The Goal Of This Portion Of The Site Is To Help You Reduce Your Chances Of Becoming A Victim

Sexual Assault Prevention

According the the United States Justice Department, Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were 261,000 rapes and sexual assaults reported in 2000. There are no perfect answers or golden rule techniques for preventing a sexual assault once confronted by someone who intends to cause physical harm. These are tips to be used as a last resort in many cases. Most often, the victim has to make split second decisions, usually without time to contemplate something she read on a website weeks, months or even years before. The choice of whether to physically resist is your decision only. There is no way to predict an attacker’s reaction.

However, you may reflect on these prevention tips and incorporate them into your personal safety plan in advance of situations commonly encountered

  • Be alert at all times and trust your immediate instincts. Show confidence and purpose. Surprise and fear are two weapons your assailant relies upon the most. Awareness of your surroundings at all times will help you defeat these weapons.
  • Be acutely aware of your surroundings and don’t let alcohol affect your otherwise good judgment.

If you have been attacked…

  • If you are attacked, you have little time to assess whether you should fight back or resist. You have to evaluate three main factors to help determine your course of action:
  1. The environment – Are you isolated or are people nearby?
  2. Your Physical Ability – How capable are you of physically resisting? Do you have the ability to cause harm to your assailant or at least to break from his grasp?
  3. Your attacker’s motivation and abilities – Is your attacker excessively large or strong? Does he have an accomplice or does he seem extremely violent?
  • If these factors weigh in favor of resistance, SCREAM, try to escape, be vile, aggressive and violent. If you decide to take this drastic step, you must do so quickly and act with vigor. Attack the eyes or groin with anything you can find to use as a weapon, whether it is your fists, feet, backpack, purse, keys or any other item that can inflict injury upon your attacker. If you have the chance, run. Run towards lighted houses, crowds or streets with traffic.
  • If these factors weigh against resistance or your attacker has a weapon, you may have little choice but to submit to his demands. Your first goal is your immediate survival. Do everything you can to stall for time. Each situation is different. Try to dissuade your attacker from continuing. Tell him you are menstruating. Urinate, vomit or do anything you can think of to discourage the attacker.
  • By choosing not to resist, you are in NO WAY consenting. You are doing what is necessary to survive. Even if you do not resist immediately, constantly be aware of your opportunity for escape or resistance throughout the attack.

If you have been victimized…

  • Report the crime immediately to give law enforcement officials the best chance of apprehending your attacker.
  • As degrading as it may be, preserve the evidence. Do not alter the crime scene in any way. Don’t shower, bathe or douche. Do not change clothes. Ask a trusted friend or family member to accompany you to the hospital for initial treatment and for the administration of a medical exam to preserve DNA evidence and to document injuries. The examination and evidence preservation often seems as emotionally difficult as the sexual attack itself, yet it is essential to the apprehension of your attacker. The police department typically covers the cost of the examination if done in furtherance of the investigation.
  • Bring a change of clothes to the hospital.
  • Write down the details of the attack as soon as possible: exact phrases or expressions the attacker used, speech impediments, smells, height, weight, etc.
  • Ask for referrals to reputable rape crisis assistance centers or victim advocacy agencies that can help you understand victimology and assist you in regaining your life.

Apartment Safety and Security

Studies show criminals are uniquely attracted to apartment complexes. These properties offer plenty of potential targets and victims for those looking to commit crime.

Tenants of apartment communities pay a premium to have a professional maintenance staff take care of every day repairs and basic security measures. These repairs and measures are often overlooked or ignored by the apartment staff, however. Criminals seek out apartments that are poorly run and maintained. The following checklist is designed to help you assess the risks associated with a particular apartment complex.

When renting the apartment…

  • Insist on an upper level apartment.
  • Reflect on how you were screened by management when applying for the apartment. Although it may seem to be an inconvenience to you, if the apartment is screening you thoroughly, they are probably doing the same to your prospective neighbors.
  • Test and examine each latch, lock, window and door. Look to see if there are solid core doors, 180° peep holes on entry doors, and securely fastened window locks.
  • Ask to see actual work orders that show the lock to your apartment was actually re-keyed or changed so you are assured the prior tenant’s key will not unlock your door.
  • If there are sliding glass doors, insist on secondary locking devices, such as “Charley Bars” pin-locking mechanisms or anti-lift measures to prevent the door from being lifted from the tracks.
  • Ask who has master keys to your apartment. If they are unable to answer the question or there is little understanding on management’s part of key control systems, you should be wary of the number of master keys lost, not returned by former employees or simply unaccounted for.
  • Ask specific questions about crime on the complex itself. Do not accept vague answers from your leasing agent (“We really don’t have problems here” or “Crime can happen anywhere”). If unsatisfied with your leasing agent’s answer, ask local law enforcement officials for crime information for the complex.
  • Ask about security at the complex. Often apartment management will refer to apartment security officers as “Courtesy Officers.” Find out the hours the security personnel work and make a point to introduce yourself to these employees. You might ask if the security lives on site or if it is a contract security service. This information may provide you with contact information to utilize when necessary.
  • Drive through the apartment community during the evening hours to see what level of control is maintained by management personnel. Are there people loitering about the premises? What kind of people will you have as neighbors? This is usually the best time to see the complex in action. During the day, tenants are at work, the complex is quiet and apartment managers see to it that the complex is at its best in order to attract prospective tenants. You should know what the complex is like after the apartment personnel goes home for the evening.

