No one but you is responsible for your safety ...

[spin]

Who is responsible to protect you from crime and, specifically, from violent crime?

Many believe police and sheriff’s deputies are responsible for protecting citizens from crime and violent crime. They are not.

The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly and consistently held police have no constitutional obligation or any other legal obligation to prevent citizens from being victims of violent crime, with the most recent case being Town of Castle Rock, Colo., v. Gonzales.

Although the police have no duty to prevent violent crime, essentially every police officer will do everything possible in response to a “priority 1” call to stop an assault, rape, burglary, murder or attempted murder. The problem is, in spite of the finest police efforts, they usually arrive too late to prevent violent crime.

Reliable data on police response times for priority 1 calls are modest, but a reasonable average is about eight minutes. In some cities and towns, the time may be shorter.

In large counties with few sheriff’s deputies on duty, the response time can be much longer. It is highly unusual for priority 1 response times to be less than three minutes, which does not include the time from the beginning of an attack to when a call is made to the police.

When seconds can make the difference between life and death or serious bodily injury, the police are minutes away.

So, who is responsible to protect you from violent crime? You are.

By far, the best way to prevail in a violent encounter is to avoid it. Be alert at all times to your surroundings. Situational awareness is not “somebody’s gonna getcha” paranoia. It is, simply, doing visual scans during day-to-day activities and travels.

Look around for anything or anyone that could be threatening, and it will be unlikely you can be taken by surprise. Crooks, thugs and violent criminals, although dangerous, are all cowards. They are looking for easy prey.

If you are alert and confident, you are less likely to be one chosen as a victim by a criminal, and you are more likely to identify and avoid a potentially threatening situation before you can be victimized.

If you notice a potentially threatening situation developing, remember, distance is your friend. At home, do not open your door to any strangers.

If a stranger asks to use your phone, offer to call the number for him or her, and be prepared to call the police if the person objects. Move inside if you notice a stranger approaching. Outside the home, tell approaching strangers to stop. Don’t let them get close. Move across the street. Have a cell phone in your hand, ready to call 911. Go inside an occupied building.

Run away if you must. Never, ever, allow yourself to be abducted, as survival rates are very low.

Personal-defense firearms should be the absolute last resort. However, many, many violent criminals have been thwarted when they discovered their intended victims were armed and prepared to defend themselves. I know of a large law enforcement agency that did not have an officer involved in a shooting for 13 years, but its officers were often required to draw their sidearms in the face of both real and potential threats.emphasis added

You, alone, are responsible for your defense – not the police, not family members and not other people. Be alert to your surroundings.

Stay away from any potentially threatening situations, but also be prepared to defend yourself by all legitimate means.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100517/EDIT05/305179996/1021/EDIT

[Oregone]

1. If you hire a bodyguard, are they responsible for your safety?

[X_Digger]

12. Depends on the contract signed. Generally, yes.

A friend of mine runs a bounty hunting / private security / process server / bodyguard company in Austin. I've seen their personal protection contract. The only harm it says they will not be liable for is harm by the protectee themselves (if you drink yourself into a stupor and then tumble down the stairs, it's not their liability.)

[Oregone]

13. If you and your friend hire a few bodyguards, are they then responsible for both your safety?

Depending on the contract....

[X_Digger]

14. If named as the protectee(s), yes. n/t

[Oregone]

15. And if your whole community hires and funds a security detail?

...and eventually we could call that security detail "police" and those funds "taxes" in the followup question.

[X_Digger]

17. Show me your contract with your local police.

Warren v DC
Winnebago v DeShaney
Castle Rock v Gonzales

The police are under no legal obligation to protect you, the individual, unless you are detained by the police.

[Oregone]

18. "unless"

See...we all have options other than buying an uzi

[X_Digger]

19. Psst.. that means in jail or in custody.

Do you wish to live in a jail in order to assure police protection?

And have you found the contract you signed with the local police yet? The one where they agree to protect you, the individual?

[Oregone]

20. Sounds better than the Demagoguertastic alternative of death

That is, if you don't buy a big fuck gun to protect yourself, and only yourself

After reading all this I'm pretty sure that humans can only

1) Die
2) Be imprisoned and protected
3) Be armed to the teeth.

Guns and death offend my sensibilities, so Ill choose imprisonment.

