERMATH TRAUMATIC FOR VICTIMS
A middle-aged couple and visiting young woman were shocked from sleep early yesterday morning when four intruders broke through their home's front door. They bound them with duct tape and sexually assaulted the young woman. The incident follows a series of five home invasions in Montreal, which culminated in December when intruders bound two elderly couples in an apartment and scalded one man with boiling water. ... The psychological fallout of violent crime is likely to be profound. The impact of a crime on a victim rarely ends when the immediate physical danger is over. "They may not want to see friends, not participate in normal activities, not go out at all. But when the scene of the crime is the very place the victim felt safest, even the comfort of cocooning at home may be shattered," said psychologist Robert Denis of the Centre de Psychologie Gouin. ... How victims cope in the aftermath of a violent crime varies. A physical attack of any sort, anywhere, can destroy trust and any sense of personal security. Emotionally, many victims experience anger, fear, and paradoxically, guilt. "They may begin to blame themselves – why didn't I lock the door? Why did I invite that guest?" explained Caroline Mailhot of the Centre d'Aide aux Victimes d'Actes Criminels de Montreal. ... "Psychotherapy for victims generally involves helping the victim regain a sense of empowerment – dealing with the loss of power over one's self and a sense of great vulnerability," Denis said.
Excerpted from The Montreal Gazette – 08 March 2002

See Break-In and Door Reinforcement.

Also see Crime Survivors - Overview for dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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PETTY SQUABBLE TURNS DEADLY

COUPLE GUNNED DOWN WITHOUT WARNING
Tacoma WA – Thomas Tavares Jr. said he went to collect a $50 debt from his neighbor Brian Mauck and became upset when Mauck insulted him. Tavares shot Brian in the face with a handgun. ... His wife Beverly Mauck tried to run away, but Tavares shot her in the head. The Maucks were found dead with three close-range gunshot wounds to each of their heads.
Excerpted from KATU TV Portland OR – 25 January 2008

Everyday human behavior often simmers just below the boiling point of a violent eruption. One-third of all homicides are escalations of trivial squabbles arising among coworkers, neighbors, drivers, friends and family – killing dozens of people every day worldwide.

These killers are not predators hunting for prey, but human time-bombs on the verge of exploding into a rampage if ordinary events converge into a perfect storm. Witnesses usually claim afterward that the violence took everyone by surprise – but a closer look almost always reveals glaring warning signs that they and the victims had ignored. None are so blind as those who refuse to see.

See Losing It - Petty Murders.

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CARJACKING/KIDNAPPING: ESCAPE FROM TRUNK

CARJACK VICTIM SAYS KNOWING CAR'S FEATURES SAVED HER LIFE
Seconds before she crawled into the trunk, after her nervous assailant forced her at gunpoint, college student Charity Gibson remembered her car had a feature many drivers may not know about. As far as Gibson is concerned, it was God and that feature – a glow-in-the-dark release latch inside the trunk – that saved her life. ... She parked at her apartment building, looked through the rearview mirror, and spotted a man in a hooded sweatshirt and dark glasses walking toward the driver's side of her car. "He seemed suspicious and I thought I could probably start the car and back out of there, but he was too close," Gibson said. "I decided to get out and face him. I was prepared to fight for my life." ... The suspect pressed a handgun against Gibson's belly. "He was yelling. He was nervous," she said. "He asked me for my purse. Before he made me get in the trunk, I remembered the immediate-release switch," Gibson said. “The switch glows in the dark and I lifted it and the trunk opened up." ... The moment she felt the car slow down, Gibson jumped out of the trunk, landing on the hard pavement about 50 yards from where the carjacking began. ... She had learned about her trunk latch, required by U.S. law in cars made since 2002. Detective Scott Goss said Gibson is one of the "best victims" he has ever dealt with because she kept her composure.
Excerpted from The Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL) – 14 February 2008

Ms. Gibson made split-second decisions to escape, but we have the luxury of leisurely analyzing how she could have improved her survival odds.

First, Ms. Gibson should’ve stayed in her locked car and blown the car’s horn nonstop rather than getting out to face him. Loud noise, especially before the crime has truly begun, usually scares away criminals. See Escaping Carjacking

Second, since Ms. Gibson had already exited her car, she would’ve been better off dropping her car keys and running away – letting him have the car.

U.S. Department of Justice statistics show there’s only a 12 percent chance that a robber will call attention to himself by firing a gun in a populated area and only a 3 percent chance of hitting you fatally. Moreover – now think about this: if he's willing to kill you on the spot, he's likely to do worse at a secluded, secondary crime scene. See Spotting Danger > How He Reaches For A Weapon and Kidnapping.

Nevertheless, Ms. Gibson wisely escaped before the car had gained much speed. Her exemplary bravery saved her life and teaches us lifesaving lessons.

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Think about it: the above crimes likely never would’ve happened if those innocent victims had known what you’ve just learned in this newsletter.

COPS WERE WARNED OF REALTOR ATTACKER
Winnipeg police were warned four months ago about a violent career criminal who was trying to lure female real estate agents into his home. Marlene Hornick – a real estate agent – said Joseph Robert Davis tried to lure her into his apartment last fall by posing as a prospective homebuyer. ... Davis – who has a violent criminal past dating back nearly 20 years, including sexual and physical violence against women – was arrested by police yesterday for allegedly luring another woman realtor into his apartment and attempting to rape her. ... Hornick said she twice went to police to report his suspicious behaviour. But her warnings fell on deaf ears. "They never warned me that this man was a sexual offender. Why didn't they at least tell me that? Because our justice system is more concerned about protecting the rights of criminals, not victims.” ... Hornick said police assured her Davis – who once took part in a hostage-taking of a prison nurse during a botched escape plan – was "harmless."
Excerpted from The Winnipeg Sun – 10 January 2008

This case teaches us to always trust our Intuition, no matter what anyone tells us.

Cops are usually trustworthy, and we’d have anarchy without them. To paraphrase Lt. Col. Dave Grossman: Cops are the faithful, ever-vigilant sheepdogs protecting their flocks from the wolves and wild dogs of the world.

That said, in this case the cops inexcusably protected a predator rather than the prey – putting more than one woman at grave risk. I hope the newspaper digs deeper into this outrageous situation to find out who’s at fault – the legislators or the cops – then name, shame, and hound them until they change their ridiculous policy.

Real estate agents are isolated prey for predators. See Real-Estate Agent Safety for ways to protect yourself.

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Pointing out a victim's possible missteps before she fell prey is not always a bad thing, according to Linda Fairstein, renowned author and former New York City sex crimes prosecutor. "If we can learn something from it, we can give her back some dignity," she says. "If we see what the risks are and what would prevent this from happening to someone else, then there's something that benefits the memory of that victim."
Excerpted from The New York Daily News – 24 August 2006

We’d be wise to learn from the little mistakes of victims. Usually, they didn’t know that predators are always hunting for carefree prey. As Dr. Anna Salter wrote in Predators, "Normal, healthy people distort reality to create a kinder, gentler world than really exists."

You don’t need a bulletproof vest, a bodyguard, or to sleep with one eye open – just a new attitude toward being S.A.F.E.:

Skeptical of anyone trying to get near you or trying to isolate you,
Aware of danger zones and escape strategies,
Flexible: being tricky, changing strategies as needed – and if worse comes to worst:
Exploding like a mad dog to fight for your life. Stun & run. See Fighting Options.

Whenever you’re tempted to be careless, ask yourself, "What could possibly happen?" The stories throughout this newsletter and web site show what could possibly happen – and how to avoid being easy prey.

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