Once you have rented…

  • The most common crimes in apartments are burglaries. Violence can result if a tenant returns home during a burglary. If you come home and believe someone has unlawfully entered your apartment, DO NOT GO INSIDE. Go to a safe place and call for assistance.
  • Make sure you always lock your door when leaving even for a short time. Frequently, sexual assault reports result from tenants leaving a door open for a brief moment to grab groceries from their car. It only takes a moment for a criminal to enter your apartment and hide with you unaware.
  • Try to use common area laundry facilities during high-traffic hours. Do not feel compelled to change laundry if your common sense tells you to stay away from an empty laundry room.
  • Get to know your neighbors and watch out for each other.
  • Women living alone should not post their full names on a mailbox, doorbell or directory listing. Make up additional names for apartment directories to give the appearance that you have roommates. Use your initial only for first names.
  • On outgoing voicemail boxes or answering machines, instead of saying “I am not home” tell the caller “We are not home,” again giving the appearance that you do not live alone.

Hotel/Motel Safety & Security

When traveling on business or for pleasure, you leave those surroundings with which you are familiar. You may not be aware of safety risks unique to your particular surroundings when staying in a different city or new hotel/motel. Your hotel or motel becomes your home for that trip and you need to take precautions just as you would at home. Always assume the hotel or motel operator is not as conscientious of your safety risks as you may be.

  • Request a room on the upper floors.
  • Make sure your room is equipped with a solid door of either metal or wood. The door should have a deadbolt lock and a substantial interior swing bars to secure the door even if someone does have a key to your room. The door should also be equipped with a 180° peep hole.
  • If your room is equipped with a sliding glass door, make sure there are secondary locking devices, such as a “Charley Bar,” pin-locking mechanism or anti-lift device to prevent the door from being lifted out of its track.
  • Do not feel embarrassed to ask a doorman for an escort to your room or to your car in the parking garage.

Home Safety & Security

Most feel they are safest in their home. But you must rely on yourself to ensure the integrity of your castle. You have to limit access to those determined to test the access points of your home.

  • Routinely check all access points to your home: windows, doors, basement access, garage doors. Garage doors are typically left open, unlocked or are simply weak as a security measure. They often provide access to the rest of the house through an interior unlocked door. Always lock the interior garage door to the house, even if you think your garage door is secure.
  • Use high quality locks and strike plates on doors to prevent kick-ins and pry bars.
  • If your room is equipped with a sliding glass door, make sure there are secondary locking devices, such as a “Charley Bar,” pin-locking mechanism or anti-lift device to prevent the door from being lifted out of its track.
  • Use motion detecting lights in the front and back of the house. Mount the fixtures out of reach of someone on the ground. If you will be gone for any significant period of time, use light timers.
  • Dogs, dogs, dogs. I spoke with a North Carolina Sex Crimes investigator who told me in his 15 plus years investigating sex crimes, he had never investigated one in a dwelling where there was a dog. They remain the best alarm of all.
  • The hidden key is still a common method of entry for criminals. If you must hide a key, do not do so in the typical locations.

Auto/Car-Jacking Prevention

Car jacking crimes have gained nationwide notoriety over the past ten years. The violence and fear created by these criminals have made this crime one of the most feared and least easy crimes to avoid.

  • Before you leave, plan your route with detail. Travel well-known and well-traveled streets. Have an alternative route planned in case of detours or construction delays.
  • Keep your car in good running condition and constantly monitor fuel levels.
  • If at all possible, travel with a companion.
  • Keep doors locked, windows up and all things of value out of plain view.
  • Also, keep your car keys separate from house keys. Make sure you do not have any documents in your car that identify your address or personal information.
  • While driving, be aware of activities going on around you. Watch carefully for people approaching you on foot.
  • Do not get boxed in between cars at traffic signals. Allow yourself space to pull away quickly if necessary.
  • If someone seems to be in need of assistance, do not get out of your car. Go somewhere safe and call for assistance.

On the Street/Public Transportation

  • Stay alert – always remember you can become a victim at any time.
  • Show confidence – this tells criminals that you will not be an easy target for crime.
  • Do not fall asleep while riding on public transportation.
  • Try to maintain a schedule that ensures plenty of people are at the bus or train stops while you are.
  • Pickpockets are a common problem at crowded train stops or bus stops. Carry a purse that has a secure and strong strap. Beware of loud commotions that may be staged distractions to allow pickpockets to operate.