Free Safety Tips...

Personal Safety Tips: Send this on to any woman you care about.
 Last night I attended a personal safety workshop,
 and it jolted me. It was given by an amazing man,    Pat Malone, who has been a body guard for famous figures like Farrah Fawcett and Sylvester Stallone.  He works for the FBI, and teaches police officers and Navy SEALS hand to hand combat. This man has seen it all, and knows a lot.

 He focused his teachings to us on HOW TO AVOID BEING THE VICTIM OF A VIOLENT CRIME.  He gave us some statistics about how much the occurrences of random violence have escalated over recent years, and it's terrible. Something like 99% of us will be exposed/a victim of a violent crime. Here are some of the most important points that I got out of his presentation:

 1.  The three reasons women are easy targets for
 random acts of violence are:
    a.  Lack of awareness (you MUST know where you are & what's going on around you.)
    b.  Body language (keep your head up, swing your arms, stand up straight)
    c.  Wrong place, wrong time (DON'T be walking alone in an alley, or driving in a bad neighborhood
 at night)

 2.  Women have a tendency to get into their cars
 after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit
 (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.).
 DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.  AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
 A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
   a.  Be aware: look around you, look into your 
        car, at the passenger side floor, and in the 
        back seat.  Check under the car as well.
   b.  If you are parked next to a big van, enter your
        car from the passenger door.  Most serial 
        killers attack their victims by pullingthem 
        into their  vans while the women are 
       attempting to get into their cars.
   c.  Look at the car parked on the drivers side 
        of your vehicle, and the passenger side.  If a 
        male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your 
        car, you may want to walk back into the mall, 
        or work,  and get a guard/policeman to walk 
        you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN 
SORRY.

 3.  Always take the elevator instead of the stairs.
 (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone.)
   a.  Do not get on an elevator if there is a weirdo
        already on there.  (Of course bad men don't 
        always look bad).
    b.  Do not stand back in the corners of the 
        elevator,  be near the front, by the doors, 
        ready to get off  or on.
    c.  If you get on the elevator on the 25th floor, 
        and a single Man gets on the 22nd, get off 
        when he gets on.

4.  If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS run!    
    a.  POLICE only make 4 of 10 shots when they 
       are in range of 3-9 feet. This is due to stress.
    b.  The predator will only hit you (a running 
      target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most 
      likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

 5.  As women, we are always trying to be     sympathetic:
        STOP IT, it may get you raped, or killed.
    a.  Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good 
         looking,  well educated man, who ALWAYS 
         played on the sympathies of unsuspecting 
         women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, 
         and  often asked "for help" into his vehicle 
         or with his vehicle, which is when he  
         abducted his next victim.
    b.  Pat Malone told us the story of his daughter, 
         who came out of the mall and was walking to 
         her car when she noticed 2 older ladies in 
         front of her.  Then she saw a police car come 
         towards her with 2 cops, and they said hello. 
         She also noticed that all 8 handicap spots in 
         the area were empty. As she neared her car 
         she saw a man a few rows over calling to her,
         for help.  He wanted her to close his 
         passenger side door.  He was sitting in the 
         drivers side, and said he was handicap.  He 
         continued calling, until she turned and 
         headed back to the mall, and then he began 
         cursing at her.  She wondered why he didn't 
         ask the 2 older ladies, or the policeman for 
         help, and why he was not  parked in any of 
         the empty handicap spots.  As she got back to 
         the mall, two male friends of hers were 
         exiting, and as she told them the story, and 
         turned to point at the car, a male was getting 
         out of the back seat into the front, and the car 
         sped away.  DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THIS 
         TRAP. 

 6.  Tips to saving your life, if you have gotten into a violent  situation:
    a.  REACT IMMEDIATELY: If he abducts you in 
      a parking lot, and is taking you to an 
      abandoned area, DON'T LET HIM GET YOU 
      TO THAT AREA.
        * If you are driving, react immediately in the
          situation, and crash your car while still 
          going 5 MPH.
        * If he's driving, find the right time, and stick 
          your fingers in his eyes.  He must watch the 
          road, so choose an unsuspecting time, 
          and gouge him.  It is your ONLY defense. 
 

