Home Security, Part 3 - Doors and Locks By Alex Haddox January 2010
The best home defense system in comprised of multiple layers. The previous two articles reviewed the outermost layer of lighting. This month we begin our look at the physical perimeter of your home with doors and locks.
Doors are the primary means of entering and leaving your home and that is where the focus is when someone wants to illegally enter your house. Doors are made to be opened, they are large enough to fit people and objects through and they make little noise when they are used properly. All exterior doors should be solid core, heavy doors, and not hollow.
When someone comes knocking on your door, the last thing you should do is open it. You have no idea who is on the other side or what his or her intentions are. You need to get that person to identify himself or herself and then visually check them out.
First, challenge the person verbally without opening the door. Demand in a loud, clear and confident voice, “Who is it?” You can then vary your actions based upon the response received. If it is a solicitor, you can send them away with a concise, “No thank you.” If it is someone who intends you harm, you have never exposed yourself.
The key components of the verbal challenge are an authoritative voice and a willingness to be rude. There are times when it is completely appropriate to be rude. It is okay to be rude to a stranger at your door. It is also okay to be rude to a stranger on the phone asking questions. My wife tells me I sound like a hard-nosed jerk when I answer a knock at the door. That is perfect. I want the stranger on my porch to know that there is someone inside who will pose a problem. The average predator will move on to an easier target rather than risk a confrontation with someone who will put up a struggle.
If after the verbal challenge we have decided to consider opening the door, we need to perform a visual inspection. Is this person really from the Postal Service? Again, the inspection should be performed without exposing ourselves. This is where the peephole, or small holes drilled at eye-height, comes in. Some doors have glass windows that you can peer through.
Between the two, I prefer the peephole over the clear-glass window. If there is some stranger outside my door, I want to be able to see him without being seen. If you opt for a peephole, be certain to get one that has a good field of view so that you can spot someone trying to hide to the sides or below. If yours is old, replace it. They are inexpensive (around $10 at your local hardware store) and take less than 2 minutes to install. With age they get coated in grime, paint, hard water stains and the older ones often do not have a great field of view. Evaluate yours and it may be worth the $10 investment for a new one.
Peepholes are not perfect. From the outside looking in you may not be able to see anything in detail, but you can see light and movement. You can tell when someone walks up to the door and bends over to squint through the little hole. If you are outside in the dark and the home is well lit inside, the door may as well be made of glass; it is that easy.
I am not a fan of windows in doors. They can be broken easily and then the invader just reaches through the hole to unlock and open the door. If your door has a glass window, you should install a deadbolt that requires a key on both the inside and outside of door.
If you have a little more budget, remote cameras might be an option. You can set one up covering any door of your home and watch it from a dedicated monitor, your bedroom TV or your laptop computer over a wireless connection. With advances in technology, the prices have become within the reach of just about everyone.
For locks, you want a solid deadbolt. The normal pin doorknob locks can be popped open easily. You need a deadbolt to make it harder for someone to get into your home. A good deadbolt reduces the choices available to the criminal to: try to pick it, crowbar the door or kick it in. They even have deadbolts that do not have key access from the outside. I grew up in a home with one of these. It is a deadbolt that does not show on the outside of the door. It only has the latch on the inside so there is no way to pick it and it can only be unlocked from the inside.
If you move into a new property, change the locks. You have no idea who has a key to your home, especially if it is a rental. Offer to pay for the lock change and give the landlord the new master key. I have done this many times and it has never been a problem. Usually the owner will not let you change the locks yourself, so you might have to pay for a professional locksmith. Pay for the service because the fresh locks give peace of mind. Why would you ever want to leave yourself open to such an easy entry?
From personal experience, thieves rarely attempt to pick locks these days. It takes skill and time, neither of which the average thug is going to have. Plus, the criminal normally does not care whether or not the point of entry is discovered. The crooks are there for the snatch and grab in less than 10 minutes, usually 5.
What I have personally seen most often is the crowbar method. The burglars take a crowbar, jam it into the joint between the door and the doorframe at the locks and pop the door by ripping the wooden doorframe apart. It takes less than 5 seconds.
I lived in apartment building where this happened a lot. The thieves would select an apartment, check to see that no one was home by knocking on the door repeatedly, place masking tape over the peepholes of the surrounding apartments, crowbar the door, take valuables, place them in a clothes basket, cover them with your clothes and then leave. If you passed them in the hall, they looked like someone carrying a heavy basket of laundry to the washers.
Next month we continue our review of the physical perimeter of your home with door frames and windows.
Home Security, Part 2 - Lights By Alex Haddox December 2009
This month is the conclusion of the discussion on lights as one among many security measures for your home. The goal of these measures is to make your home a “hard target,” a place that is too much trouble to bother with. Hopefully thieves will seek out other easier “soft targets” rather than work to overcome your defenses. Your first line of protection is lighting up your home. Last month’s article covered placement and lighting options. This month we touch upon bulbs and floodlights.
As mentioned earlier, a fair amount of light to see by out to 100 feet from your structure is all that is really needed. In many cases a 60-watt light bulb in a porch light is sufficient. Of course, everything suggested must be taken in context. You must always consider your home, property layout and any special circumstances you might have. If you want something brighter, go for something brighter. Always do what you are comfortable with.
A great choice for porch and perimeter lighting is the new energy efficient compact florescent bulb. They have a lot of advantages over the filament bulbs. First, they provide a good amount of light while keeping your power bill under control. Second, they generate almost no heat. Heat will cause premature bulb blowouts faster than anything I am aware of (short of hitting them). Because the compact fluorescents generate almost no heat, they are perfect for putting into small, waterproof outdoor fixtures. They also have a much longer life than standard filament bulbs. The downside is that they are a little more expensive, but the cost has dropped dramatically over the past few years and as the technology improves, the prices should continue to fall.
