Personal Safety

2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 500

Arlington, VA 22202

202-261-4153 FAX 202-296-1356

pharris@ncpc.org

www.ncpc.org/ncpa

Personal Safety

This training focuses on Personal Safety for women because women are a good barometer for personal safety - they are more likely to express their fears about crime than most men.

This training does not make the trainer or the trained self-defense experts or authorities.

This class offers advise and makes no guarantees.

Training Precautions

1. Awareness

2. Avoidance

3. Defensive Resistance

4. Compliance

5. Physical Defense

6. Weapons Defense

7. Reporting the Incident

Continuum of Survival

Victim’s Goals

Prevent or reduce bodily injury

Survive

Escape

Report

Please Remember

There is no one right option for everybody in every

situation.

Avoid cookie cutter solutions - they can be lethal.

Crime can strike anywhere!

Safety Concerns of Women

• Parking lots and vulnerability with children.

• Safety while exercising – running/walking.

• Safety when home alone.

• Safety while traveling.

• Stalking.

Violence Against Women

For women, the leading cause of deathin the workplace is murder.

Recognizing the Perpetrator

It can be: A stranger, client, customer

or someone you know.

They may use: A ruse or trickery, followed by

an attack, or a surprise, full-force attack.

Common Red Flags

Perpetrator’s behavior may include :

Undue attention Stalking activity Blind side approach Scanning the area Hyper-alert Practicing deceit Smell of alcohol

Be Aware

Always be alert to your surroundings and notice who or what is around you.

Be sure to continually scan and inspect your immediate area.

Display Confidence

Your alertness, body language, and tone of voice communicate how you feel about yourself to others.

Project that you believe your safety is worth defending.

People who look like good victims are good victims.

Be Assertive

Communicate clearly and specifically about what

you want.

When threatened, remain calm and don’t show your

fear.

Quickly size up the situation, develop a plan and

act.

Don’t ignore strong instincts!

Be Committed to Act

When a situation is uncomfortable or threatening,

take control to change it.

Act sooner rather than later.

Your ability to successfully defend yourself will

depend on your level of preparation and training

beforehand.

When Out and About

Avoid taking a bad position.

Don’t be preoccupied as you transition between your car and activities.

Avoid carrying lots of packages.

Become aware of situations & locations where crime may occur and avoid them.

When Out and About

Be confident and purposeful in your walk.

Use a firm, steady pace.

Dress comfortably, so you can move quickly if you have to.

Always let someone know where you are going and when you will return.

Keep a safe distance between you and any stranger - about 2 arm lengths.

Walk near the curb, walk face on-coming traffic.

Avoid passing close to shrubbery, doorways, blind corners, and other places of concealment.

If you think you are being followed, change the situation, cross the street, change directions, go to a safe place.

When Out and About

Avoid dark and isolated areas.

Avoid places were you cannot be seen, heard or escape from easily.

Avoid short cuts that conceal you from public observation.

Avoid traveling or walking alone. There is safety in numbers.

When Out and About

Carry a cell phone with you wherever you go: work, travel, exercising, shopping, walking, etc.

If you need assistance, as a last resort, you select your helper. Not vice-a-versa.

When Out and About

In Your Vehicle

When driving, and you think you are being followed, drive to a safe place, do not drive to your home.

Avoid strangers who contact you first.

Never let a stranger (male or female) into your car.

Don’t open the door for any reason.

Avoid vulnerable situations - drugs, intoxication, lack of transportation, etc.

The Workplace

• Does the physical design and management of your workplace discourage criminal behavior.

• Does it send out a strong message of ownership – caring.

• Can you see and be seen.

• Can you control access to the site.

The decision to resist or comply is a personal decision made only by the victim based upon their immediate circumstances.

Review the “totality of the circumstances” before selecting self defense measures.

You should be looking for a chance to escape.

Resisting - Decision Guidelines

Location: isolated - day or night - help available?

Victim: mindset - capabilities - children to protect?

Perpetrator: mindset - capabilities?

The key to survival is the threat assessment of your

immediate situation.

Decision Variables

When escape is possible, it’s your best choice.

Get back in your car.

Go back to the store.

Roll under a vehicle.

Move towards a safe place - people & light.

Escape

When on the move and a stranger contacts you from a distance of 15 feet or more ...

If you are moving don’t stop.

If you are standing, get ready to run.

Be forceful, make eye contact. Say, No, I can’t help you! Don’t come any closer!

Verbal Challenge

Not a good tactic if you are isolated.

Use short sentences to identify the crime to

others and discourage the attacker.

Yell: STOP! NO! GET BACK! STAY AWAY FROM ME! HELP ME! RAPE! POLICE!

Verbal Alarm

Whistles, car horns, or other noise devices.

Noise is best used during flight or when your attacker is at least 15 feet away from you.

Not a good tactic if you are isolated or your attacker is close.

Noise Makers

Stall for time:

I need - a beer, a cigarette, to go to the bathroom, to

take my medicine.”

Use trickery:

I’m pregnant, I have a sexually transmitted disease,

my spouse is nearby

Bodily voiding:

vomit, urinate or defecate

Negotiate: Brains vs. Braun

Cooperate

Stay Calm

Don’t Surprise

Don’t Fight

Don’t Chase

You can replace property!

Robbery

Don’t panic - avoid antagonistic behavior.

Be observant - memorize details and sounds.

Establish contact and talk with suspect.

Avoid being blindfolded or tied up.

Plan to escape or launch a surprise attack.

The chance for survival decreases once you are forced into a vehicle and transported away.

Abduction

“Castle Doctrine"

One may, without retreating, use force, to include

deadly force if necessary, to keep aggressors out of

one’s own home.

Self-Defense in One’s Home

Use of personal and improvised weapons against an

attacker’s vulnerable points.

The force applied should equal the perceived threat.

You must consider your own abilities.

Basic Self Defense Issues

The goal is to STUN the

attacker so you can safely

disengage the fight and

ESCAPE.

Once you start fighting back,

there’s no turning back.

Formal training and practice is

recommended.

Basic Self Defense Issues

What are some weapons available to you now?

Anything that when used will have an immediate impact on the attacker

and supplement your defense.

Keys Pens Flashlight Bottle

Shoe Heel Ice Scraper Telephone Nail File

Improvised Weapons

Weapons used to distract or incapacitate.

Pepper spray

Stun Gun / Taser

Baton

Non-Lethal Weapons

Lethal weapons are weapons used for a lethal effect, to cause serious bodily injury or death.

Examples: Knives and Firearms

Recognize that a lethal weapon may produce lethal results. Can you handle killing a person?

Lethal Weapons

Not always accessible when needed.

Not always effective.

Require close proximity to the attacker.

May be taken away and used against you!

Problems with Weapons

You have a legal right to carry a weapon. If you do,

you must consider the following issues:

Know and obey the law!

The weapon must fit the user!

Receive training - maintain proficiency!

Lock it up at home - child safety!

Carry it safely and protect it from theft!

Public Safety Issues

§ 18.2-308 Concealed Weapons - Virginia

Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in

writing to the clerk of the circuit court of the county or

city in which he or she resides, or if he is a member of

the United States armed forces, the county or city in

which he is domiciled, for a five-year permit to carry a

concealed handgun. 

Legal Issues