7.  Always keep your distance when walking past strangers on the street or in dark areas.

8.  GET A CELL PHONE.
   a.  There are packages for $19.95 a month that 
   allow you to program only 911 into the dialing 
   out program (this is for parents who say it is too 
   expensive for their kids to have a cell phone.)

 9.  BREAK DOWNS: (avoid this by ALWAYS keeping your car in good working order)
   a.  If your car breaks down: you better have a cell
       phone to call for help, and lock your doors.
   b.  Keep a blanket, and a pair of warm clothes 
       and boots, and a flashlight in your car always 
       for emergencies.
   c.  If you don't have a cell phone: (shame on you)
       *  If it's noon on a  business day, you MAY 
       want to put your hazards on and walk to safety.
       *  If it's 2 a.m.: put on your warm clothes, and 
       walk to a lighted area.
       *  You are a perfect target if you are sitting in
          your car broken down. Predators search the 
        highways for easy targets like you.
   d.  If you're on a desolate road: walk away from 
        the car  (in your warm clothes) and go to some 
        bushes, or some area AWAY from your 
        vehicle. It will be cold, and uncomfortable, but 
        you DO NOT want to stay in your car,
        and there are no psychic boogie men waiting 
        in the bushes who knew you were going to 
        break down.

 10.  Physical defenses that we can use against the violent  predator:
   a.  The eyes are the most vulnerable part of the 
         body.   Poke him there, and you have possibly
         your only  window of opportunity.
   b.  The neck is also a vulnerable spot, but you 
         MUST know where to grip, AND HAVE THE 
         STRENGTH to cut off his breath.
   c.  The last place is the KNEES.  Everyone's 
        knees are very vulnerable, and a swift kick 
        here will take anyone down.

 A cautionary note about these things is that if you do not do these things right the first time, you are in trouble, because it will only anger the ndividual, and that anger will be TAKEN OUT ON YOU.
 I'm not saying don't attempt them (it may be your only hope),  but be forceful when you do.

 11.  If you are walking alone in the dark (which you  shouldn't be) and you find him following/chasing you:
   a. Scream "FIRE!", and not "help." People 
       don't  want to get involved when people yell 
       "help," but "fire" draws attention because 
       people are nosy.
   b.  RUN!
   c.  Find an obstacle, such as a parked car, and 
        run around it, like ring around the rosie. 
        This may sound silly, but over the years, 5 
        women have told Pat Malone that this SAVED 
        THEIR LIVES.
   d.  Your last hope is getting under the car. Once 
        you are under there, there are tons of things 
        to hold on to, and he will not be able to get you 
        out, and  will not come under for you (most 
        likely).  Usually they give up by this point. 
        The catch here is that YOU MUST 
        PRACTICE  GETTING UNDER THE   CAR. 
        You must have a plan (he will have one); know
        if you will  be going on your back, front, from 
        the side or back of the car. It must be 
        practiced.

 12.  Never let yourself or anyone that you know be a "closer" in any type of business (bar, store, restaurant, gas station).

 *Pat knew Danielle, who was the girl that just 
    died from  being shot pointblank by some kids 
    while she was closing at the local gas station.

 He talked with her the night before she died, and asked  whether it ever scared her to close alone.  She said yes, but said "I'll be all right, Pat.  I'll be all right."

 She wasn't.

 I didn't mean to scare you with any of this, but honestly, I hope it did.  It should.  Our world is not as safe as we pretend that it is, and living in our fantasy worlds WILL  get us in trouble, sooner or later.

 "It won't happen to me" doesn't cut it, and is a bogus expectation anyway. Pat Malone said again and again that the women who die EVERY MINUTE from violent crimes expected to go to bed tonight, and get up tomorrow, and do it all over again, and again, and again.  No one expects it, but we must be prepared and aware so that we HAVE A PLAN.

 I would encourage you to pass this on to all women, not just your friends and family, but everybody.  We all need to hear it.

Lally Jennings
Associate Director
Alumni Relations
Eastern Kentucky University
521 Lancaster Avenue
Richmond, KY  40475
606/622-1260 Phone
606/622-6620 Fax