The Federal Bureau of Investigation Statistics for 2002 indicate your likelihood of being the victim of a violent crime (identified as Murder, Rape and Aggravated Assault) are 494.6 for every 100,000 people in the United States. Here in Oregon we enjoy a relatively low rate of violent crime, which is usually around half of the national average. In 2002, 292.2 out of every 100,000 Oregonians were the victim of a violent crime. (For comparison, 4576 out of every 100,000 Oregonians were the victim of a property crime). It should be noted the City of Salem recorded 6 murders in 2002.
According to the Department of Justice and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention studies, 1.9 million women are assaulted in the United States each year and between 15 to 25% of women will be the victim of a sexual assault or rape in their lifetime.
Obviously, violent crime can happen and the purpose of this section is to identify ways you can protect yourself from violent crime. A vast majority of the points brought forward in this section involve "Women's Safety" theories and techniques, however, these techniques apply to all of us, women and men of all ages, as we strive to safeguard our lives.
1. Your safety and your car
Park in well lit and well maintained parking lots.
If you park during the day, park under or near a light so your car is illuminated when you return to the car.
Park in an area which is surrounded by, or near, windows. These windows form a deterrent to crime, not just violent crime but also thefts from your vehicle, as any potential suspect fears being seen through one of the windows.
Always lock your car.
Keep your car keys in a readily accessible location. The goal is to have your keys in a location where you can retrieve them quickly and spend as little time as possible trying to open your car. If possible, walk with your keys in your hand. You can use the keys to gouge an attacker by walking with the keys protruding between your fingers.
This picture depicts a clean, well lit parking lot with little barriers or other areas for assailants to hide. Note the line of lights visible in the picture. Ideally, this is where you would want to park your car.
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When returning to your car look at the cars parked around you. If a van is parked alongside your car you may want to enter from the other side. This will prevent someone from grabbing you and pulling you into the van.
This is an example of a large cargo style van parked beside the driver's door of your car. Consider entering the passenger door of your car to avoid being pulled into the van. Obviously, if you can see into the van through a rear or side window and see no one inside, continue into your car through the driver's door.
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Look around you as you park your vehicle. In this example the driver of the truck parked near an overgrown hedge and tree, which is an ideal hiding spot. In a busy parking lot during the day this might not be as crucial as there are other people and cars around. However, avoid this parking spot during night time hours or periods during which few people are present.
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Here is another example of an overgrown area to avoid. This example backs into a field where no one is present, compounding the problem.
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The landscaping in this picture is great. The trees are cut up high enough so as to allow anyone to see through them. The hedges and bushes behind the trees are cut low enough to prevent anyone from hiding behind the bush. The overall view of the landscaping is very pleasing, safe for everyone and portrays a professional image to the public. The only potential issue with this landscaping is lighting. This is offset by strategically placed lighting within the business parking lot and lighting on the street.
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Before entering your car, look inside to ensure no one has entered your car and is waiting for you.
Car pool. Hey, not only is it great for the environment but there is strength in numbers.
If your car breaks down (ideally you have a cell phone with you to call police) remain in your locked car until help arrives. If someone approaches do not open the door. Roll the window down slightly and ask the person to call for assistance.
Do not stop to assist other motorists. If you want to help, call either the police or a tow truck for them.
Very infrequently we have individuals impersonating police officers and stopping motorists. If you are stopped by the police and feel uncomfortable about stopping in that particular location, slow down and motion to the police officer you are going to stop in a nearby location. Look for a well lit area where other persons or traffic are present. If you have doubt as to whether you are being stopped by a police officer, contact your police agency and verify an officer is stopping you. Keep in mind you are required by Oregon law to stop for an emergency vehicle and you do not want to travel more than a very short distance before stopping. Be prepared to explain your actions to the Police Officer.
2. Your Safety and Your Surroundings
Are you being followed (either driving or walking)? If you believe you are being followed, drive or walk to the nearest public place or contact the police.
Avoid confined spaces such as stairwells or unoccupied hallways.
Here is an example of a stairwell. If you are confronted in a stairwell it is almost impossible to flee as you can only move up or down the stairwell. Stairwells are used infrequently, making them ideal places for a suspect to victimize people.
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Know where you are in case you need to call for help. Let others know where you are, where you are going and what time you expect to arrive there. If you are late or do not show up, the police can be immediately notified.
Avoid areas which could serve as a hiding place, such as overgrown landscaping, trees, garbage or anything else which could conceal a person. Walk near the curb of a street and as far from doorways as possible.
Walk in well lit areas.
Know the City of Salem and where the Police Department, Hospital and Fire Stations are located.
Identify houses in your neighborhood or along common routes you travel as safe houses. A safe house is a location where you know the residents and you can seek protection there.
3. Dress for Success
Wear clothing which is difficult to grab and easy to run in.
Wear shoes you can run in. Women who are wearing high heeled shoes should consider wearing a pair of shoes you can flee in when arriving or leaving work and wearing the high heeled shoes while working.
When carrying a bag, purse or other item with a shoulder strap, carry the bag underneath your arm and do not put the bag's strap over your shoulder or around your neck in anyway. Your assailant can use the strap to control your actions and drag you.
