“It’s good to have it but I hope you never need it.”
This is a phrase that can be said about spare tires, fire extinguishers, firearms, less-lethal devices – anything that you really don’t want to use but can help you out in the worst case scenario.
One way to think of all those items is to call them insurance. The best practice is to reduce risk when it is possible so you don’t have to access whatever form that insurance actually takes. At our homes, we install smoke detectors, keep flammable items away from sources of ignition. Concerning our cars, we watch our speed in the curves, stay a safe distance away from the car in front of us – simple things that will help us avoid having a wreck so we don’t have to access that expensive insurance policy.
When it comes to personal safety there are some simple steps you can take to help avoid activating your personal insurance policy.
Put the Phone Down
In condition “white” these guys had no idea of any possible area threats.
If just for an exercise to test this theory out, sit down in a public space and do some people watching. I’ve done this from a parking lot of a shopping center, inside of public spaces, in airport terminals, transitioning between buildings, and just nearly anywhere I go. What I see, and I challenge you to replicate, is there is a significant percentage of people who are engrossed in their phones.
These are the people bad guys are looking for to catch unaware. If your eyes are down on your phone, you are not paying attention to your surroundings. In many cases it is this simple to keep from being a victim.
Don’t Fall for Road Rage Bait
Don’t fall for the rage bait. Just let it go or get as far away from a threat as you can.
Driving an automobile comes with plenty of risks and these days, one of those risks is road rage. It is way too easy to fall into this trap. Should you offend your fellow motorist and they engage in road rage, de-escalate in any appropriate way, even if it means altering your route. The idea is to create space between you and the road rager. If the situation persists, remove yourself from the situation by using your phone to locate and call the closest law enforcement agency. Drive to that location and keep your windows up. Never exit your vehicle should the road rager approach you. Keep your windows up, and look for a chance to safely drive away from the situation, even if it means reversing down the shoulder of the road.
Avoid Dangerous Places at Dangerous Times
Symbolic of dumb things to do, chasing down a moose or a local protest are on equal footing.
Some places you frequent are safer at some times than they are at other times. Some normally safe places can be overrun with protesters or even partiers in mere moments - and if there’s a big crowd, then there are likely to be bad actors mixed in. Having a working knowledge of areas to avoid and access to accurate information about current events in your community are essential. The former can be evaluated using websites such as spotcrime.com/ or ADT.com/crime. Using these tools you can get a better idea where various crimes are occurring near you. The latter point of information gathering can be done via friends, social media groups, neighborhood crime watch groups, local news, or police scanner websites like Broadcastify.com can all help you be informed of what is happening in various areas of your community. It is certainly possible to overload yourself with information – but there is no excuse for not knowing what is going on.
Make Your Home Less Appealing
In the same way a person can be made less appealing as a target, your home can also be made less appealing as a target. Security systems with video capabilities are always a good idea. Make sure some cameras are visible and other cameras are hidden. You might even consider using faux cameras to distract unwanted “guests” from your property. A house should be hard to get into. That is to say, windows need to have thorny bushes or hedges below them. Always make sure your windows are locked, too. Taking your doors seriously is also essential. Sufficiently long screws in the hinges and striker plates will make your doors much harder to breach. Using key-on-both-sides deadbolt locks are wonderful for eliminating access by breaking the door’s window or a house window adjacent to the door. Also, examine your yard and flower beds for rocks, bricks or other items that can be used as an impromptu “key” to your house.
Multiple Levels of Defense = Being Prepared to Protect
While being very aware of surroundings and using deterrent techniques should be your first level of protection, those next level “insurance policies” become essential when or if those precautions fail. Self defense devices like Mace or stun guns are common next steps but they’re limited in effective distance. To keep space between you and trouble a pepper gel device can reach further than a pepper spray and a pepper ball launcher extends even further yet. These types of “insurance” devices are inexpensive and are less lethal, in other words they aren’t made to kill anyone, which reduces if not eliminates the possibility of criminal charges that might occur if you used a lethal defense tool.
To sum it up, your first action should be awareness. Use deterrent techniques and eliminate opportunities that can be seized by bad people. Be prepared with some sort of “insurance policy.” Practice with any less lethal self defense tools or firearms you choose to own and use. Be ready at any given moment. And remember, it’s good to have it but we hope you never need it.