Take Ten

A lot of these blogs will be from my old self defense blog and I'll update any that require it.

This one was about taking a few minutes whenever you pull up to go somewhere or exit a building etc.  We were taught in the Foreign Legion that time spent gathering intelligence was seldom wasted and that's the concept we're stealing here.

You're exiting the mall for example, stop, take a minute to look around and see if you can spot anything that causes concern.  Where is your car for example and what's between you and it?  What or who is parked next to it?  Is there anything going on you should be bothered by.  I was told a story once about a mother and daughter who walked out into the middle of two gangs involved in a shoot out and didn't realize until they were right in the middle of it.

How about coming home? Before exiting your vehicle stop and take note.  Is everything the way you left it? This saved my neighbor in Wilmington years ago.  She came home and noticed a window wide open and foot prints and scuff marks up the front of the house.

She called the cops - smart girl - and they found evidence of the break in.  She told me later that prior to hearing my presentation she probably would have run in to confront whoever was inside which can often lead to tragic outcomes.

And, just in case you're thinking you'd run in and confront whoever was inside back in Jan of 2011 a friend of mine and fellow Aussie Chris Radok was the first murder victim in Charlotte when he walked in on a burglary in progress.