There are two choices floodlights or spotlights. The first is a fair amount of work and it calls for mounting and hard-wiring the lights to the side of your house. This usually requires an electrician because you must tap into your home’s power lines and cut holes in walls and siding. If you are a super-handyman with experience in electrical work, you might be able to do it yourself. I have helped a buddy install some hardwired, motion-sensitive lights on the side of his house and it is no easy task. If you have any doubts, hire a professional. You can also link the hard-wired lights so that when one triggers, all of the lights in the circuit turn on.
The second choice is to use solar-powered motion-sensitive spotlights. They do have some advantages over the hard-wired lights. First, these are really easy to install (it took me about 15-minutes per light to install). Second, they work independently of the home’s power. This can come in handy if there is a power outage in your neighborhood, or if the burglar cuts the power to your home to circumvent any alarm system, the solar-powered lights will remain operational. Of course, there are a few downsides as well. First, to preserve battery life they are not as bright as the hard-wired lights. Second, you need to be able to locate the solar collector panel so that it receives direct sunlight for a good portion of the day. For my home in Southern California, that is not a problem. However, if you live in a northern climate or get snow or leaves on the panels it could be a problem.
Floodlights or spotlights commonly use high-intensity halogen or filament bulbs that burn bright and hot. Solar-powered floodlights sometimes use halogen bulbs, but at lower lumens or the super-bright LEDs (as found in tactical flashlights).
Next month we open the door on physical perimeter security measures.
Home Security, Part 1 - Lights By Alex Haddox November 2009
I am going to open this first of a multi-part series on securing homes with a harsh reality: There is no way to completely secure your home against invasion. If someone out there really wants you or something you have, nothing is going to stop him from getting it. No door, no alarm, no dog, no safe will keep him out forever.
It may appear that I have just completely undercut the premise of my own articles. Not so. What I will present in this series are suggestions on how you can secure your home to increase personal safety and deter home invaders, stalkers, Peeping Toms and burglars. The goal of these measures is to make your home a “hard target,” a place that is too much trouble to bother with. Hopefully thieves will seek out other easier “soft targets” rather than work to overcome your defenses.
Home security is similar to personal security. You are not trying to capture a criminal. (NOTE: Setting a trap for an invader or trespasser is illegal in the United States.) Your goal is to become a hard target, someone that is not worth the effort to attack or to steal from. Make criminals believe you are too much trouble to bother with and they will move on to an easier target. One of the challenges of conflict and crime avoidance is the only evidence that you dodged a potentially dangerous situation is that you will never experience dangerous situation. The absence of an event is quite difficult to measure and quantify.
The first home protection measure is lights. This is something that is easy, cheap and highly effective. Criminals do not like to be seen while they are doing their thing. Lights make them visible and make them feel uncomfortable. Every home security recommendation list, every law enforcement officer, and every security expert I have ever spoken with has always put lights at the top of their list. Illuminate your home up with exterior lighting. You need to cover all vulnerable areas around your property. At a minimum windows and doors should be lit. If possible, all sides of the home should be covered. This means the front, the sides and the back.
The back of the home should be lit? Absolutely. Your neighbors may not have taken the same precautions you have. It takes little effort for the criminal to creep down your neighbor’s property and then hop over a wall into your darkened backyard. A wall or fence means nothing to the criminal; it is merely an inconvenience or even something used to hide behind.
This is a trap that we honest citizens fall into. We see a wall as a barrier, a line that says, “do not cross.” A wall has no meaning to the criminal. The social norms that bind society together, the unwritten rules of community that make life possible in our compacted urban environments do not apply to the criminal. They have no regard for them and in many cases they use them to gain an advantage over us.
You should treat the back of the house as you would the front. We lock our front door and light it up. The same should apply to the rear of the home. Consider your backyard environment at night. It is walled in on 3 sides, has high bushes and shrubs to keep the neighbor’s prying eyes away and dampens noise from the kids next door and it is dark. Put into those terms, it sounds like the perfect environment for a criminal to work in. Light is a great deterrent to entry.
There are many types of lights and lighting possibilities. The good news is that all are effective, giving lots of options depending upon the type of property and budget. First, you do not need to light up every inch of your property with blinding, high-intensity light. If some light is not going to deter the criminal, a whole lot of light is not going to do any better. There is a happy balance that is easy to achieve. Most experts recommend the property be lit out to 100 feet from the sides of the home.
Placement is key to lighting. You want illumination at your front door, side doors, back doors and any garage entrances. If you have other vulnerable areas, you want to light those up as well. Walk around your home after dark and look at it from the eyes of a criminal. Where are the places to hide? How would an intruder move around and stay hidden? Then implement measures to help expose those movements. If you have children, and teenage daughters, place a light outside their bedroom windows.
Lighting Options Of the types and options available, the most common are the manual type you turn on with a switch. Think of these are your standard porch light. There are also the spotlights or flood lamps that are usually lit with halogen bulbs. These can also be turned on manually with a switch.
I really like motion-sensitive lights. These stay off until something passes in front of a sensor that triggers the light and bathes the area in light. This saves on your power bill while still providing security. It also acts as a “gotcha” for anyone passing in front of it. It clearly states, “you have been caught creeping around” when it pops on.
Motion-sensitive lights are also a good choice for placing around bedroom windows. They are not always on, which is nice for people who might have trouble sleeping with constant light outside their window. Also when they trigger, the entire window frame glows providing a nice quiet alert.
The downside to motion-sensitive lights is that they can trigger on all sorts of things. I have seen them trigger on neighborhood cats, skunks, raccoons and even my hammock when I left it outside on a windy night. All the labels on these lights promise they will not trigger on something smaller than a dog, or inanimate objects, but they still do. They should not trigger on something really small like mice, rats, squirrels or small birds, but anything cat-sized or larger will cause the light to activate.
My sister was forced to relocate a motion-sensitive light she had installed on the side of her house. It kept triggering on critters crawling along the top of the fence separating her yard from her neighbor’s. When it turned on, it sent blinding light directly into the neighbor’s bedroom window, waking them up. So among other things, you must also consider neighbor annoyance when choosing the location for your lights.
