Think! Protection is often simple precaution

Yesterday the Boston police arrested a “seemingly normal, ideal guy” who was a Boston University medical student, calling him a predator: the Craigslist stalker. Philip Markoff, a young man not even 30 years old, has been charged with identifying women on Craigslist who advertised massage services, going to their hotel room, binding them, and robbing them. One of these victims was murdered, and Philip Markoff has now been formally charged with that crime too! By all accounts of friends and associates, the news of Markoff’s arrest came as a huge, totally surprising event.

So often, or so it seems, that is the way of predators and mass murderers: people describe them in positive, “normal” terms and are shocked to learn of their hidden agendas and secret life. How many such criminals have I passed on the street, shared the same flight with, or been introduced to at a party? I’m not sure I want to know the answer. I have always been grateful to not be clairvoyant…to read minds might make one as nutso as those criminals.

So how do we protect ourselves (and our loved ones) from these veiled monsters that do not fit our stereotypical, mind’s-eye image of a killer/predator? In my opinion, the best way is to be absolutely conscious of what we are doing and where we are; we must be cognizant about staying out of harm’s way. Just don’t go there in the first place…avoid places and situations that have any potential for disaster…and go no place alone where a potential for harm exists. It is as simple as thinking clearly, taking sensible precautions, and not being impulsive.

Here are some more insightful tips I received in an email recently:

Crucial

At all times, be aware of these things to do in an emergency situation….

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: 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 taillights 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. 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:

Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat
If you are parked next to a 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.
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 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 zigzag pattern!

8. Many of us 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.

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.

10. Water scam: If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack. Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

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