Steps to Avoid Being Victimized by Criminals


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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

If you want to avoid being victimized, the following suggestions are based on commonly-available information, such as the frequency of crimes committed in various settings.

To reduce frequency of vehicular crimes, such as auto theft or burglary:
- Live in a house, not an apartment or townhouse
- If you live in an apartment or townhouse, garage your car
- Don't park your vehicle within 1/4 mile of a bar
- Don't park your car within 1 mile of a college or university
- Don’t park your car at or near a movie theater.
- Park your car in lighted locations where it will be under frequent observation
- Do not keep cases or bags visible in your car. Criminals will think they can steal a laptop or newly-purchased goods.
- Have a car alarm with a little blinking light.

To reduce the frequency and severity of home burglaries:
- Do not live within ¼ mile of a bar.
- Do not live within 1 mile of a college or university.
- Do not allow strangers (workmen, door-to-door salespeople, or neighbors you don’t know well) into your house.
- Install a home alarm system. Failing that, install a large siren or other obvious alarm device where it is inaccessible, but clearly visible. A key pad near the front door is also good.
- Keep large and ferocious dogs. Even if you don’t have frightening dogs, leave a large dog bowl and large, battered chew toys where they can be seen from outside the house. (Write a frightening name on the bowl… “Sampson”, “Garm”, “Deathfang”, or the like)
- Leave lights and appliances on when you are not home.
- Have neighbors check your yard two or more times each day when you are not home. Prospective burglars will sometimes place something askew in the yard to see whether anyone notices.

To reduce the frequency or severity of personal assaults, home invasions, or carjacking:
- Avoid being alone at night. Get a roommate if you live alone.
- When outside the home, avoid areas where criminals could plan an ambush, such as poorly-lit parking areas or streets.
- Be alert to your surroundings. Many criminals will observe prospective victims before deciding to strike.
- Only resist criminals if necessary to protect yourself or your family from bodily harm.
- Never go anywhere with a criminal, especially when you are already somewhere relatively public.
- When resisting criminals, wait for the optimum moment to startle or surprise them, then strike with all possible savagery. Your goal should generally be to escape and evade.
- Separate yourself from the criminals’ apparent goal. For example, if a criminal demands your wallet/purse, drop/throw it in one direction while you flee the other. They then have a choice between going after you and their original goal.
- Avoid shows of bravado, taunts, or hysterical outbursts that may make the criminal feel forced to escalate the situation. Instead keep a level head and speak reasonably, even in the face of threats.

When Dealing with Law Enforcement
- Report suspicious behavior to Law Enforcement early. Criminals often reconnoiter an area before committing crimes there, and may choose to go elsewhere if the police already show an interest in their activity.
- Write down any relevant details and descriptions as soon as possible. If the police catch a criminal weeks later, you won’t remember important details. Your notes then become a critical resource.

If you wish to maintain a weapon for self-defense:
The use of firearms in self-defense is generally associated with lower rates of injury or death to victims of violent crimes. Although martial arts training may teach valuable self-defense skills, the use of typical martial-arts weapons or other hand weapons has not been generally associated with lower rates of injury during crimes.

In order to effectively use a gun in self-defense, make sure that you personally keep control of the firearm at all times. A gun in another room or tossed in the bottom of a purse or backpack is worse than useless: It cannot be drawn for defense, but it could still accidentally discharge or be found by inquisitive children. Make sure that any adults AND children who are present in a household with firearms are familiar with the basic principles of firearm safety.

Do not use or keep firearms under the following circumstances:
Certain circumstances astronomically increase the chances that a firearm will "accidentally discharge", be stolen, or turned against its owners. DO NOT KEEP A GUN IF THESE FACTORS APPLY.
- Anyone in the household periodically uses illegal drugs.
- Anyone in the household has been convicted of felony offenses.
- Anyone in the household has serious mental health issues or suffers from suicidal ideation.
- Anyone in the household has a history of domestic violence.
- Anyone in the household suffers from substance dependency (especially alcoholism)


If you have to walk in a dangerous area, body language can reduce your chances of being a target.

Criminals are more likely to target you if you act nervous and afraid. Walking with your head down, being indecisive about which direction to go, avoiding eye contact and walking in an obviously hurried manner are all signs that you are an easy mark.