There are also lights that turn on and off by themselves either with a timer or by a built-in light sensor. This way, once they are set, you only have to worry about changing burned-out bulbs rather than if you remembered to turn them on before you crawled into bed. Light-sensing lights are also called photoelectric or dusk-to-dawn lights. They sense when it is getting dark and automatically turn on when the sun goes down and turn themselves off when the sun comes up. This is great for weather changes (like dark clouds) or seasonal changes when it gets darker earlier or later depending upon the time of year.
Our discussion of home security and lights continues next month.
I was first introduced to the idea of a throw-away wallet by my Reality-Based instructor, Jim Wagner. The premise is simple: carry a second wallet filled with misleading items that you hand over to a mugger. It may sound like a major inconvenience, but take a moment to think about what you carry in your wallet:
Driver’s license Credit cards Cash Membership cards Driver’s insurance Health insurance Receipts Pictures of your children
That is a whole lot of data about you: your name, address, driver’s license number, credit card numbers and pictures of your family. All that is tied to your potential monetary value based upon the cash on hand, the type and number of credit cards, your recent purchases and their costs, the year, make and model of your car and your neighborhood. Now this criminal who has just held you up at gun or knife-point or picketed your pocket has a lot of your personal information and your home address.
In today’s high-tech world, you might be thinking identity theft. However, that takes sophistication and the average thug on the street might not have the capability to fully utilize the information. He might sell it to someone who can use it or just toss the junk into the nearest storm drain. Hope for the storm drain.
The worst possible situation is if this thug decides you are a soft target with lots of nice things that he could sell quickly for a decent profit. So, while you are away at work or at worst while you are at home sleeping, he breaks in and also burglarizes your home.
This is not as far fetched as it may sound. It does happen and unfortunately I have first-hand experience with this exact type of crime. When I was ten years old my father was working in Downtown Los Angeles. One night while he was loading books into the back of his car, he was cold-cocked and robbed. He was found unconscious dangling from his trunk with no knowledge of who hit him or which direction they had come from. His wallet was missing.
My father carried all of the items common to a man’s wallet (listed above). This included a receipt for a family trip to Palm Springs in just a few weeks. The thieves knew where and when they would have an empty house. They drugged our two dogs, backed up a moving truck, emptied the house and stole my mother’s car. To destroy any evidence, they set fire to our home and burned it to the ground. When we returned home we learned we had nothing but the clothes on our backs and we spent the summer living with relatives.
There was no insurance money as we lived in a designated “fire hazard area” with an annual threat of brush fires so it was impossible to get fire coverage. The laws have since changed and insurance must be made available to people living in that area, but it was put into effect a decade too late for us. My mother’s car was recovered from Mexico four months later. The criminals were never caught.
Would a throw-away wallet have saved my family a lot of grief? Since my father was knocked unconscious and the mugger had more time to rifle through his pockets, it is doubtful it would have prevented our tragedy. However, in a direct confrontation that is exactly what it would do.
So how do you build a throw-away wallet? First, it must be convincing. Use an old wallet, something already carried and broken in. If you do not have an old wallet lying around, search eBay, Amazon.com or a local yard sale for used wallets. You can probably find some fairly cheap ones.
Next, it must contain convincing items and some real money. Stock it with items such as:
Pictures of other people’s children with whom you have no relationship. Download some pictures from the Internet. Good sites are http://www.flickr.com and http://images.google.com/ At least $35 in cash. A $20, a $5, maybe a $10 and some ones. Do not be cheap. If the wallet does not have enough cash, it could aggravate the robber and you might make things worse. Receipts with no material traceable to you. Receipts from places you have traveled to and paid in cash are best. Specifically, places not from your hometown. Sample credit cards. You finally have a use for all of those “pre-approved” credit cards! Put the sample cards with “Your Name Here” into your throw-away wallet. Business cards from random places you have visited. Again, these should not be from your hometown.
An alternative to a wallet is using a money clip. These can be newer and when properly packed can be as good as a wallet. I use a money clip as my throw-away item.
Women have a different problem in that they most often carry purses. When a criminal demands property from women he generally demands the entire purse rather than just a wallet or money. So for women it is more inconvenient to carry a throw-away item. This is not even considering that women’s outfits are not necessarily cut for real pocket use. One solution, albeit an imperfect one, is to make the entire purse the throw-away item. Women can carry their cash, credit cards and ID in a man’s type wallet or money clip and store miscellaneous goods and carryall items in the purse. Another thing is not to carry your keys, house or car, in your purse. If they get your purse they literally have the keys to the castle, not just the address.
The goal is to make the wallet look legitimate at a quick glance. Your robber is not going to take the time to carefully examine everything. He just wants your wallet, a quick check for cash and then he is gone. Give him what he wants and let him be on his way; it is safer for everyone involved. He gets a little cash, you keep your personal information protected and everyone walks away unharmed.
Defensive Weapons, Part 3, Kubotans By Alex Haddox September 2009
The last defensive weapon I’ll talk about in this series is the Kubotan.
First and foremost, always obey local laws. Country, State, County and even City ordinance and laws may be different or even in direct conflict with each other. Something that may be permissible under federal law may be criminal under your state law or even at the city level. The differences in restrictions apply to any weapon you might carry from handguns, to knives to kubotans.
Second, you must get professional training. Always seek professional training in any weapon you intend to use or carry. This is absolutely critical in understanding and properly wielding any weapon. A good, professional instructor will teach you how to maintain the weapon, proper handling of the weapon, how to safely wield it, safe storage, help you select a model for your size and skill and a host of other essential items. Reading articles or watching DVDs are not enough. I cannot recommend hands-on, instructor led weapons training strongly enough.
The kubotan was designed by Takayuki Kubota in the 1970s to be a less than lethal defensive weapon. The ends are blunt, specifically to cause no skin penetration, an important legal distinction. When used properly, it can induce a tremendous amount of pain to encourage compliance, but no lasting or permanent damage.
