Personal Security Techniques. Jesse Wallace
altogether. Items of value can be kept in the trunk, glove compartment, console, or cargo area of the vehicle, but should be covered in order to avoid tempting someone who’s looking for an easy opportunity to get something for nothing.
Keep an eye out for erratic drivers, potential car jackers, and other potential security problems. Avoid becoming overly afraid and therefore visibly frightened as you drive through major urban population centers, just remain ready to recognize and act upon the “odd” situations and behavior patterns that could signal immediate trouble. Question “out of gas” persons who ask for cash. If you don’t see their vehicle or their answers don’t add up, it’s probably a scam! Learn to say that you can’t help them, and mean it, in a non-aggressive manner. I once gave a guy a few dollars who approached me with a sob story at a gas station that I went to regularly. A few weeks later I went there again, and he gave me the exact same story. I told him, “Sorry, you told me that happened to you the last time I saw you, can’t help you”. He apparently realized that his bright idea for sympathy cash wasn’t going to work anymore, and I never saw him there again.
A few years later, I noticed that individual guys started hanging out at this gas station late at night, and would approach me with requests for cash. I’d had enough of such nonsense. I decided on a zero tolerance response. The next time someone approached me in this manner I stopped him dead in his tracks while he was 15 feet away from me. I told him “Stay the fuck right there. It’s 3:00 in the morning and I don’t know you. It’s dangerous out here, don’t walk up on a man that you don’t know”. He stopped immediately, realizing the potential danger he faced. He apologized, started his sob story, but realizing that it wouldn’t get him any free money, he gave up. The concept behind this kind of response was that “beggars” who attempt to take unfair advantage of humanities’ inherent tendency towards sympathy for others sometimes underscore their sob story by delivering it in the persons’ “personal space”, the zone that’s within arms reach. I’d decided to permanently take ownership of my personal space, and to firmly establish and defend it when I’m on the street alone at night.
When stopping at intersections, especially at night, it is helpful to stop your vehicle when you are still able to see the rear bumper of the vehicle that’s stopped in front of you. If someone approaches you from the side or attempts to block your vehicle by pulling up to your rear bumper, you still have enough room to maneuver and escape by quickly going around the vehicle in front of you. I’ve noticed over the years that this has become a common practice here in Chicago.
Looking out for “odd” situations also applies here. Example: In June of 1993 at about 6:30 p.m., I was approaching a red light on a two way street with very little traffic. I was the first (and only) car approaching the stop light, and as I slowed down I noticed a man in his 20’s who stood at the curb at my left. (“Lefty” didn’t really seem interested in crossing the street an he wasn’t at a bus stop.) On my right another man in his 20’s stood at the curb, but was closer to the cross street ahead of me. Like clockwork, exactly when my car came to a full stop, the man on my right began to walk towards the passenger side door of my car, and as soon as he’d taken two steps I made eye contact with him, causing him to slow down and angle away from my car. Remembering “Lefty”, I looked left and sure enough, “Lefty” was walking towards me at a slight angle. Eye contact with him caused him to slow down and change his direction of travel. By carefully observing them in this manner, I was able to continue my trip without having to face a close quarters confrontation. When the light turned green, I calmly drove sway. A glance in my rearview mirror showed these two men briefly standing in the middle of the street, before returning to their original positions.
City Driving-Approaching Double-Parked Vehicles
You’re driving along an urban residential street, and a car ahead of you is double parked and there isn’t enough room for you to go around it. In this situation, the driver with Security Awareness would never drive right up to the rear bumper of the double-parked car. Instead, the alert driver would stop and wait anywhere from 30 to 100 feet behind the double-parked car. Again, this is to minimize your exposure to a possible criminal ambush. Additionally, this technique eliminates the potential for problems with the driver of the parked car. I always avoid impatient horn honking, an act which sometimes escalates to yelling, fighting, stabbing, or shooting. Refuse to risk your safety over such a small matter Try to be as patient as possible in emergencies. If the parked vehicles’ driver is present, and you’re taking someone to the hospital or something, stop at a distance and wait about thirty seconds, try your horn and flash your lights briefly. If the parked cars’ driver doesn’t respond in a timely fashion you should be able to carefully back up to the intersection and proceed to your destination.
City Driving-At the Office
Keep convertible tops up, and windows and doors locked. Activate your alarm, even in your buildings’ parking garage. I was once on duty at an office building where a person who drove an all-terrain vehicle with a removable convertible top started to get into this vehicle, and noticed that someone had climbed into the back while he was gone. The driver noticed this before getting into his seat, summoned Security by using one of the many notification “duress” buttons in the area, and we quickly responded in a coordinated search of the entire garage. No one was found lurking about, but our notification and response system was proven to have been an effective deterrent to future incidents of this type.
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