I'm 6', around 200 lbs, male and white, I'm not especially intimidating looking (or at least not when I used to travel a lot). While my life is anecdotal, I have walked with my head up, looking around, making eye contact and tried to always know where I'm going (or walk like I do). I have walked alone, at night, without incident in:

Los Angeles
Chicago
Seattle
San Diego
San Francisco
Oakland
Minneapolis/St. Paul (my home town, including living one place where the section 8 housing next door was a revolving door of drug dealers)
New Orleans
Washington DC
Las Vegas
Waikiki
Singapore
Tokyo, Japan
Paris, France
Bangkok, Thailand
Busan, South Korea
Basel, Switzerland
Munich, Germany
Dresden, German
Prague, Czech Republic

The only 'protection' I ever carried was at most a 3" folding pocket knife (often times a leatherman, not exactly great option to pull out quickly). The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high. I've been pickpocketed once, in Bangkok.

Some of those places have a reputation for being fairly safe, but I've never been shy about going places where I stick out like a sore thumb, or 'high risk' areas.

Studies with criminals show that they target people who project weakness and vulnerability. If criminals are randomly selecting a target, you significantly reduce your chances of being targeted by displaying awareness of your surroundings and confidence.

It is not a guarantee though, very few things in life are.


Here is a handy shortcut: get diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as soon as possible! You won't have to read things like this because you'll come up with all of these things on your own, and thugs will start looking at you like you're either a cop or you're coming to take their stuff. So will everyone else, but nothing is perfect!

The Exchange

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Be rich, buy house (fortress) in low crime areas. Laugh at anyone that cannot afford safety. B!+*& about guns in the hands off lesser people, hire armed guards. AKA be liberal celebrity

Scarab Sages

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Alligator filled moat around the house.

Shadow Lodge

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Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Liberty's Edge

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Live in fear and stop living your life. Be a hermit. Do not live within 200 miles of another human being. Continue to allow the media to scare the hell out of you.

Otherwise, just keep living life, take basic common sense precautions, and stop worrying so damned much.


Exactly.


I really loved this one.

- Don’t park your car at or near a movie theater.

Translation, "Don't attend movies."

How about not owning any of these vehicles (as of 8/20/2012):
1994 Honda Accord midsize
1998 Honda Civic compact
2006 Ford F-150 pickup
1991 Toyota Camry midsize
2000 Dodge Caravan minvian
1994 Acura Integra compact
1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup
2004 Dodge Ram pickup
2002 Ford Explorer SUV
1994 Nissan Sentra compact


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houstonderek wrote:
Be a hermit. Do not live within 200 miles of another human being.

There's days I'd take up on this offer, but it has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with my opinion of humanity in general >_>

Sovereign Court

pres man wrote:

I really loved this one.

- Don’t park your car at or near a movie theater.

Translation, "Don't attend movies."

How about not owning any of these vehicles (as of 8/20/2012):
1994 Honda Accord midsize
1998 Honda Civic compact
2006 Ford F-150 pickup
1991 Toyota Camry midsize
2000 Dodge Caravan minvian
1994 Acura Integra compact
1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup
2004 Dodge Ram pickup
2002 Ford Explorer SUV
1994 Nissan Sentra compact

Like no one would want my crappy 2003 Chevy Cavalier ... oh wait ...

Sovereign Court

Thank god I have a garage! When shopping for a home I wanted a place close to a theater, bar, liquor store, university, and restaurants. I need to start sleeping in the car in the garage!


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Pan wrote:
Thank god I have a garage! When shopping for a home I wanted a place close to a theater, bar, liquor store, university, and restaurants. I need to start sleeping in the car in the garage!

Nah, they would then steal your house. I mean it is close to all of those right?


I can attest the little blinking light on a car is very effective. I went from an non-alarmed Civic to an alarmed Corola. Effectively the same car in appearance and price, but one had a little blinking light. I park on the street near my condo in Midtown Atlanta.

My Civic (No alarm) was broken into three times in two years. Twice the window was broken out. I never keep anything valuable in it. The most the criminals got was the 3$ in quarters I kept in the "hidden" coin case. Of course I had to buy new windows, but that's a different story.

I traded the Civic for a Corola and park it in effectively the same spot. It's got an alarm and a little light. In three years it's never been broken into. *Knock on wood*

Scarab Sages

I had a buddy who installed what was essentially an ignition kill switch in his truck. He hid it underneath, around where the fuses usually are. All he had to do was flip that switch and it cut the electrical feed so that the car couldn't be started.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16

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Pan wrote:
Thank god I have a garage! When shopping for a home I wanted a place close to a theater, bar, liquor store, university, and restaurants. I need to start sleeping in the car in the garage!

I'm just the messenger. It's really not my fault that criminals like to hit cars in theater parking lots.


One might wonder why criminals like to target cars in movie/theater parking lots.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that there are regular times when no one is walking through the parking lot, and that the criminal can determine those times by simply looking at the marquee to find out when a show starts.

Nah, there's probably a convoluted socio-economic reason that us knuckle-dragging commoners are just to darn obtuse to understand.


