Safety Tips Saturday
Yesterday, I was talking with several college-aged girls who had shared some very scary stories about car-jackings on campus. We have also heard about the many terrible news reports where girls, of all ages, are being abducted, raped and killed.
My friend Dran sent me some timely safety information that I would like to pass on to all of my readers here. Thanks for sharing this Dran! We never know how such information may one day save someone's life!
Christine
P.S. I doubt that this would apply here, but if anyone happens to think that this email falls into the category of an "urban legend," then it will be your choice to decide whether or not to follow the tips or pass them on to others.
*******
Always worth passing onto our daugthers. We can never talk about this enough. Dran
Debra Lee-Wood
Victim Services Coordinator
Washington County Children's Justice Center
We can now add to the list of victims the retired 77 yr. old TCU professor from Ft Worth whose body was found last week in Oklahoma--and the 11 yr. old in Sarasota, FL. Because of these recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know.
After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE
OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger
side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
************* Here it is *******
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby
This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life . A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.
Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry.
Shannon LaForge
Courtroom Deputy to Judge Robert Junell
U.S. District Court for the Western District
*******
One more tip. When attacked, especially from behind, remember the acronym " SING."
Kick, punch or stomp these areas:
1. S = SHIN
2. I = INSTEP
3. N= NOSE
4. G = GROIN
(NOTE: Reposted Monday, 2/6/06 due to some error that apparently erased it from my blog on Saturday.)
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2 comments:
Seems like at least the last part is an urban legend.
Plus, also from Snopes, here is a point by point answer to those pieces of advice.
You shouldn't believe everything you read ;)
Last, it is tragic and sad (and funny, given enough sarcasm) that people would take at face value a text that talks about "serial killers" as if they were a common phenomenon. You'd think there's serial killers operating in most towns, or something. I say it is sad because it shows how some people live in fear. Constantly. Just imagine what your life would be like if fear didn't guide it...
Hello Juan,
Thanks for the clarifications you have provided. The link adds some good tips to the original post.
I do not think that the tips should be completely discarded. I could come up with arguments to counter some of the Mikkelson site points.
For example. She stated: "If the assailant has gotten into the passenger seat, the passenger's side air bag (which is a standard feature in many newer model cars) will also protect him from the crash. Another plan would be to drive him to a police station rather than to where he orders you to go, reminding him that if he shoots you, the car will veer out of control and hit something, which will injure or kill him too."
One thing that she left out was the fact that an accident at the scene would draw attention to the car and perhaps the criminal would be less likely to harm the victim when a crowd of onlookers gather. I recall hearing that the chances for survival are far greater when the victim doesn't drive off with the predator.
I'm not saying that Mikkelson's additional advice is not worthy. What I'm attempting to point out is that working together on these alerts seems better than disparaging some of the ideas. Just my opinion.
If you are assuming that I live in constant fear, then you are gravely mistaken. Caution, protection, and learning what to do in dangerous situations can be vital in order to avoid crimes against a person; particularly young women. Women are targeted more often than men.
Do you have a teenaged daughter Juan? If not, do you know a teenager who has previously been harrassed (by both teens and an older man), stalked, attacked by a teenage thug, followed in a car, run into a group of young men huddled in a corner in an alley, or glared down on an LA street? If you did know someone who has personally experienced such things, wouldn't you want to pass along any information and/or tips that might help them survive an attack if one ever did occur?
Being cautious does not constitute living a life in fear. Just like the concept of defensive driving helps to avoid car accidents, so does the concept of taking precautions and knowing what to do help avoid molestation and/or premature death. Knowing and using tips like these could help to avoid becoming a victim.
Thanks, again, for the additional tips provided through the links.
Even though the "crying baby" ploy is listed as an urban legend, at least it has gotten a lot of exposure (like on America's Most Wanted) so that if someone were to try it, many more people would not be inclined to fall for it.
It does sound a bit strange that a predator would use such a lure. However, in some states there is the "no questions asked newborn baby drop off" law (supposed to be done only at hospitals, I think) that could inspire a criminal mind to try such a ploy.
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