A kubotan is a small cylinder about .5-inch diameter (1.5 cm), between 5 and 6-inches long (12.5 and 15cm) and is usually made of wood, hardened plastic or aircraft aluminum. This defensive weapon falls into the general category of Self-Defense Keychain Stick (SDKS). It is held in one hand and can be used to strengthen fists when punching, the ends that protrude from a clenched fist can be used to strike pressure points or bone and it can be used to assist in joint locks for restraint and containment. Many come with a key ring at one end. When keys are attached, the kubotan can be used as a flail to whip your attacker. Kubotans can be purchased from many martial arts suppliers for between $5 and $10.
There are many variations on the kubotan. There is a similar martial weapon called the Yawara. Popular culture has bred the development of “ninja” kubotans that have spikes, pointed ends or even hidden blades. Those are not true kubotans and fall into a different weapon category all together (and many times a different legal category as well).
One of the many nice things about the kubotan is that it is a fairly safe defensive weapon, equivalent to a common stick when not used by a trained practitioner. If your 2-year old child picked it up you would not have the same level of concern as if a child picked up a handgun or knife. For those who might feel uncomfortable wielding a knife or handgun, the kubotan might be a good alternative. Finally, the kubotan is not subject to many of the carry restrictions that you find with knives or guns. However, you are still unable to carry it onto a plane or into any weapon-restricted facility manned by well-educated security personnel.
The main downside to the kubotan is that it is not as a forceful defensive weapon as the handgun or knife. Additionally, the uneducated attacker, which most are, will not recognize it for what it is or what it can do, and so the fear and intimidation factor is lost when you deploy it.
In all, the kubotan is a fairly safe and effective defensive weapon and far better than nothing at all.
Defensive Weapons, Part 2, Knives By Alex Haddox August 2009
This month we continue our investigation into Defensive weapons; our topic is knives.
However, first and foremost when it comes to weapons, always obey local laws. Country, State, County and even City ordinance and laws may be different or even in direct conflict with each other. Something that may be permissible under federal law may be criminal under your state law or even at the city level. The differences in restrictions apply to any weapon you might carry from a handgun, to knives to kubotons.
Second, you must get professional training. Always seek professional training in any weapon you intend to use or carry. This is absolutely critical in understanding and properly wielding any weapon. A good, professional instructor will teach you how to maintain the weapon, proper handling of the weapon, how to safely wield it, safe storage, help you select a model for your size and skill and a host of other essential items. Reading articles or watching DVDs are not enough. I cannot recommend hands-on, instructor led weapons training strongly enough.
Knives are the most common weapons used in criminal assaults, but they do not get the airtime that guns do. Why? To the untrained they do not seem all that dangerous. After all, it was just a knife, right? Make no mistake; knives are extremely dangerous and absolutely lethal.
Knives are considered contact weapons, meaning that you physically touch someone to hurt them. However, knives are still lethal even at distance of 21-feet. There is an exercise we do in our Reality-Based training based upon the Dennis Tueller Drill. The exercise boils down to this: it takes less than 1.5 seconds for a knife-wielding person to cross 21-feet (7-meters) of clear space and stab you. 1.5 seconds is not much time and is about how long it takes to draw holstered handgun and point it (not even aim).
If your attacker is wielding a knife, you are most likely not going to have time to draw your own weapon. The fencing-style knife fights you see on TV and in the movies are the stuff of myth. Most often, you are not going to even know a knife is involved until you are already cut. In several interviews I have conducted with victims of knife attacks, half were unaware they were even cut until minutes after the encounter.
If you are lucky enough to see the knife first, your priority is not getting cut by it and not drawing your own for a counter-attack. The saying, “In knife fighting one person goes to the hospital, the other goes to the morgue” sounds cool, but does not do well under scrutiny. The average knife “fight” lasts between three (3) and seven (7) seconds and usually entails one person attacking and the other being cut.
So if I will not see the attacker’s knife or if I do see it I will be so busy trying not to get cut by it, why would I want to bother carrying one? One consideration is that if you manage to get some distance from your attacker, but you are unable to flee to safety, you might have an opportunity and a need to draw your own knife. For example, you might not be able to run away if you must protect a child, an elderly parent or a disabled friend.
A knife is a last-ditch, hand-to-hand, close quarters defensive weapon. It is far more lethal than most people give it credit for and deserves a lot of respect.
Again, you need to be aware of your local laws regarding knives that can run a range greater than guns. So if you intend to carry a knife for personal protection you must research each place you intend to carry. There is a place you can start your search, but is by no means comprehensive for every area. It is a book by David Wong entitled Knife Laws of the Fifty States published in 2006.
Part 3 of the Defensive Weapons series will cover the kuboton.
Defensive Weapons, Part 1, Handguns By Alex Haddox July 2009
Weapons are as old as man. From rocks and sticks to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), there are enough variations to fill a shelf of encyclopedias. In the interest of brevity, over the next three articles I will discuss the two most common found on our urban streets and one you should know about: Handguns, knives and kubatons.
Weapons are dangerous and must always be treated with respect. Experts espouse that unless you carry a weapon, you are not serious about self-defense. I may not completely share that opinion, but I agree that if treated with care and respect, weapons are powerful tools. Mistreat or mishandle them and like a wild dog, they will bite you or someone you love.
First and foremost, when it comes to weapons, always obey local laws. Country, state, county and even city ordinance and laws may be different or even in direct conflict with each other. Something that may be permissible under federal law may be criminal under your state law or even at the city level. The rule of thumb is to obey the most restrictive law and you should be in the clear. As a law-abiding citizen, you do not want to cross over into criminal behavior, even accidentally.
You must get professional training. Always seek professional training in any weapon you intend to use or carry. This is absolutely critical in understanding and properly wielding any weapon. A good, professional instructor will teach you how to maintain the weapon, proper handling of the weapon, how to safely wield it, safe storage, help you select a model for your size and skill and a host of other essential items. Reading articles or watching DVDs are not enough. I cannot recommend hands-on, instructor led weapons training strongly enough.
The choice to carry a defensive weapon is purely a personal one and one that only you can make. Do not carry a weapon just because you think it is cool or because someone told you it was a good idea. Do not carry a weapon if you are not prepared to use it for real. Weapons are not toys and a professional criminal will know just from how you carry yourself how serious you are about any weapon you draw. If you are not serious, you just gave your adversary an advantage and potentially a weapon to use against you.