Doug's Workshop wrote:

One might wonder why criminals like to target cars in movie/theater parking lots.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that there are regular times when no one is walking through the parking lot, and that the criminal can determine those times by simply looking at the marquee to find out when a show starts.

Nah, there's probably a convoluted socio-economic reason that us knuckle-dragging commoners are just to darn obtuse to understand.

indeed. As the price of movies goes up, the more likely it is that a nice car in a theater parking lot will have good stuff inside.

Scarab Sages

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I remember going to movies. That was nice.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Alot of ladders, one for every window of your house.


Kryzbyn wrote:
Alot of ladders, one for every window of your house.

You can buy a safety ladder for every bedroom in the average house for less than the cost of a pistol.


It also helps if you look like a cop.


Irontruth wrote:
The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high.

Odd. That makes you an outlier in the local crime statistic. The chance to be mugged by your average teenage hoodlum is much higher here, except maybe if you look just a tad "foreign".

Do you remember where exactly it happened?

Scarab Sages

Bill Lumberg wrote:
It also helps if you look like a cop.

Does it count when it's a stripper dressed like a cop?


One of the surest ways to prevent criminals from targeting you, is to already be the victim of a crime. If you are already getting robbed or assaulted, chances are other criminals will steer clear.

If you can't get actual criminals to victimize you, you could always just get one of these:
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/26966/detail/

Foolproof!


Personally I prefer the method where you kill off all that pesky humans and remain the sole sapient creature on the planet. No more criminals.


Aberzombie wrote:
Bill Lumberg wrote:
It also helps if you look like a cop.
Does it count when it's a stripper dressed like a cop?

It counts double.


Irontruth wrote:

If you have to walk in a dangerous area, body language can reduce your chances of being a target.

One other thing guys can do is take off their shirt and continue walking.

Everyone will assume you are the dangerous one.


NPC Dave wrote:
Irontruth wrote:

If you have to walk in a dangerous area, body language can reduce your chances of being a target.

One other thing guys can do is take off their shirt and continue walking.

Everyone will assume you are the dangerous one.

Hell, why stop there? Take off your pants too. The crazy ones are always dangerous.

Silver Crusade

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Avoid walking through places called "crime alley".

If you do become an orphan due to crime then spend years training your body and use your family fortune to equip yourself. Take on a brooding persona to become a dark knight, wear the symbol of a nocturnal mammal to put fear in the hearts of criminals because they are a cowardly superstitious lot.


  • Become vengeance.
  • Become the night.
  • Become the Batman.

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
Shadowborn wrote:
Hell, why stop there? Take off your pants too. The crazy ones are always dangerous.

Wear them on your head too.


Fabius Maximus wrote:
Irontruth wrote:
The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high.

Odd. That makes you an outlier in the local crime statistic. The chance to be mugged by your average teenage hoodlum is much higher here, except maybe if you look just a tad "foreign".

Do you remember where exactly it happened?

It was a long time ago, 1997. Looking at maps, I would guess Friedrichshain or Lichtenberger area, but that's just a guess. I was an exchange student with a family in former East Berlin, one of those massive zones of apartment blocks. We were in a group, probably 6-8 of us, I was the only non-German.

It was definitely teenage hoodlums, 3 kids jumped out of a car, rushed us, punched/kicked a couple people and ran off. I had a couple scrapes and a sore jaw, my host had a broken nose, but that was the worst of it.

Scarab Sages

Jack the Stripper wrote:
Aberzombie wrote:
Bill Lumberg wrote:
It also helps if you look like a cop.
Does it count when it's a stripper dressed like a cop?
It counts double.

WOOT!!

Scarab Sages

Irontruth wrote:
The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high. I've been pickpocketed once, in Bangkok.

I was held up at knifepoint once.

The guy forced me to take $50.


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Big guy tried to snatch wallet. i'm 5'4" and petite but unusually strong for a woman due to farming. he had friends who abandoned him after I yanked my wallet back and smacked him with it. it made an effective club due to inordinate amount of change inside. when I proceeded to take off my sturdy belt and started whipping him until he collapsed in a sobbing heap due to me being enthusiastic about teaching him a lesson.

he ran off after I stepped on him and he blubbered out an apology.

criminals usually don't expect their victim to react so savagely.


Irontruth wrote:
Fabius Maximus wrote:
Irontruth wrote:
The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high.

Odd. That makes you an outlier in the local crime statistic. The chance to be mugged by your average teenage hoodlum is much higher here, except maybe if you look just a tad "foreign".

Do you remember where exactly it happened?