4. Harden the Target
Criminals are looking for targets of opportunity which give them the highest chance of success with the lowest risk of being caught. Your chances of being the victim of a violent crime are substantially reduced if you can increase the risk to the offender. How do you increase the risk to the offender?
Walk tall, briskly, assertively and portray an image of confidence. It seems like a simple thing but by walking 'assertively' you are telling the offender you will not willingly submit and therefore you increase the risk to the offender. Do not look like a victim.
Walk with your head up constantly scanning your surroundings for potential problems.
Make eye contact with people as you walk. Once again, the risk to the offender increases as there is now a potential you could identify the offender. This also forces you to walk with your head up and keeps you looking around your surroundings.
Walk with your hands free and unobstructed. If your hands are free they are able to rapidly respond to any threat and greatly increase your ability to flee an attack. Have a store employee help you out with your purchases or, no matter how small a purchase, push your purchases in a shopping cart. As previously mentioned, walk with any type or bag or purse under your arm as opposed to over your shoulder. In a confrontation your hands are free to respond to a threat and the strap is not available for the assailant to use against you.
Think about creating a â??reactionary gap' around you. The reactionary gap is an area an assailant will have to cross to attack you, or a barrier placed between you and the assailant. The greater the reactionary gap, the more reaction time you have to either run or prepare for the assault. The most common place for a reactionary gap is when you are walking past doors or bushes. Create a larger reactionary gap around these items so you can quickly react should someone step out and attempt to assault or abduct you.
Look at this sidewalk. Do you want to walk through the "tunnel" up ahead, which is created by overgrown bushes? This is an ideal area for a suspect to wait for a victim.
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As you walk down this sidewalk and approach the end of the fence think about your reactionary gap. Walk to the street side of the sidewalk or even on the street to prevent a suspect from reaching around the fence and grabbing you.
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Think about your cell phone, "Walkman" or other personal data device usage. The more time you spend talking on your cell phone or listening to your "Walkman", the more time your ears and/or eyes are doing something other than scanning for, or listening for, threats and problems. When you are walking alone, especially in non-public place, stay off the phone. Pay attention to your surroundings, listen for problems, keep your hands free.
5. Develop a 'Survivor Mind Set' and Prepare for the Unexpected
If you go about your daily activities with the mind set of "...I've never had a problem in the past, I'll never have one in the future" or "I've gone this way hundreds of times and never had a problem" you are setting yourself to become a victim. Think about your vulnerability every day and develop strategies to reduce your vulnerability prior to an event taking place.
Utilize 'if then' thinking. Start to run scenarios in your mind such as "as I approach my car I'll look in the backseat...if I see someone in the car then I'll run back to the store and call police". By running these scenarios in your mind, prior to the actual event taking place, should you be faced with a violent encounter, you respond quicker because you have prepared your response to the incident.
6. Worst Case Scenario - What Now?
Run
The first thing you want to do in any situation is run. There is a strong likelihood your assailant will not chase you. Think back to one of the first points in this document, the crooks are looking for vulnerable, easy targets. Running makes it difficult to catch you, increases the risk to the offender and is a deterrent to an attack.
You may be thinking at this point, what if my attacker has a gun? The answer to this is still the same...run! According to ABC News (www.abcnews.com), police officers involved in shootings only hit their intended target 4 out of every 10 bullets fired. This is an amazing statistic when you think of trained police officers who spend a portion of their time in range training. A vast potion of the low accuracy rate is the trauma and stress of the incident which effects performance. The same stress felt by a police officer is also felt by your assailant during an attack upon you. Statistically, your attacker will only their intended target 4 out of every 100 bullets fired. The likelihood you will be immediately shot in a critical area of your body is not very high.
Look for an opportunity to escape
The decision to resist your assailant or not will be debated forever. One side of the argument is if you resist your assailant, and increase the violence used in the situation, you increase your risk of injury in the attack. The reason is if you resist your assailant, your assailant will increase the force used against you possibly using a weapon. You need to understand if you fight your assailant there is a greater risk of injury.
The opposing side to the argument is resist and look for an opportunity to escape. Once again, as stated earlier, your attacker is looking for vulnerability. If you resist, your attacker may move on to an easier target. The Salem Police Department does not advocate getting into a â??knock down, drag out' brawl with your assailant but simply picking the right moment to strike your attacker, create distance and run away. Your goal in any situation should be to cause discomfort to your attacker so he/she stops the assault which gives you and opportunity to escape.
How do you create the distance? Think about your assailant's vulnerable areas. The nose is a great area to strike as it will cause your assailants eyes to swell and cause some short term immediate pain to your assailant giving you the opportunity to escape. The eyes are another vulnerable area. Gouge the eyes with your fingers which will once again cause your assailant short term pain and their eyes to swell. The groin is another good area to strike which will cause some short term pain to your assailant.
Wherever you decide to strike your assailant, the strike must be quick, decisive and you must follow the strike by fleeing. Try to avoid becoming involved in a physical fight with your assailant but use time and a quick strike to get yourself out of the situation.
Do not go willingly
In an abduction scenario, do not ever leave the abduction scene. The moment you leave the scene your likelihood of being found is greatly reduced.
Scream
Draw attention to your situation by yelling "fire" or "help". Use the phrase "fire" as it is more likely to get attention, as a general rule, we are not used to hearing this phrase in our daily lives and the term raises alarm.
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