So with all of the problems that carrying a defensive weapon can cause for you legally, coupled with a huge responsibility, why would you want to carry one? When used properly, a defensive weapon can increase your chances of coming out of a life-threatening conflict alive. I stress the phrase "life-threatening conflict." Weapons are not for the fist scuffle in a bar. Weapons are not for showing off or scaring people into backing off. Weapons are for life-threatening situations only, meaning you are in immediate and unavoidable fear for your life.
"God made man, but Samuel Colt made them equal." - Colt Manufacturing Slogan
I have been around and trained with firearms my entire life. My father gave me my first gun when I was five. I have had years of civilian and military training with all sorts of firearms. Starting when I was twelve, I would to fly to San Antonio, Texas, where I would spend my summers living on Fort Sam Houston (an Army facility) and train in competitive pistol shooting. Later when I was in the Army, I received their rifle training. I also take civilian shooting and safety courses every year, just a refresher, and I continue to practice on a regular basis to keep my skills sharp. Recently, I became a certified firearms instructor.
Simply put, guns are the great equalizer. A gun can turn anyone into a killer, regardless of age or physical ability. For example, a few years ago here in Los Angeles, a police officer was killed by his two-year-old son with his service pistol. The child was in the back seat of his car, strapped into a car seat. The officer took off his pistol and unthinkingly placed it within the reach of the restrained child. While the officer was driving, the two-year-old picked up the gun to play with it and it went off, shooting his father in the back. The man managed to pull over to the side of the road, call for help and later died of his injury.
This tragic story has several points to make. The first point is that guns are weapons that anyone can use to bring lethal force to bear. In this case, a two-year-old strapped into a car seat had the capability to kill a grown man. Another is that they are dangerous and must always be treated with care and respect. The officer probably was not thinking about his deadly weapon when he thoughtlessly placed it within reach of his young son. He lost respect for the weapon, he was careless with it, and it bit him. Another is that you must secure your weapon at all times. If you decide to own and use a gun, you must keep it safe and secured at all times.
If we were to scale defensive weapons based upon ease of use and lethality, firearms are without a doubt at the top of that list. As seen by the example, even a restrained child was able to kill an adult. When directed properly, that same lethal force can be used for legal defensive purposes. Consider an elderly woman against a home invader, or a woman on the way home from work who is assaulted by man, or even a man defending his wife and children against multiple would-be robbers. A gun would grant the defender in each of these hypothetical circumstances a fighting chance.
The ease of use and supreme lethality of the gun is what makes this a controversial weapon. We do not mind our police having them, we do not mind our military having them, yet most often the gun is vilified in the media when in the hands of the average person. We trust the police and military with them because we know they are trained. If everyone who owned a firearm was as schooled as the police and military in their use, there would be far fewer accidents and a higher level of acceptance for the weapon.
The gun is easily the strongest defensive weapon available. It has the original point and click interface. If you poll anyone who deals with criminals on a regular basis from the police, corrections officers, judges to criminal attorneys (both prosecution and defense) you will find that all keep firearms for personal protection. However, guns are also easily the most dangerous. If you decide to own and keep one for personal defense, seek professional training in the weapon, keep it safe and keep it secured at all times.
The National Rifle Association has gun safety and training courses in all 50 states and they run all year round. Classes include pistol, rifle and shotgun. Every gun range I have ever visited has also offered safety and training courses. The training is readily and inexpensively available so there is no excuse not to take advantage of it.
Part 2 of the Defensive Weapons series will cover the knife.
From the continuing theme of travel protection over the past few articles, we are aware that tourists are selected as targets for criminal attacks. We now turn our attention to how to avoid being identified as tourists. This month we review some techniques on how not to invite trouble or tempt the predators. By adopting a few simple habits and always maintaining your awareness you can increase your chances of having a fantastic and safe trip.
What not to wear First and foremost you do not want to draw attention to yourself while traveling. You want to meld into the crowd; you should disappear among the masses. The sights are just as beautiful and food just as tasty whether you are wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt or a plain golf shirt. Loud or obviously foreign attire screams outsider, draws attention to you and should therefore be avoided.
Next, leave all jewelry at home. Even if the gemstones are fakes, they will draw the attention of every snatch-purse and pickpocket in the area. You may know it is worth only a few pennies, but the thug who dislocated your shoulder ripping the expensive looking watch from your arm will not figure that out until after you are on the way to the hospital. The same rule applies to big necklaces, bracelets, and rings. My wife even leaves her engagement ring at home when we travel.
Do not use expensive luggage and carry-on bags with big labels. I cannot tell you how many Louis Vuitton handbags and suitcases I have seen in airports across the country. It is nearly impossible to identify the knock-offs at first glance, which is why you bought them, right? Again, the criminal will not know they are fakes either until after he has it and you have lost it. You need to ask yourself a few hard questions about your luggage: Whom are you trying to impress? The airport baggage handler? The cabbie? The hotel porter? The other travelers at the airport you have never met before and will never see again? Fancy baggage does nothing but advertise you have money and that will mark you as a target for predators. You are much better off with nondescript, plain luggage.
Similarly, do not carry your laptop in an obvious laptop carrying bag with a big Sony, HP or Dell logo stamped all over it. Carry your laptop in an after-market, no-named laptop case or laptop backpack. The less your laptop case looks like a laptop case, the better.
I can already hear the business travelers saying, “But I need to look good for my customer visit!” If you are traveling on business and need a nice briefcase or handbag for a meeting, pack those in your nondescript checked luggage and pull it out for use in your meeting. Do not use them during general transportation.
What to Wear Taking the other side, let us review what you should consider wearing and carrying while traveling. It is important to have a few items with you at all times, starting from when you leave your front door. The first is a good pair of shoes. I have seen people wearing all sorts of fancy footwear while traveling and some that barely qualify as foot coverings. If something happens to the plane, bus or taxi and you need to move quickly, a good pair of shoes is essential. Flip-flops, open-toed sandals and high heels will get you nowhere but into trouble fast. You want a solid pair of athletic shoes or hiking boots that will give you a sure-footed step when you need it the most.
