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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2006 > February > 20 > Entry
Remember, bad guys have check lists
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s time for your quarterly reminder that you do have control over your destiny a bit if you will take some time and think about things that a lot of people never think about.
There has been a rise in street-level crime over the past 12 months, mostly in this general area. Many pedestrian robberies occur when the victim gets out or into a car parked in a medium- to large-size parking lot or isolated in some way, for example, at a bus stop after dark.
The victim is most often approached by one or two people and robbed at gunpoint of a wallet and cell phone. In some cases they take the victim’s car. If the robbery yielded credit cards, they’re used immediately, often at a nearby department store.
Pedestrian robberies are meant to take only a few seconds. One minute is a long time for either the victim or robber. The robber has to worry about someone coming along and seeing the crime. He also has to consider that the longer he is in contact with the victim, the less his advantage with the surprise and intimidation factor. (Sooner or later the victim is going to get mad.)
The victim’s safety, of course, is in jeopardy and will be until that contact is broken. Although both people are on different sides of the crime, the goal for each is a short meeting.
You read stories occasionally where the victim or witness turns the tables on the bad guy and takes control and saves the day.
I saw a video recently of the man, waiting on his pizza, tackling a robber who was standing at the counter, with a gun, robbing the clerk. The witness was behind and to the side of the robber, sitting in a chair alongside the front window of the store. As the customer rushed the bad guy, he tackled him just before he could turn around with the gun. It worked out very well for him.
I’m sure a lot of criminals who use a gun aren’t prepared to shoot someone but then again, you better believe that some are. If the robber had turned a half-second earlier, he would have had a clear shot. That man’s fate would have been in the hands of the bad guy.
Think about that part of it and don’t forget to think about all the people who would be affected if you are buried next week. All I’m saying is don’t get caught up in all the hero stuff until you think it through. Most of the time the crime springs so fast that you clearly do not have the advantage. Don’t risk your life for a few seconds of video-time on the 11 o’clock news.
I don’t know what the odds are, but I’m sure that at some point in our lives, we’ve all been involved in or near someone involved as a victim or bad guy. Wrong place at the wrong time stuff. How many of you can think back and remember a time or two where you were in one place that, if you were a little bit up there or back yonder, you could have been in deep — well, mud.
Not counting police stuff, I remember several incidents. Once in high school I was driving home on a cut-through street from Doraville to Chamblee. I heard something and slowed down to try and figure out what it was. I stopped my car just short of an intersection and saw one of those things you remember in slow motion, like when the Six Million Dollar man ran anywhere, only without the irritating tattering noise that accompanied it.
The cops were chasing a car. They were flying and crossed over a set of railroad tracks sitting on top of a small incline. I’m sure they were anywhere from 80 to 100 mph. The bad guys crested the hill and went airborne, ala Dukes of Hazzard, and flew over the intersection about 10 feet in front of me, landing abruptly into an apartment building. (They obviously didn’t know the street dead-ended at the apartments. The three men inside did live to tell about it however.)
The wheels of their car were about the same height as the windows in my car as it flew past me meaning that I was 10 feet from a bad night. (Another near-death experience involved my escape from the enemy during the Battle of Tijuana when I was in the Navy. … well, let’s move on.)
The moral of the story is this: Use common sense.
Crime prevention involves a lot of information that can easily become obsolete; especially now that technology advances at such a rapid pace. It’s impossible to remember all the things that you could do to prevent this and that. What you need to remember are some absolutes of committing a crime.
Bad guys have a check list. They need to commit crimes quickly and quietly. They have the advantage of surprise, but not time. Noise brings attention. There are a number of things you can do based on your circumstances.
What could happen to you in the car?
You could be carjacked. OK, how would someone do that?
They could fake a fender bender on an isolated road.
They could wait until you stop at a store or parking lot and then approach you.
They could wait until you’re stopped at a traffic light and then approach you.
If you were the bad guy, which one would be the best method? For me, it would probably be #2. The other two are more labor intensive and leaves more room for error. I could always hide or remain anonymous until I approached the victim so given this scenario, I would raise the radar a bit whenever I pull the car into an area to stop. Such areas would include gas stations and retail places where you get out for only a second or so. Most carjackers would rather you be out of the car already, so take the keys and kids when you exit a car. Don’t forget, in examples 1 and 3, cars are hard to steal when the car and driver are moving. Give yourself space from the car ahead of you and lock the doors.