It was a long time ago, 1997. Looking at maps, I would guess Friedrichshain or Lichtenberger area, but that's just a guess. I was an exchange student with a family in former East Berlin, one of those massive zones of apartment blocks. We were in a group, probably 6-8 of us, I was the only non-German.

It was definitely teenage hoodlums, 3 kids jumped out of a car, rushed us, punched/kicked a couple people and ran off. I had a couple scrapes and a sore jaw, my host had a broken nose, but that was the worst of it.

Drive-by mugging, eh?

For that time, the areas fit; Lichtenberg can still be considered "Nazi Central", if there's such a thing. Friedrichshain is now mostly an "alternative" quarter with lots of student residents.

Somewhat related to the "crazy" thing: I've read that some people fake a epileptic seizure when they are about to be mugged. Most criminals don't know how to deal with that and run off.


If you kill off all the other humans to become the only sapient individual on the planet... how do you figure there are no more criminals? I would say the criminality rate was 100%...


Sissyl wrote:
If you kill off all the other humans to become the only sapient individual on the planet... how do you figure there are no more criminals? I would say the criminality rate was 100%...

Yeeesssss. But then it resets to zero, as you're unlikely to perpetuate crimes against yourself, who is now the only apparent potential victim.

And if you do, you've a clear case for insanity, yeeessssss, which absolves you of any further intentional criminal activity in most courts.


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Not guilty by the reason of self-defense.


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TriOmegaZero wrote:
Shadowborn wrote:
Hell, why stop there? Take off your pants too. The crazy ones are always dangerous.
Wear them on your head too.

No one wants to fight the naked guy.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber
Caineach wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
Alot of ladders, one for every window of your house.
You can buy a safety ladder for every bedroom in the average house for less than the cost of a pistol.

True, but cost isn't the point, and neither ladders nor guns can prevent you from being victimized.

Sczarni

Talk to yourself, muttering, spitting, and occasionally twitch. Crazy = less than optimal victim.


Fabius Maximus wrote:
Irontruth wrote:
Fabius Maximus wrote:
Irontruth wrote:
The only place I've ever been assaulted by someone I didn't know was Berlin, Germany. I was jumped by 3 skinheads, who were likely high.

Odd. That makes you an outlier in the local crime statistic. The chance to be mugged by your average teenage hoodlum is much higher here, except maybe if you look just a tad "foreign".

Do you remember where exactly it happened?

It was a long time ago, 1997. Looking at maps, I would guess Friedrichshain or Lichtenberger area, but that's just a guess. I was an exchange student with a family in former East Berlin, one of those massive zones of apartment blocks. We were in a group, probably 6-8 of us, I was the only non-German.

It was definitely teenage hoodlums, 3 kids jumped out of a car, rushed us, punched/kicked a couple people and ran off. I had a couple scrapes and a sore jaw, my host had a broken nose, but that was the worst of it.

Drive-by mugging, eh?

For that time, the areas fit; Lichtenberg can still be considered "Nazi Central", if there's such a thing. Friedrichshain is now mostly an "alternative" quarter with lots of student residents.

Somewhat related to the "crazy" thing: I've read that some people fake a epileptic seizure when they are about to be mugged. Most criminals don't know how to deal with that and run off.

It didn't turn me off of Berlin at all, but I definitely got a sense of a city that was still really confused about itself when I was there. There were places my friends didn't go on certain days of the week, like it was only a hangout for the 'wrong crowd' at certain times, which is really strange to me. But my experiences there are already dated, since that was 16 years ago.

My high school german teacher had been an exchange student in Berlin a little while after the wall went up. She used to smuggle passports of students from various countries over the border so they could be used to make fakes or matched up with similar looking students. She wasn't caught, but she stopped after the East German secret police asked her some very detailed questions about her activities (like "How was the ice cream at such-and-such place?") one day, indicating they were following her.

The Exchange

e-terah earthenchild wrote:

Big guy tried to snatch wallet. i'm 5'4" and petite but unusually strong for a woman due to farming. he had friends who abandoned him after I yanked my wallet back and smacked him with it. it made an effective club due to inordinate amount of change inside. when I proceeded to take off my sturdy belt and started whipping him until he collapsed in a sobbing heap due to me being enthusiastic about teaching him a lesson.

he ran off after I stepped on him and he blubbered out an apology.

criminals usually don't expect their victim to react so savagely.

That is the key to fighting i say. there is always someone strong, bigger and faster. just be the craziest


Shadowborn wrote:
NPC Dave wrote:
Irontruth wrote:

If you have to walk in a dangerous area, body language can reduce your chances of being a target.

One other thing guys can do is take off their shirt and continue walking.

Everyone will assume you are the dangerous one.

Hell, why stop there? Take off your pants too.

Not what I would recommend, but to each his own.

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