Crime-Safety-Security.com
Newsletter
14 October 2008

SLAYINGS OF 3 WOMEN SHATTER SUBURBAN ILLUSION
After a woman’s body was found in Tibbetts Brook Park, Mary Kelly has given up her solitary walks along the trail where the woman was shot. The homicide – coupled with two others in neighboring towns, all within a week – prompted another change in Kelly's routine: she went to the back door of her home and locked it. "You forget that terrible things can happen close to home," Kelly said. "Things like this make you realize you're not that safe." ... These thoughts have been echoed by many in the northern suburbs recently: How could a trio of unrelated, vicious slayings have happened in a region known for its low crime rate? And that is what frightens so many: When the killers struck, these women were in their own neighborhoods – in two cases, inside their own homes – in places where they felt safe. ... These high-profile homicides rocked the sense of security of many living here. Yet many others continue to cling to the notion that their communities are immune.
Excerpted from The West Nyack Journal News (NY) – 14 May 2005

This is so very typical of countless other stories I’ve printed in this newsletter and have heard from women in my audiences.

THE THREE MOST COMMON VICTIMS’ BLUNDERS – AND THE EASIEST TO AVOID – I always have to bite my tongue while trying to be oh so gently diplomatic as I urge people to ALWAYS lock all their doors/windows, NEVER open their door unless they’re absolutely sure they know and trust the person ringing their doorbell (see Home Security - Overview), and NEVER go to an isolated location without adequate protection (see Outdoor Safety - Overview).

In this newsletter and throughout my website, I preach till I’m blue in the face that predators have all heard how naïve people in “safe” neighborhoods actually brag about not locking their doors, accounting for half of all home invasions. Or how it might be Jack the Ripper – not the Avon Lady – knocking on your door and hoping you’ll open it for him. Or how lions like to hunt for antelope near the secluded fringe of the herd – as do human predators hunt for isolated human prey. This is all blatantly obvious yet millions of people usually throw caution to the wind.

I’m tempted to scream out, “Wake up, you idiots! But then all the prim and proper villagers would rise up with their fiery torches to burn me at the stake. How dare I blame the poor victims for contributory negligence? How cruel to blame the sheep for leading themselves to slaughter! Sure, the predators did the actual crime, but did the prey have to be so helpful?

VICTIMS LAYING OUT WELCOME MATS FOR MONSTERS
People who don't expect to be victims are the easiest targets by naïvely clinging to illusions that soften the world: “We don’t bother to lock the doors – nothing ever happens around here.” “Hey, I’m not worried. I can take care of myself – I grew up with three brothers.” “Ah! Who wants to live like that – living in fear – always looking over your shoulder?” “It only happens to people on the news – not to me.” “I don’t think negative thoughts so I don’t attract negative things.” “Oh, don’t worry! Be happy!”

THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY
Your “safe neighborhood” is actually a mirage – it doesn’t really exist. Even an isolated town has its home-grown lunatics – as well as the occasional visiting monster. They’ve all heard about your “safe neighborhood” where you actually brag about not locking your doors. They’d love to meet you face-to-face. There you are – carefree, trusting, polite, naïve – a dream-come-true for a predator.

Don’t think so? Just ask the survivors of violent crime – 14,505 daily/ 5.2 million annually. The U.S. Department of Justice said 2.1 percent of all Americans are attacked each year, making your odds 1 in 47 each year. The 2006 Gallup Poll crime survey said 5 percent of all Americans experienced a violent crime in 2005 (many not reported to police). Yet most people assume they’ll never be attacked. Crime survivors almost always say, “I never thought it would happen to me.”

At any rate, you can be murdered in the safest area, or live a lifetime without a scratch in a murder capital. But since anyone living in or near any metropolitan area lives within a few minutes of thousands of paroled – and mobile – violent felons, your odds are always a gamble.

IMPROVING YOUR ODDS
The biggest obstacle to sensible wariness is the average person's innocence. This naïveté of the prey takes four forms: first, carefree/careless (assuming no one wants to harm you, you act carelessly); second, too trusting (if someone seems harmless or has a good story, you’re gullible); third, mirror imaging (assuming a predator shares your morals, you try to reason with him rather than outsmart him); and fourth, location immunity (assuming you’re in a “safe” area, you turn off your danger radar and fall into one of the first three traps). NEVER drop your guard, and NEVER let anyone get near you (in a vulnerable location) or isolate you (no matter how friendly he/she appears). See how to Set Your Boundaries in Friendly Predators.

KRAV MAGA, a practical self-defense system used by many police forces worldwide, teaches you to defend yourself, enhances your survival instinct, and can be applied under extreme stress. It's not flashy, just very effective. I highly recommend it. The Krav Maga TV - Online Training videos are especially convenient to learn at home when your schedule allows or if you don't live near a training center.

It’s better to know this and not need it, than to need it and not know it. IF you take these lessons to heart – you are no longer naïve.

Do you ever worry about your friends and family? Then share this newsletter with them! Copy and paste http://www.Crime-Safety-Security.com into an e-mail. 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.

Contact Us for Michael Edward Loftus Sr, the publisher of this newsletter, to speak to your group.

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

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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