[X_Digger]

21. That's your choice. I'll defend your right to make it.

Just keep your nose out of mine, and we're all good.

[PavePusher]

22. May you chains rest lightly upon you. n/t

[Oregone]

23. And you too.

:)

[Katya Mullethov]

28. Best to put a balm onnit

They appear to be chafing .

[proteus_lives]

39. "Guns and death offend my sensibilities, so Ill choose imprisonment."

A lot of happy Canadians after that decision.

[rrneck]

43. Pssssst.

You already have chosen it.

[Callisto32]

51. Then you have already died.

Edit: It's early, spelling error.

[cognoscere]

67. Oh, so when they put you in a holding cell or some other detention area,

they are responsible for you not getting beaten, raped, or killed? Seems like there would be more lawsuits for breach.

[X_Digger]

68. Legally, yes.. realistically? Depends

If you can show gross negligence or deliberate indifference-

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/14.+Failure+to+protect.-a0107123840

Cantu v. Jones, 293 F.3d 839 (5th Cir. 2002). A prison inmate who had been slashed with a razor by another inmate, brought a civil rights action to recover on a deliberate indifference theory from prison officials, who allegedly orchestrated the assault. A jury ruled in favor of the inmate and awarded $22,500 in compensatory damages; the prison officials appealed. The appeals court affirmed the district court verdict. The appeals court held that the question of whether officials manifested deliberate indifference to the inmate's safety when they allegedly left a door to another inmate's cell open and allowed him to escape and assault the first inmate, was a matter for the jury. The plaintiff inmate had previously complained about prison guards. The appeals court affirmed that the officials were not entitled to qualified immunity (Connally Unit, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division)

Gallardo v. Dicarlo, 203 F.Supp.2d 1160 (C.D.Cal. 2002). A state prisoner brought a

1983 action against a prison warden alleging Fifth Amendment and state law claims. The district court found that the prisoner stated an Eighth Amendment excessive force claim against the warden and that the warden was not entitled to qualified immunity. The prisoner alleged that the warden encouraged the use of excessive force, and that he sustained physical injuries from officers' use of force on him that required a 31-day hospitalization mid resulted in permanent physical injuries. (California State Prison, Chino)

[GreenStormCloud]

30. You have a massive FAIL.

A bodyguard, to be effective, must be in your immediate presence at all times, 24/7/365 and 366 on leap year. If the bodyguard has gone to the house next door, he is no longer protecting you, as he isn't with you protecting you. Your bodyguard agency will not have a contract that says that a particular guard must guard two widely separated people. If you tried tried to get an agency to provide one guard and have that one guard protect you at a ball game and your wife at the opera, at the same time, with only that one guard, they would decline the contract.

The police can't be everywhere at once. That is a simple reality that you are trying to dodge.

[gorfle]

38. Police are not a security detail.

The difference is in your hypothetical situation people hired a group of people to provide security.

Police forces are not obligated to provide security. They might help foster security by their presence, but they are not obligated, legally, to secure your person.

The courts have upheld that unless you are in police custody, the police cannot be held liable for a citizens safety.

[shadowrider]

50. Shhh. You're bringing up those pesky facts again.

[fascisthunter]

2. and the saftey of others

sorry but we live in a society, not the Old Wild West

[jeepnstein]

3. How "Wild" was it back then?

Are you talking about the movies or the real place?

[fascisthunter]

4. read book and find out

dur

[shadowrider]

5. The question was

Are you referring to the wild west as portrayed by hollywood, or the wild west as it actually was?

A book won't answer that.

[jeepnstein]

8. Got a suggested reading list?

I'm always open to suggestions.

[spin]

6. In any society at any time in history, the advise to be alert ...

to your surroundings would be sound.

[damntexdem]

9. And the "old wild West" did recognize our common need for protection.

Very often, the infrastructure was not in place so as to better ensure such safety -- hence the "wild West" moniker. But it was recognized. And "old wild West" towns DID enforce gun control -- took away cowboys' guns when they entered a saloon, or often when they entered town. Communal safety was close enough to the edge that there was no indulgence in any "right to carry anywhere, anytime" fantasies.

[shadowrider]

11. One point

there was no indulgence in any "right to carry anywhere, anytime" fantasies.

If you're referring to pro 2A people on this board, can you show me one post, just one, where someone suggested they have a right to carry anywhere, anytime?

If you're referring to something else, ignore this post.