Next, you want a good travel pen. The first use for a good pen is that when you travel, especially internationally, you are going to complete about a billion forms and Customs never provides a writing instrument. Personally, I carry a Fisher Space Pen. It is sturdy, lightweight, can write at odd angles (even upside down), does not leak and writes over grease. Trust me, writing at odd angles is enough of a selling point when you are standing in line trying to complete a customs form with one hand. I carry it in my shirt pocket, or if I do not have a pocket, it is clipped to collar of my shirt. I toss it in with my cheap watch, keys and belt for scanning at security checkpoints. It has yet to be a problem.
The secret of a good solid pen is that it can also be used as a last-ditch defensive weapon. For this again I like the Fisher Space Pens as they come in steel and titanium bodies. A good solid pen can be used as a makeshift kubaton. For those unfamiliar with a kubaton, it is a 6” cylinder about ½” in diameter. It is usually made of hardwood, hardened plastic or aircraft aluminum. It is held in a clenched fist and used to reinforce punches, strike pressure points and to restrain or take down an opponent. DISCLAIMER: If you ever intend to use pens as kubaton-like weapons, seek professional instruction in kubaton usage. As a general rule, always seek professional training in any weapon you intend to carry or use.
Another must-have item is a passport organizer, sometimes called a convention wallet. This is a flat, folding wallet with an integrated lanyard. It hangs from your neck underneath your shirt (hidden) and stores your passport, extra money, customs forms and other important documents. It is really hard to lose something that is hanging from your neck and tucked into your shirt. I use one of these whenever I travel internationally.
Now that we are dressed appropriately in non-descript attire, using plain luggage and carry-on bags, wearing sturdy shoes and have our trusty pen at hand, we can head out into the world with a bit more security and confidence.
An unfortunate reality is that tourists are targets. From the cabby that takes the long way to the hotel to run up the tab to the pickpocket lurking at the popular attraction, tourists are seen as gullible, blind, stupid, rich, and soft targets. They stick out from the locals like a brightly colored ATM machine. In the eyes of the criminal, they are ripe fruit dangling from a low branch just asking to be picked.
I have spent most of my life traveling. Before I could walk, my parents took me, and eventually my siblings, along on every excursion. My travels have taken me across four continents where I have stayed in some of the world’s finest hotels and a few of the worst rattraps where I was too afraid to close my eyes. Over the years, I have adopted and developed some preventative techniques to increase personal security while traveling.
First and most importantly, do not think your hotel room is safe, private or secure. You should correctly assume anyone and everyone on the hotel staff has access to your room. The larger the hotel means the number of people with access to you and your belongings can be huge. However, that is not to suggest that smaller hotels are any safer, because they are not necessarily any better. Someone on any staff can be paid to look the other way, drop or lose their key to any one room.
Many of the thefts and robberies at hotels are inside jobs, either by staff members themselves or by friends and relatives of staff members. Most commonly, you will have things removed from your room while you are gone. However, there will be the rare instances when someone will lay in wait for you when you first enter the room while you have your bags in hand and are distracted. The way this works is the mugger or an accomplice hangs around the front desk and listens for the receptionist to tell you your room number. When he hears the room number, he either rushes to beat you to the room and awaits you inside, or he calls his buddy and his buddy does the same thing.
This is why it is a security policy that the front desk attendant never say your room number aloud. The procedure is to say, “Here is your room key, Mr. Jones. The elevators are over there on the right,” as he or she hands you your key with your room number written down. Another reason they are not supposed to speak your room number is that if someone overhears your room number and gets your name, they can easily charge food and services to your room. On a recent trip to the British Virgin Islands, someone charged a large volume of drinks to my room from a hotel bar that my wife and I never visited.
When you first enter the hotel room, use one of your bags to prop the door open. The front door is your fastest, and sometimes only, means of escape should something happen. You want it to remain open and clear for a quick retreat. Then scan the room. Check the bathroom, closets, and curtains for lurkers. When all is clear, pull your luggage into the room, close and double-lock the door.
Next, you want to take a quick survey of windows and doors. I cannot tell you how many times I have found windows open and doors to adjoining suites unlocked. Close and lock the windows and doors.
After securing the room as best you can, you should secure your belongings. Remember that everyone on the staff has access to your room, so you should not assume that small items left out on dressers, desks or even stashed in bags will not walk away. Most hotels, especially those with regular international travelers, offer in-room lockboxes for free or a nominal fee (around $15 USD). Use these to store your passports, extra credit cards, and anything small and valuable that you are not going to carry on your person. The few dollars in cost are well worth the investment in peace of mind alone. They are not Fort Knox, but they are better than the bottom of your suitcase. If in-room lockboxes are unavailable, the front desk will often provide safety deposit boxes, which provide the exact same service with a little less convenience.
If you are not part of a professionally guided tour group, ask the concierge desk where to go. Then, do not wander outside of this region. Many of the historic sites are in old parts of the city that have become run down and may be less safe than you would prefer.
Ask for a price estimate before getting into any cab or taxi. Cabbies should have a pretty good idea of the cost to where you plan to go. Asking the price beforehand establishes a price range that will help prevent you from getting ripped off. Every time I have asked for an estimate before entering a cab, the final price has been within $5. You can also ask the concierge or doorman for an estimate, or at the airport, ask the taxi wrangler. Do not forget to tip the person helping you out! This is especially true if you are going to be in the area for a while.
Finally, only use certified taxis. This may be strange to most Americans, but in a many countries, a cabbie is anyone with a car who you can pay to take you somewhere. Ask an airport official, even if it is your airline ticket agent, how to identify a state or government certified taxi driver. You are far safer with a certified taxi rather than with some random person who might drive you to a secluded place where his buddies can rob you.
I have traveled all of my life. I have been to nearly every state in the United States, all over Mexico, Europe, South America and even Africa. Regardless the hemisphere, continent or even local language, the most common thieves you will come across are pickpockets and purse-snatchers. Our topic this month is methods to protect against these universal bandits.