Burglary
— Make it appear you’re home.
— Set the alarm.
— Set the timers on light and sound appliances.
— Set the hardware. (Deadbolts, etc.)
— Wake the dog up.
Long trips
— Have the home checked by your close neighbors and rotate a couple of their cars in the driveway.
— Have someone pick up the mail and paper.
— Use the timers and alarms.
— Call your local police and ask if they do house checks through neighborhood watch.
Car thefts
— Pay your car note so it doesn’t get repoed.
— Purchase a GPS unit and place one of their decals on your windshield to deter thieves.
— Don’t leave the keys in your car it when you’re at the store or wherever.
— Lock it and set the alarm.
Theft from cars
— Take all the good stuff out. This alone will put you in the 90% category of “not likely to be broken into.”
— Use face plates and slide brackets on your stereo gear.
COMING TUESDAY: Personal protection tips
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Helen
February 20, 2006 7:20 AM | Link to this
I enjoy your column very much. I especially enjoy the safety tips you give. My parents recently moved to georgia and did not believe what I told them about your column. I showed them one, now they are frequent readers. Thanks for the really good tips.
Helen
By Dave
February 20, 2006 9:33 AM | Link to this
I’ve read that one of the best ways to avoid burglaries is to own a dog. Do you agree?
Great column, keep it up.
Dave
By Paul Scanling
February 20, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this
Common sense: we all could use reminders like yours. Thanks for the tips.
By Rocke
February 20, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this
Congrats on making LT.
Having a dog can deter someone from breaking in. When we lived in Texas, the police department that served us would do out of town checks on houses. Their comment about our house (even though the officers knew our dogs were friendly) was that if they ever got a burglary in progress call at our house, they were going to wait for them to come out of the dog door showing happy meal faces and then send in the rookie officer to close the dog door so they could take care of the perp.
By Tam
February 20, 2006 2:44 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the safety reminder. I would like to add that we have recently installed security cameras with night vision on our home because some kids in our neighborhood egged our home & the cops said we can do nothing about it without catching them on tape. I wanted to add that since installing the cameras we’ve bought a washer/dryer & had it delivered during the day while I’m at home by myself. It was 2 guys & when they came in the house one of the things they immediatly commented on was the fact that they were on camera and they could see the driveway outside where their vehicle was parked because the TV sits out in the open in our living room. Of course, we’ve had no more eggings, but I realize how much safer it is for us in general. We bought the security cameras & TV from SAMS at a reasonable price and I recommend them to anyone. You may want to look on the web for the time lapse VCR. Sorry so lengthy.
By tamara
February 20, 2006 3:22 PM | Link to this
I’m all for the deputy dog. I live on lake property surrounded by woods and got broke into twice. Bought me a Rottweiler which is nothing but a big baby but believe me, I haven’t had an unkown visitor yet to come to the door. They just sit in the car till we come out. Hope he keeps the boat ride moochers away this summer too :)
By Syed
February 20, 2006 4:22 PM | Link to this
The list of ‘what Dogs can do’ is very long. Having dogs always is safe for people and houses, not to mention, if trained, they can detect your cancer. As far as Car theft goes, although it’s a little bit expensive, Govt should make the RFID GPS devices Mandatory in cars. That will eliminate one class of crime
By BA
February 21, 2006 1:16 PM | Link to this
Ah, I remember my version of the battle of Tijuana very well.
I was in the Marine Corps stationed in Pendleton. As a buddy and I were preparing to cross the bridge back to the US. We noticed two to three Americans on the ground after an attack on the bridge.
Unfortunately the criminals were nowhere to be seen so we couldn’t give a description. We missed the attack by maybe a minute or two. We hurried to Shore Patrol and got these guys help. There was nothing else we could do.
Let’s just say, I was happy to have missed that battle.
By Barb
March 7, 2006 11:34 AM | Link to this
Thanks for all the safety suggestions. It is easy to forget safety techniques and become complacent. What do you think of self-defense classe? Also, is pepper spray legal for comsumers? When I visited Canada years ago, my pepper spray was confiscated at the border in Niagra Falls.
Thanks, Barb