You don’t have to look far in this city, county, state, country or world to see that people frequently become victims.
At one point or another, virtually everyone becomes a victim of some type of crime. Acts of violence and their victims are highlighted in local, national and world news on a daily basis. The sad fact is that there are people among us who want to perpetuate violence and crimes against us.
Frequently, officers are asked, “What can I do to protect myself? I don’t want to be a victim.”
I don’t have any magical answer. Even law-enforcement officers occasionally fall victim, and we are highly trained to avoid that.
I do have some commonsense tips to try and help you avoid becoming a victim, without feeling paranoid.
My first tip is “awareness.” It is amazing how many victims tell us they had no idea of a threat before they became a crime victim. Our lives are full of distractions and gadgets that prevent our primal senses from telling us when danger is near.
It is important that we pay attention to our surroundings. If something doesn’t look right or feel right, remove yourself from the environment or situation.
You also need to be self-aware. Don’t ignore that voice or gut feeling telling you something isn’t right.
And finally, be aware of your own limitations and abilities. Overconfidence breeds complacency.
Many crimes that occur are crimes of opportunity. My second tip is to remove the opportunity to become a victim and fight the urge to become complacent in your daily life. Make sure you are doing things to protect yourself, such as:
Shredding documents with personal information on them.
Not providing personal information over the phone or Internet.
Locking your homes and cars and closing garage doors at night.
Watching people around you to ensure you’re not being followed.
Walking bike paths and trails with friends and family rather than alone.
Never leaving a drink unattended while out at a restaurant, bar or nightclub.
Never drinking to excess where you lose cognitive skills.
Never leaving a friend alone who is too intoxicated to fend for him/herself.
My last tip is part of a nationwide effort to report indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crimes through the Department of Homeland Security. The initiative is called, “If you see something, say something.” It asks for citizens to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement so the information can be investigated.
Most people hesitate when making reports of suspicious activity because they think what they are seeing is minor or trivial. Most often, though, these things are key pieces that law enforcement is missing to put the puzzle together.
If you look at the recent bombing in Boston and the subsequent manhunt that ensued for one of the suspects, it was one person who saw something suspicious and reported it to law enforcement. There were thousands of law-enforcement officers looking for this suspect, and one person made the biggest difference.
You can learn more about this initiative by visiting www.dhs.gov/if-you-see-something-say-something-campaign.
None of these tips is guaranteed to keep you from becoming a victim, but they stack the odds in your favor to try and prevent that.
Lt. Ray Shupe is assistant operations division commander with the Durango Police Department.