To help thwart pickpockets, keep your valuables on the front of your body and against your body. Specifically, not your back pants pocket or coat pocket. The inside pocket of your coat may be on the front of your body, but unless you keep it zippered or buttoned, it is simple to access with a simple bump. The front of your person is a more sensitive area, making your valuables more difficult to lift undetected. You are far more likely to react to someone touching the front of your thigh than brushing against your backside.
Carrying my wallet in my front jeans pocket once saved me from being pickpocketed. I was in middle school at the time, and as kids play around like they do, the current gag was to run by and yank wallets from back pockets. It was always done in fun and never subtly, but it forced me into the habit of carrying my wallet in the front of my pants.
We were at Disneyland on a school field trip. I was in a crowd of my friends waiting for a ride when I felt a soft, fingertip pressure on my left buttock. Then I heard a woman say, “Nothing here.” I spun around to see a woman disappearing into the crowd and standing above me was a giant of a man glaring down at me with clenched fists. He was head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the crowd. In my mind’s eye as a young teen, he was as big as Godzilla with a look on his face that clearly said he would beat the crap out of me if I made a scene.
Here was how they worked their attempt at larceny. It was a two-person team. The woman was the lifter and Godzilla was the muscle. She walked up to me and turned so that we were back to back and she was facing Godzilla. She dropped her right hand to her side and pushed backwards against my left rear pocket. When all she felt was my backside instead of a hard wallet, she called it off. Meanwhile, Godzilla was watching me to cover her escape should she be discovered. Had my wallet been there, she would have snatched it and bolted while Godzilla ran interference. I have no doubt I would have taken a severe beating if I had made a wrong move.
The most common method used by pickpockets is to bump into you, which gives them the excuse to make contact and distract you. During the contact, he or she lifts the desired item out of your bag, purse or pocket. Another common process is a two-man team, where one person distracts you with a question, bumping into you or dropping something, while the second person lifts your wallet.
When it comes to lifting, it can be done by anyone, and he or she can look like anybody. The perpetrator can be a child, a professionally dressed woman, a man, or any combination of types and teams. You cannot pick these criminals out of the crowd simply by the way they act or dress.
In France, outside the Eiffel Tower, pickpocketing is so egregious that the police have posted signs in several languages warning tourists about the pickpockets. What happens there is that everyone has their necks craned up to look at the tower and the pickpockets walk around and lift valuables while people are distracted. Everyone’s eyes are on the skyline and oblivious to what is happening on the ground. There are two lessons to be learned here. One is that this sort of thing can happen at any monument or site where you look up. The second is my standard theme: awareness. You can look, gawk, ooh and ah at the sites, but do not lose your situational awareness. When do criminals prefer to strike; when the victims are distracted and vulnerable.
In Peru, a popular tactic to steal items from tourists involves slashing bags, especially backpacks, with knives or razors. The thief comes up behind the victim with a sharp blade and slices open the bottom or side of the bag. As items pour from the sack, he or she grabs anything that looks valuable and runs away with it.
A friend of mine, who spent several years living in Argentina, told me that thieves there use a razor or needle to slash your hand to get you to drop whatever you are holding so they can pick it up and run with it.
The final tip is for women carrying purses or bags. This technique can be used whether you are traveling, out on the town, or even just shopping. When walking with someone, keep your bag between you and your companion. For example, if your friend is walking on your right, keep your purse or bag on your right side. Conversely, if your friend is walking on your left, keep your bag on your left side. This reduces the availability of the bag to someone walking by and will make it more difficult for the thief to reach into your bag, cut the strap or snatch it from you.
Of course, we must not forget a critical rule of safety: always keep one hand free. Do not encumber yourself by carrying so many bags that you need to use both hands. Always try to keep one hand free to defend yourself.
Traveling is one of the joys of life. When you venture forth in search of adventure in exotic lands, retain your awareness, take small protective measures to ensure none of your memories include calling home to replace money stolen by a pickpocket.
Last month we initiated our discussion of Parking Lot Safety. This month we pick up where we left off and conclude our discourse.
As you approach your car, scan the area around your vehicle and backseat. This need not be an overt inspection; a quick glance will suffice. The aim is to see if anything is out of place inside and outside of your vehicle before you squeeze between two large objects. As you approach your car, peek between other cars. Is anyone there? If so, does he look busy or is he just hanging out? Does he avoid your gaze and look away? If you get an uneasy feeling, keep walking and return with an escort.
Another safety issue when it comes to parking lots, especially for women, is abductions. Abductions are quite rare despite the media fervor they generate. However, they do happen and for that reason and that reason only, it is discussed here. One popular approach is to park a large vehicle, usually a van of some type, next to the victim’s car. As the victim moves to the driver-side door, the large sliding door on the van opens and the victim is hauled into the van, the door shuts and the van drives away. Another method is to target women with young children. Strapping the child into a car seat distracts the mother allowing the criminal to hop into the vehicle. The kidnapper then threatens the child, forcing the mother into quiet compliance.
Video surveillance in parking lots and structures is capturing abductions and robberies on film. Unfortunately for the victim (and this applies to both robberies and abductions), this merely provides documentation of the attack and does nothing to interrupt the incident. Prominently displayed cameras may act as deterrents, but they can only bear silent witness to events in progress. Even if the monitors were manned and actively watched, there is no way security or police could respond to the parking lot in time to intercede. These incidents start and finish in a matter of seconds.
Recalling the personal examples from Part 1 of this article, most of the attacks happened at the transition point between getting into or getting out of the vehicle. You are highly vulnerable during that period. Consequently, you want to make that window as small as possible, thereby reducing your exposure to attack. Dilly-dallying by cleaning your glasses, loosening your tie or digging for your MP3 player creates a larger window of opportunity for a would-be attacker. Make all those adjustments once you are inside with the engine running and doors locked. Put your briefcase or bag in the car and follow it in quickly afterwards.