[Callisto32]

52. Argumentum ad antiquitatum.

Just because it's been done in the past, does not mean it was any more correct then.

[Bold Lib]

25. You mean a society like this?

http://www.fox8.com/videobeta/d2031ff7-f73e-477e-a1e2-f990e5618888/News/Surveillance-Teens-Beat-73-Year-Old-Man-Friend-in-Cleveland

Yes it is A society but not necessarily a CIVIL society.

[HALO141]

55. Society?

Good Samaritan stabbed while helping foil robbery

Hero, Homeless Man Stabbed to Death - New York Post

Good Samaritan asks for AMBER LAMPS after man is stabbed

Man Stabbed While Helping Stranded Travelers

Good Samaritan stabbed by hitchhiker

If THAT'S your society, you can keep it.

[one-eyed fat man]

57. Life in the big city.

You have it right. Kitty Genovese was not the first nor the last. And what is really telling, is NOT that the urban sophisticates were too cowardly to intervene, but that they were too callous to even call the police. You know the ones that they claim are supposed to "protect" everyone everywhere at all times.

Plenty of them took pictures with their cellphones of the dying man but no one bother to call.

The one guy who did stop you can't tell if he was looking to help the victim or go through his pockets.

[damntexdem]

7. We are all responsible for each other's safety.

And government is just one venue in which that responsibility is supposed to be honored.

Hyper individualism will be one of the things that destroys America.

[shadowrider]

10. And if there's no one else there to help protect and for some reason you can't call 911

YOU are responsible for your own safety.

[HALO141]

56. "If you can't dial 911..."

then you or one of your fellow citizens will just have to draw the chalk outline yourselves. In the case of violent attack, that's about all the police are good for anyway. Probably better start teaching "Chalk Outlining" classes in Jr. High. Granted, they do take suspects into custody but that's a bit too late to help the victim.

[Travis Coates]

16. I'm not responsible for YOUR safety

If you aren't prepared to protect yourself I'm am under no obligation to accept the liability of protecting you

[PavePusher]

24. So, you are responsible for me?

Great, the next time I am a crime victim, I will send you the bill. Please PM me your addresses and phone numbers. Thanks! :hi:

[Bold Lib]

26. And when 911 doesn't work what do you do?

http://yanntx.info/2010/03/looking-back-on-todays-communications-outage/

[Bold Lib]

32. another link about the phones being down.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2819590/no_phone_service_in_kerrville_texas.html

[proteus_lives]

41. Sorry, there may come a day when there is no one to help you.

I guess you'll be SOL.

[rrneck]

44. Do you have a plan

to reduce police response time to zero?

[Euromutt]

49. When everybody is reponsible, nobody is responsible

You're correct in that we have a "negative responsibility," if you will, for each others' safety; that is, we have a responsibility not to personally endanger others. But we don't have a responsibility to actively protect others.

[Callisto32]

53. This is interesting.

See, I know this is just anecdotal, but:

The people that I know that are individualists tend to be the most productive. They have productive jobs, they leave other people to their own devises (and devices) and are the most charitable.

On the other hand the "it takes a village to raise ME" folks tend to sit and suck of the public teat to at least some degree, and have a sick sense of entitlement. They defecate and think the world owes them toilet paper.

If I need to get something done, I'll take a group of individualists willing to work together (the two are not mutually exclusive) over the other type any day.

[elocs]

27. YOYO (You're On Your Own) is certainly the freeper philosophy.

It is the motto by which they live. Some here do too.

[spin]

29. Truly rational people of all political persuasions realize that you ARE on your own ...

which is why you should take sensible steps to avoid problems.

The article emphasizes "situational awareness" which merely means keeping your wits about you. Studies have shown that people who are alert and make eye contact are less likely to be targets of criminals.

Being aware of your surroundings is an important part of protecting yourself from violent crime. Criminals are looking for an easy target and you want to make sure you don't signal an aggressor that you are a prime target. This week I want to talk about how situational awareness and strong self confidence can keep you safe.


