UNDERSTANDING HOW THE CRIMINAL PICKS A VICTIM

SPONSORED BY COEBURN VA POLICE DEPARTMENT

BASED ON AN ARTICLE FROM XAVIER THOUGHTS -A NURSE WITH A GUN @http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/

CREATED BY H. STALLARD 12/07

hstallard@yahoo.com

Recognizing the Criminal Threat

To recognize threats, one has to understand how the criminal mind works.

A criminal is, by his nature, a predator.

Criminals see the world as having two types of people.....

Other predators

• And prey

Like other beasts, it is a matter of survival for the criminal to prey on those weaker than themselves.

And once prey is identified, an attack from a hungry predator is almost assured.

A potential victim can avoid an attack in several ways.

A person can avoid being seen by the predator.

Be somewhere else. Life is full of choices. One may chose to walk where predators lurk, whether in the streets of a metropolis or in the grasses of Africa, but if a person walks though the grasses of Tsavo, they should be prepared for lions. When such a jaunt is unavoidable, awareness must be increased.

THE PERFECT PREY

The perfect prey is unaware of what is going on around them.

They are self absorbed and inner focused. They never see the predator approaching until

it’s too late.

To Avoid the Attack

A person can see the predator first and avoid them.

To see the predator first…

you must be able to identify him.

By understanding the criminal's thought processes, one better understands the criminal and can identify

those actions that are leading to an attack. Once the criminal is identified, most attacks can be

avoided simply by removing oneself from the victim selection process (victimization).

There are three steps to victimization.

INTENTSELECTION

POSITIONING

Intent…

This is when the criminal decides to commit a crime.

He likely has not selected a victim yet.

The criminal lies in wait, like a lion in the grass, waiting for suitable prey.

The criminal, once he has observed a potential victim, will send out some test runs to determine if the person is indeed

prey or predator

Selection…

These tests may be asking for a match, the time, or change. The initial tests all have one thing in common. They violate boundaries, and determine if the selected person will allow their space and generosity to be violated.

Once the criminal determines that he can move into the personal space of the prey, he engages the prey and positions himself for the attack.

Once the predator engages the prey, a request

for change quickly becomes a demand for a dollar, then a twenty, then a blow to the head as soon as the victim refuses.

These criminals work like sharks, first brushing

their victim, then bumping it, and finally going after the victim is a swirl of blood and gore as others also jump in.

Positioning… The final indicator of an impending attack is positioning. Once

positioning commences, the victim has been selected, and an attack is imminent unless immediate action is taken.

Positioning is recognizable by escape routes being cut off. In

the case of multiple predators, attackers will both surround and approach from vulnerable angles.

Once it occurs, the only choice the victim has is to either fight for their life or pray for the predator's generosity.

If the predator moves into position, he has already decided that his victim is prey. He will attack.

The only thing that will stop the attack is the sudden realization he has made a fatal error and chosen a superior predator.

THE UNARMED CITIZEN

Becoming an armed citizen is a very personal decision.

For those who choose not to go armed, a special mindset is needed to help avoid predators.

First you must realize that you and you alone are ultimately responsible for your own safety.

The way you perceive a potential threat and your reaction to it will help determine if you survive or not.

REMOVING ONESELF FROM THE VICTIMIZATION PROCESS

Avoid areas and situations where you might be seen as prey. Stay out of the grassland of Africa.

If you must go in these areas, don’t behave as prey. Stay alert. Be aware of everything around you. The

criminal is looking for someone who is preoccupied and unaware.

Remove yourself from the selection process by not looking or acting like prey.

IF YOU ARE APPROACHED

Make eye contact. Let them know you are aware of them.

Don’t let them engage you in their tests. Walk away.

When you walk away, keep your attention on them Don’t give them a chance to attack you from behind because you are unaware of what they are doing.

THE ARMED CITIZEN “When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am

looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone.”

“ I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid.”

“It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason,

only the actions of those who would do so by force.” Marko Kloos Why the Gun is Civilization

THE ARMED CITIZEN

THE ARMED CITIZEN

THE ARMED CITIZEN

THE ARMED CITIZEN

THE ARMED CITIZEN

THE ARMED CITIZEN

The criminal knows exactly what to expect from

law enforcement.

The criminal fears the armed citizen more than they do the police.

The armed citizen is the wild card that the

criminal never knows how to predict, or when it might appear.

The armed citizen is viewed by the criminal

jackal as being the lioness he does not want to tangle with.

DEADLY FORCE

In Virginia, the use of deadly force is justified ONLY …

when your life or the life of someone else is in immediate and imminent danger.

You must be able to prove that it was actually in danger and not that you just thought it was.

Deadly force is that force which is intended to cause or that carries a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily injury.

Armed Citizen pictures courtesy of and with

permission from Oleg Volk @

http://www.a-human-right.com/

• COEBURN POLICE DEPARTMENT

• 114 FRONT STREET

• 395-2111

• CHIEF SCOTT BROOKS

• sbrooks@townofcoeburn.com