Once inside, lock your doors immediately. Some cars automatically lock the doors when the transmission is engaged, but do not wait that long. Put your stuff down, get in and lock the doors. Locked doors will give you more time to start the engine and get away if someone strikes out at you. Once you are inside the car, with the doors locked and engine running, you are much more likely to come away from a confrontation unharmed.
Another option is to valet park your car. In many areas, shopping malls now offer a free or under $10 valet service. You should not consider this a luxury, but a low-cost security option. Instead of trying to navigate a dangerous parking lot with stressed-out drivers swerving to and fro with your hands full of bags or children, pay the minimal fee and have your car brought to you. The added safety and convenience is worth a few dollars.
Now that we have covered tactics and habits that you should consider incorporating into your daily routine, we will conclude with a few bad habits you should break.
Something not to do is get out of your vehicle once you are inside. Criminals are currently using a technique to get you out of the car once you are safely inside. They are placing small cards, such as mini-flyers and business cards on inconvenient places on windshields. These are small and strategically placed so that they are not immediately visible when you approach your car, but they are annoying enough that once you sit in the driver’s seat you want to remove them. They are counting on you to open your door, slide out and remove it. This tactic reopens the vulnerable transition window for the criminal to strike. The solution is not to exit your vehicle once inside. Drive to a safe area, even a few aisles away, and then remove it. Of course, if it is blocking your vision use common sense and clear it. However, something large enough to seriously obstruct your view should be apparent when you do your quick survey as you approach your car.
Another thing not to do is put your seatbelt on immediately. It is nearly impossible to get out quickly or even move around in your car while strapped into a device designed to restrict quick movements. Therefore, wait to put your seatbelt on until you are ready to pull out of your parking spot. You should always wear a seatbelt, but snapping in should be the last thing you do before you start driving.
Parking lots and structures are treacherous. From unobservant drivers to the criminal elements that could be lying in wait, we must have maximum awareness when navigating parking lots.
Parking Lot Safety, Part 1 By Alex Haddox February 2009
Crime is an unfortunate reality in our increasingly compacted urban communities. Raising awareness about the methods used by criminals and equipping readers with the knowledge to reduce their exposure to attacks, are ways to ensure they will be less likely to become a victim of a crime. We do not want to turn everyone into a bunch of scared rabbits, frantically sprinting from safe zone to safe zone. Blind or misguided fear is just as dangerous and debilitating as complete ignorance. There is a fine line between education and fear mongering. Providing insight into how crimes happen and offering techniques anyone can incorporate into their lifestyle, will hopefully allow readers to better protect themselves and their loved ones.
Most of us think of parking lots as safe. With the bright lights, security cameras and other people walking around, we feel safe. However, when we are lulled into a sense of safety we tend to let our guards down and are easily distracted. That distraction or lack of awareness is what puts us at risk.
From personal experiences, almost all crimes against my friends and family have been committed in parking lots or parking structures.
My father was knocked unconscious and robbed while loading books into his car after work. It was in the evening. In high school, one of my water polo team members was robbed at knifepoint in a school parking lot. It was an away game and rather than take the bus with the rest of the team my friend decided to drive himself. As he got of out his car, he was approached, threatened and his wallet was taken. To his credit, he still played in the game. It was just after three in the afternoon. One of my workout buddies was robbed at gunpoint in his home carport. He had just arrived home after one of our workouts. As he was getting out of his car, someone put a gun to the back of his head and demanded his wallet. He complied, never turning around. It was about 8:30 at night. One of my neighbors was robbed at gunpoint as she was getting into her car to head to work. She was parked curbside in front of our building. As she got into her car, she was confronted at gunpoint and her purse stolen. It was 7:15 in the morning. My sister-in-law was robbed in a grocery store parking lot. She was eight months pregnant with her hands full of groceries as she walked to her car. A man ran out from behind some cars and yanked her purse from her shoulder, spilling her groceries and knocking her to the ground and kept running. Thankfully, she and my soon-to-be niece were fine. It was approximately 6:30 in the evening.
Several of my friends and family have experienced attacks around vehicles in the morning, afternoon and night. The first lesson is that time of day does not appear to be a huge factor.
Here is a look at parking lots from the perspective of the criminal:
Victims have money and goods Victims are distracted Victims have their hands full There are many places to hide Victims are trapped between large objects The criminal’s vehicle is ready for a quick get-away
The first step in self-defense—and this will be a continuing theme—is awareness. Be aware that parking lots are dangerous. Keeping alert to your personal safety as you move from the store or your office to your car, will make you safer.
Why? Body language. When you are aware and alert you carry yourself differently. Your body language says, “I see you” and “I am ready,” which is a deterrent to an attacker. The robber wants a soft target; someone that they can control and manipulate easily. They are not looking for a fight, just a quick and easy score. So carry yourself upright. Stand tall and confident. Look around. Walking with your head down, shoulders rolled while fumbling for your keys screams “victim” and “take my money.”
The next step in protecting yourself is to have your keys ready. Before you leave the building or enter the parking lot, have your keys out and in hand. Standing between two cars with your hands in your pockets or digging through your purse, puts you at a disadvantage and distracts you from your surroundings.
Another option to consider is traveling with other people. Two people are infinitely harder to control than one. So if your grocery store clerk asks you, “Would you like help out with that?” say, “Yes.” It is a free service, you get an escort and help loading your car. An attacker is far more likely to pass over a group, even a small one, for an easier, lone target.
When you walk alone or even in groups, be certain to keep one hand free. If you have both hands filled with bags you are more vulnerable than if you have one hand free. That extra hand can be used for just about anything; from maintaining balance to opening a door to fending off an attack to deploying a defensive weapon.
Next month’s column will continue the discussion of parking lot safety with more scenarios and suggested defensive techniques.
About the columnist: Mr. Haddox is a traditional martial artist with over 16 years experience in American Kenpo and Hapkido. He continues to teach both traditional arts and Reality-Based, often combining the two systems. Mr. Haddox is the creator and host of the Practical Defense podcast, a free weekly audio program dedicated to providing simple strategies and everyday habits that help protect you and your loved ones from harm. To learn more or contact Alex Haddox, visit alexhaddox.com.
