Crime-Safety-Security
Newsletter
22 January 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.

KNOCK! KNOCK! WHO’S THERE? THE BOGEYMAN!
A “Push-In” happens when you blindly open your door to a monster who’d knocked, or rang your bell. “Hello! Come on in and shatter my life.”

Dr. Jack Hertzler said two men posing as police officers came to his home saying they were investigating strange occurrences in the neighborhood. One of the men only flashed a badge and didn't make eye contact, he said. "He asked to come in. I told him I would come out. I stood in the doorway and we talked there." The two men left and were soon arrested for other violent home invasions and were found to be paroled felons.
Excerpted from The Detroit Free Press – 06 March 2004

Dr. Hertzler should’ve instead used a peephole and intercom, and then called 911 to confirm they were indeed cops before opening the door. He’s lucky he wasn't pushed-in when he did open his door. Only the criminals’ lapse of will spared him. But his ignorance wasn't his fault. He'd gone to medical school, not a crime college as did the two paroled felons.

A woman opened her door in response to a knock. The man at the door looked dirty and scruffy, his eyes rimmed red. Right away she knew he was on something. “He said he wanted to talk to me about family worship,” the woman testified. “ ‘Just a few minutes for Jesus,’ that’s what he said to me.” Moments later, she was fighting for her life.
Excerpted from The Yakima Herald-Republic (WA) – 16 December 2005

Christopher Phillips went to a woman’s home and asked to use the phone. “She told him to stay outside while she went to get the cordless phone. But he followed her in and raped her. “She didn’t do anything wrong,” police said. “She was trying to be nice.”
Excerpted from The Rock Hill Herald (SC) – 11 May 2005

Any stranger at your door is a potential threat. Being nice and polite exposed all three targets above to danger. All three cases began as a Scam-In (which often becomes a Push-In). The targets hadn’t had the chance to learn what you’re learning right now: never ever blindly open the door to a stranger. Period. All family members must always use a peephole (it’s even better to use an intercom as well – see Door Reinforcement) before opening the door. And then do not naïvely fall for any clever scam enticing you into opening your door. Simply tell them, “Hold on. I’ll call the police to help you. Wait right there.” Then watch them suddenly flee.

Another Push-In with a few more lessons:

Brandishing knives, three men burst into a Kodiak home when the wife heard a knock and opened the door. She was thrown to the floor; her husband was cut with a knife and knocked in the head. The five children were in the back room crying and praying. ... Since the robbery, the husband has been working on the door installing a chain lock. “We have been in Kodiak 16 years. We have always felt safe. We are not now scared. We have good neighbors,” the wife said.
Excerpted from The Kodiak Daily Mirror (AK) – 22 March 2007

Oh, NO! A “chain lock” is far too flimsy – far too easy to kick or crash through in a split second. It’s a false sense of security – useless. See Door Reinforcement.

OK, they “are not now scared,” but let’s hope they are now more careful – now that they’ve met random evil face-to-face. Besides, being more careful is so easy. See Home Security - Overview.

And unfortunately, the “good neighbors” were useless when the family was at the mercy of vicious thugs. Though oftentimes very helpful, Neighborhood Watch (see Good Neighbors) is no guarantee of security – they might be away, or sleeping, or whatever. You have zero control over their availability (as proven above).

But you do have total control over properly securing your home as described in Home Security Products - Intro. That – along with your entire family’s cautious behavior – is your very best crime-safety-security.

Contact Us to send your comments to this newsletter.

PARKING LOT DANGER: PURSE SNATCHING

A woman was putting Christmas presents in her car’s trunk outside a store when a man came up behind her and grabbed her purse. But the woman refused to let go of her purse, fighting her attacker as he dragged her nearly 70 feet, police said. Then the man stabbed the woman in the chest three times, grabbed the purse and ran.
Excerpted from The Orange County Register (CA) – 12 December 2007

If somebody grabs your purse, give it up! Keep your valuables elsewhere. See Purse Snatching at Facing Danger.

Parking lots have hiding spots galore to aid purse snatchers, muggers, rapists, carjackers, and kidnappers. A predator can sit in a parked car while watching for prey, and/or sneak amongst the parked cars to ambush a target.

Always walk into a parking lot prepared for action. Hold a key-chain with pepper spray and a noisemaker alarm raised and ready, in full view – as a deterrent for predators looking for easy prey. (See Kidnapping for dealing with a predator with a gun.) In your car, with your keys now in the ignition, have another unit of pepper spray in your console as a back-up within easy reach. See Pepper Spray, Devices, & Weapons.

While loading things into your trunk, have a convex mirror affixed inside your trunk lid so you can watch behind you. For extra security, have a male store employee escort you and stay until you drive away.

Also see Facing Danger and Avoiding Carjacking.

Contact Us to send your comments to 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.

DEFENSIVE LIVING A MUST IN STOCKTON
I have noticed there are many people living in Stockton who don't live in Stockton. They live in Sweetness & Light, that safe, secure part of Kansas where you're still in Kansas, anymore. ... It is, rather, a meditation on the Art of Living in Stockton. There appear to be two ways people adapt here: cautious suburbanism and lighthearted apathy. The apathetic feel about crime like the apolitical feel about politics, uninterested, unconcerned. Happier for it, but unwitting, hence vulnerable. ... Perhaps some people extend trust not because all others deserve it but because doing so makes them feel safer. They want the world to be safe, so they act as if it were.
Excerpted from Michael Fitzgerald’s column in The Stockton Record (CA) – 29 June 2007

Reality Check
Sleepy neighborhoods often pride themselves on not even locking their doors – after all, they’ve been lucky so far. Crossing the fine line between carefree and careless, they snuggle into the delusion that thugs, muggers, burglars, carjackers, kidnappers, serial killers, stalkers, rapists, and child-molesters never go prowling where they're least expected. Innocently naïve people feel safe until a real-life, in-your-face nightmare jars them awake.

Do you have any Crime-Safety-Security.com Newsletter Hall of Fame Award candidates for crime survivors, citizens, journalists, heroes, or cops? Contact Us

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

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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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