Crime-Safety-Security
Newsletter
12 February 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 naďveté of the prey.

Mug-In: An attacker ambushes you outside your home and forces you inside. It’s similar to a Push-In, but begins while you’re outside, perhaps farther away from the door.

As Anna returned home and unlocked her door, a man suddenly appeared behind her, put a knife to her throat, and shoved her inside. Once inside, he spun around to lock the door behind them. In that instant, Anna ran to her bedroom while overturning furniture in her wake to slow his pursuit. ... Deadbolting the solid door behind her, she pushed a panic button, setting off her home security outdoor siren. He fled. Anna was safe in her fortified bedroom (described in Safe Room).

Safeguard your home even if you live in Sleepy Valley – predators like to prowl where the prey least expects them. Prevent the vast majority of home intrusions – whether by burglar or invader – by making sure all your family members use these home security strategies. Of course, predators will always find prey – but the most cautious targets will be spared.

Contact Us with your comments or questions for this newsletter.

STALKING ESCAPE

WHEN FEAR HITS, WHAT'S A WOMAN ALONE TO DO? HAVE A PLAN
Instead of trying to deal with the problem on her own, a stalking victim shared her situation with her friends, who banded together. They took turns staying overnight, visiting her at work, helping her take care of day-to-day chores; they swapped cell phones and cars and helped her move – twice. She was able to shake the stalker and move on with her life.
Excerpted from Diane Mapes’ column in The Seattle Post Intelligencer – 17 January 2008

It’s so easy to become a stalker’s target. Learn the early-warning signs of a stalker and how to nip it in the bud at Stalking.

Contact Us with your comments or questions for this newsletter.

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

Prosecutors to Fight Release of Killer
State psychiatrists at the Caro Regional Mental Health Center and the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti say a man should be returned to the community because his mental illness is in remission. James Yang, 30, was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he beat his mother to death with a chair leg, crowbar, hammer, and iron weights in their home in 2000. He used a hacksaw to cut off her face and then ate her eyes. ... "Yes, he couldn't have committed a worse crime," his attorney, Scott Neumann, said. "But the question is: What do you do with him? Do you penalize him forever? The community would say, 'Yes, lock him up forever.' But he is not a danger, and under the law, he will eventually be released." ... "It's unbelievable," Prosecutor Lisa Ortlieb said. "This is a man who brutally, brutally murdered his mother. What's to keep him from going off his medicine and harming another person?" ... Eric Hufnagel, chief executive officer of the National Schizophrenia Foundation, said, "I don't think it's fair to assume that that is something that is going to repeat itself. I know of people who committed an act of violence once and never have again."
Excerpted from The Detroit Free Press – 02 February 2006

Let’s drop the politically correct poppycock trying to hide spectacular stupidity. “Mental illness” is usually rather mundane. In this case it means stark, raving lunacy at its most extreme.

“Illness is in remission” means an illness has subsided for awhile – not permanently, nor does it imply a “cure.” In this case it may well mean that after six years under lock and key, Mr. Yang is just “between meals.”

“Do you penalize him forever?” This is not about “penalizing” anyone, Mr. Neumann. This is about protecting society from a nightmarish cannibal who ranks right up there with one of the most terrifying film monsters of all time: the face-eating Hannibal Lechter. Only this one is real!

“I know of people who committed an act of violence once and never have again." Oh, please, Mr. Hufnagel. “An act of violence” can be as minor as a once-in-a-lifetime slap in the face. But in this case it means bludgeoning, mutilating, and cannibalizing.

Beyond the con-man euphemisms masquerading as logic, four little words thunder in the mind: Man Ate Mother’s Eyes!

“But he is not a danger...” If he is not a danger, then who is, Mr. Neumann? "I don't think it's fair...” Fair to whom? It’s not fair to endanger us, Mr. Hufnagel.

Maybe they think the cannibal merely has an eating disorder. Or maybe they think he simply misunderstood his mother when she asked him if he wanted dinner.

Let’s remind them of the facts (and I’m typing this slowly for the slow learners): Yang pulverized his mother’s skull, sawed off her face, and dined on her eyeballs.

Egregiously violent offenders are simply broken and cannot be fixed – they’ll be dangerous from the cradle to the grave. See Predatory Mind.

Notice that neither Neumann, Hufnagel, nor any of the fuzzy-headed shrinks volunteered to be society’s guinea pigs by inviting their safe little monster to move into their homes and live cheek-to-jowl with them.

And they never can explain exactly why these dangerous creatures need to roam freely among us. For us, it’s all risk with no benefit.

The shrinks say, “If they take their daily medication, they’ll probably be no threat to others.” Sorry, Doc, ”if” and “probably” don’t cut it. These barely functional mental patients often don’t take their meds. That’s very possibly a catastrophe for any innocent soul who happens to be nearby.

Past behavior (in the real world) is the best predictor of future behavior. Behaving properly in an institution is never predictive of future behavior in the real world – especially when it comes to a monster. But legislators, judges, shrinks, lawyers, and do-gooders once again unleash a de facto homicidal maniac on an unwilling group of guinea pigs: us.

This case is scarily typical of many thousands more that, so to speak, free lions and tigers from the zoo to roam your neighborhood so the kindly zookeepers can feel all warm and fuzzy. Shame on them all.

Do you have any newsletter Hall of Shame Award candidates for judges, shrinks, lawyers, or parole boards? Contact Us.

Contact Us with any questions, comments, or requests. I’ll answer as many as possible in the next newsletter.

Contact Us for Michael Edward Loftus Sr to speak to your group.

Newsletter Privacy Statement: this newsletter will never give your e-mail address to anyone. Promise.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you know who needs it.

PERMISSION TO REPRINT if you include the following: Reprinted from the free www.Crime-Safety-Security.com newsletter.

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.

Return to
Newsletter Archive
Home Page