Personal Safety

• Personal Safety

• 1. Situational awareness- remain aware of your situation at all times

• 2. Common sense- avoid trouble by not acting contrary to common sense

Keys to Personal Safety

• Nurture your belief in yourself

• Understand and face reality

• Stay aware

• Trust your intuition

• Develop your body’s language and strength

• Fight back

Self Protection Tips

• Be and act aware- confident

• Take charge by controlling distance

• Get help- have a plan for where you would go for help

• Know how to defend yourself

Things ADULTS can do to stop violence

• Set up neighborhood watch or community patrol

• Make sure streets and homes are well lit

• Make sure kids have positive ways to spend time- work with recreation officials

• Build partnership with police, local officials, and schools

• Clean up neighborhood

• Develop and share a phone list of local organizations that can provide counseling, job training, guidance and other services that can help neighbors.

Checklist for citizen patrols• Undergo training by law enforcement and have

their support• Be courteous and helpful to residents in the area

being patrolled• Work in teams• Wear identifying clothing• Never carry weapons• Always carry a pad, pencil, and flashlight• Keep logs and file reports

Things KIDS can do to prevent violence

• Settle arguments with words. Don’t be an audience to a situation.

• Learn safe routes and know where to go for help

• Trust your feelings

• Report any crimes or suspicious actions to police

• Don’t open door to anyone you don’t know

• Don’t go anywhere with anyone you don’t know

• If someone tries to hurt you say no, get away, and tell an adult

• Don’t use drugs or alcohol and don’t hang with those who do

• Get involved in your school and community

• Set a good example for younger siblings or kids

Safety Rules for Kids

• Check first

• Say no, then go and tell

• Use the “buddy system”

• Trust my feelings and talk with adults I trust about my problems

Internet Safety for adults and children

• Don’t give out personal information, credit cards, bank information, or internet password

• Shop online only with companies you know and use a secure browser

• Set up rules and guidelines for children and monitor their internet activity closely

• Avoid scams- if it sounds too good to be true then it is

• Don’t give out personal information and don’t send pictures

• Tell parents right away if I come across anything that makes me feel uncomfortable or if anyone tries to email me I don’t know

• Follow rules parents have set up for going online (time of day, sites and purpose)

Protecting Yourself from Fraud• Never give caller your personal information,

especially if telemarketers asks for it to verify a prize

• Beware of 900 numbers as they cost money to use

• Listen to the name of the charity requesting donations and ask for a financial report to be sent before you donate

• Investigate before you invest

• Be suspicious of ads that promise quick money

• Be wary of mail offers that solicit money

• Beware of cheap home repair work that would otherwise be expensive

• Get an estimate when having car repairs done

• Report cons to police, state consumer protection office,district atty, or consumer advocacy group

• Report frauds to the National Fraud Information Center 800-876-7060, 9am-5:30pm EST or go to http://www.fraud.org/

Telemarketing Fraud Statistics

Total Loss Overall: $3,827,880

Average Loss: $1,174

Initial Contact Overall

Phone 44%

Mail 37%

Print 15%

Fax 2%

In-person 1%

TV/Radio 1%

Ages of Victims Overall

Under 20 1%

20-29 19%

30-39 19%

40-49 22%

50-59 13%

60-69 10%

70-79 10%

80+ 6%

Parking Lot and Shopping Safety

• Always stay alert to your surroundings.• Try to never be out alone in a parking lot. Have security escort you to your

car.• When out, carry your bag close to you with the clasp facing inwards.• If someone grabs your bag, let it go.• You look like a potential victim if you are loaded down with packages. • If putting packages in car to store them, put them in the trunk.• Choose a grocery where there is help getting groceries to car.• Always put groceries or packages in car before putting in children in case

someone tries to take your car.• If someone tries to take your car, let them.• When approaching car, survey scene as approaching your car.• Always lock your doors and keep your windows up.• If followed, go directly to police station

Car Theft

• One vehicle is stolen every 20 seconds in the United States. Stolen cars, vans, trucks, and motorcycles cost victims time and money - and increase everyone's insurance premiums. They're also often used to commit other crimes.

• Don't become a victim of this serious crime.

The Basic Prevention Policy

• Never leave your keys in the car or ignition.

• Always lock your car, even if it's in front of your home.

• Copy your tag number and vehicle identification number (VIN) on a card and keep them with your driver's license. Keep the registration with you, not in the car.

• Keep the keys to your home and car separate.

• Keep your car in good running condition. Make sure there's enough gas to get there and back.

• Avoid parking in isolated areas with little foot or auto traffic. Be especially alert in unstaffed lots and enclosed parking garages.

• If you think someone is following you, drive to the nearest police or fire station, open service station, or other open business to get help.

• Don't pick up hitchhikers. Don't hitchhike yourself.

• If you often drive at night, or alone, consider a CB radio or cellular phone to make it easier to summon help in a emergency.

ATM SAFETY

• Avoid going at night, or take a friend

• Avoid machines in secluded areas

• Keep card and money out of site

• use body to block keypad• Use reflective surfaces of

ATM as mirrors to see behind you

• Give up money if robbed

Crowd Safety

Know exits and path to take to get outKnow where your sitting to get safer seats (avoid general admission)Situational awareness- know mood and kind of crowdLeave early or stay later to avoid rushIf crowd pushes, then move off to side, try to protect yourself from crush by hiding behind architectural structureIf knocked down, assume fetal position and protect head

Home Safety

Check the locks

Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.

Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the slide door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole.

Lock double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" your windows by drilling a small hole into a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. Secure basement windows with grilles or grates.

Instead of hiding keys around the outside of your home, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.

When you move into a new house or apartment, re-key the locks.

Check the doors

All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.

If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them.

Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out intruders.

Check the outside

Thieves hate bright lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night.

Keep your yard clean. Prune back shrubbery so it doesn't hide doors or windows. Cut back tree limbs that a thief could use to climb to an upper-level window.

If you travel, create the illusion that you're at home by getting some timers that will turn lights on and off in different areas of your house throughout the evening. Lights burning 24 hours a day signal an empty house.

Leave shades, blinds, and curtains in normal positions. And don't let your mail pile up! Call the post office to stop delivery or have a neighbor pick it up.

Make a list of your valuables - VCRs, stereos, computers, jewelry. Take photos of the items, list their serial numbers and description. Check with law enforcement about engraving your valuables through Operation Identification.

Ask local law enforcement for a free home security survey.

Consider an Alarm

• Check with several companies before you buy so you can decide what level of security fits your needs. Do business with an established company and check references before signing a contract.Learn how to use your system properly! Don't "cry wolf" by setting off false alarms. People will stop paying attention and you'll probably be fined.Some less expensive options...a sound-detecting socket that plugs into a light fixture and makes the light flash when it detects certain noises, motion sensing outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches, or lights with photo cells that turn on when it's dark and off when it's light.

Burglars Do More Than Steal

• If something looks questionable - a slit screen, a broken window or an open door - don't go in. Call the police from a neighbor's house or a public phone.At night, if you think you hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call the police. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.Gun are responsible for many accidental deaths in the home every year. If you choose to own a gun, learn how to store it and use it safely.

Sexual Assault Prevention

Use Your Head

Be alert! Walk with confidence and purpose.

Be aware of your surrounding - know who's out there and what's going on.

Don't let alcohol or other drugs cloud your judgment.

Trust your instincts. If a situation or place makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy, leave!

Indoors Make sure all doors (don't forget sliding glass doors) and windows have sturdy, well-installed locks, and use them! Install a wide-angle peephole in the door. Keep entrances well lighted.

Never open your door to strangers. Offer to make an emergency call while someone waits outside. Check the identification of any sales or service people before letting them in. Don't be embarrassed to phone for verification.

Be wary of isolated spots - apartment laundry rooms, underground garages, parking lots, offices after business hours. Walk with a friend, co-worker, or security guard, particularly at night.

Know your neighbors, so you have someone to call or go to if you're scared.

If you come home and see a door or window open, or broken, don't go in. Call the police from a public phone or neighbor's home.

Outdoors

Avoid walking or jogging alone, especially at night.

Stay in well-traveled, well-lighted areas.Wear clothes and shoes that give you freedom of movement.

Be careful if anyone in a car asks you for directions – if you answer, keep your distance from the car.

Have your key ready before you reach the door – home, car, or office.

If you think you're being followed, change direction and head for open stores, restaurants, theaters,

or alighted house.

In your car

Park in areas that will be well-lighted and well-traveled when you return.

Always lock your car - when you get in and when you get out.

Look around your car and in the back seat before you get in.

If your car breaks down, lift the hood, lock the doors, and turn on your flashers. Use a Call Police banner or flares. If someone stops, roll the window down slightly and ask the person to call the police or a tow service.

Don't hitchhike, ever. Don't pick up a hitchhiker.

When the Unthinkable Happens

How should you handle a rape attempt? It depends on your physical and emotional state, the situation, the rapist's personality. There are no hard and fast, right or wrong answers. Surviving is the goal.

Try to escape. Scream. Be rude. Make noise to discourage your attacker from following.

Talk, stall for time, and assess your options.

If the rapist has a weapon, you may have no choice but to submit. Do whatever it takes to survive.

If you decide to fight back, you must be quick, determined, and effective. Target the eyes or groin.

Surviving Rape

Report rape or any sexual assault to the police or rape crisis center. The sooner you tell, the greater the chances the rapist will be caught.

Preserve all physical evidence. Don't shower, bathe, change clothes, douche, or throw any clothing away until the police or rape counselor say it's okay.

Go to a hospital emergency room or your own doctor for medical care immediately.

Don't go alone. Ask a friend or family member to go with you or call a rape crisis center or school counselor.

Get counseling to help deal with feelings of anger, fear, shame helplessness caused by rape. It helps to talk to someone whether it happened last night, last week, or years ago.

All rapes, 39% of attempted rapes and 17% of sexual assaults against females resulted in injured victims, 1992-2000.

Remember, rape is not your fault. Do not accept blame for being an innocent victim

When a rape or sexual assault was reported to the police, the victim was the most likely to report it.

45% of injured female victims of a reported attempted rape compared to 22% of injured victims of an unreported attempted rape received medical treatment, 1992-2010

“Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love.”

-Martin Luther King Jr. 1957