Being constantly aware of your surroundings is not being paranoid. Paranoia is when you worry about something that absolutely can't happen. Unfortunately if you open the metro section of your local paper you will notice just how often innocent, hard working, law abiding citizens become victims of violence. You can have the best intermediate defense tools and firearms but it won't do you any good if you can't identify a threat. Different situations call for different levels of awareness. For Example, I am not going to have a heightened level of awareness while at home reading a book or watching TV unless I detect something out of the ordinary. However if I am walking alone in downtown Oklahoma City at night I am obviously going to have a heightened level of awareness.emphasis added


The Problem with awareness levels is many people go about their daily activities completely unaware of what's going on around them. How many times have you walked through a parking lot and noticed someone texting with their head down or talking on their cell phone? Or what about people who exercise alone at night with their IPOD? I will be the first to admit that I do exercise with my IPOD on but only while on populated jogging trails in the daytime or while at the gym. You need to have a constant awareness of your environment and the people around you.
http://personaldefense101.blogspot.com/2010/01/situational-awareness-and-self.html

Remember:

"Self-Defense really isn't about fighting like most people think. Self-Defense is primarily about not being there when the other guy wants to fight." (The Little Black Book of Violence)

[Bold Lib]

31. Reality check. Sometimes there is no 911. Sometimes no phones at all.

FYI

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2819590/no_phone_service_in_kerrville_texas.html
http://yanntx.info/2010/03/looking-back-on-todays-communications-outage/

[shadowrider]

33. Are liberals not supposed to fend for themselves when the situation dictates?

That certainly seems to be what you're saying. Self-defense and fending for yourself are freeper characteristics?

Whoda thunkit

[jazzhound]

35. I have a friend who lives in an exclusive gated community with their own

armed security guards. There's a maximum of two guards posted at any given time, and there's just no way they could prevent a determined bad guy from slipping in. Yet I imagine the owners "feel secure" in the delusion that the guards protect them.

If I lived there, I'd still be covering myself.

[jazzhound]

36. "Some here do too."

You betcha. Not everyone is so arrogant to think that violent crime will happen to "the other guy" or so stupid as to think that a cop will arrive in time to protect them after a 911 call.

[shadowrider]

37. IF IF IF there is time to call 911 IF you have a phone capable of doing that

[proteus_lives]

40. Not a freeper one.

A real life one.

[rrneck]

45. Do you have a plan

to recduce police response time to zero?

[PavePusher]

46. So, you can disprove it? n/t

[east texas lib]

47. What, then of those of us who live many miles from police and emergency service?

Are we freepers for trying to be as indepedent and self sufficient as possible? Being on your own is the reality of life out here, not some talking point or bumper sticker.

[Euromutt]

48. It's the reality imposed on us by the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has ruled on at least three occasions--Warren v. D.C., DeShaney v. Winnebago County and Castle Rock, CO v. Gonzales--that the government cannot be held responsible for failing to protect you as an individual, or even for failing to make a good faith effort, in violation of state law and a court order (as happened in the case of Gonzales).

[PavePusher]

71. A nit...

This reality was not imposed by the S.C., merely recognised by the Court.

The reality was imposed by... well, reality.

It is simply not possible for the Government to guarantee individual security without becoming a system no-one here (possibly excepting s.u.) would want to live under. And I do mean under.

[Bold Lib]

34. How about when the entire phone system goes down for a few days. I give you

the Texas Hill Country March 23, 2010. No 911 and no phones. So why is going to protect you?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2819590/no_phone_service_in_kerrville_texas.html

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
In Kerrville, Texas, it does not matter what cell phone provider you have whether it be Sprint, Boost, Pocket, Cricket, or any other cell phone providers, nobody has service.

Also, those living in the Hill Country areas of Kerrville, Center Point, Ingram, Hunt, Junction, and other neighboring towns do not have landline service if they use Time Warner.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

[proteus_lives]

42. 100% truth.

:thumbsup:

[Travis Coates]

54. Police Protection

In my town the local police force has laid off or not filled 300 slots. Response times are up and home invasion robberies are becoming common enough that they're only reported if some one is killed. ( I swear I am not making this up) twice in the last 6 months or so citizens have called into the police to report found guns ( Personally I'd take it as a gift form the gun fairy) and told been the police have no one available to pick them up would the RP please bring the gun to their local substation.

I don't just own a gun I also have food to last for a few weeks ( it snows in June here) a fire extinguisher medical supplies and water filtration supplies.

I feel that it's my responsibility to do everything in my power to keep my family alive till help arrives.

How is that a Freeper attitude?

Fixing typos

[Shireling]

58. I think that everyone knows that they have to be aware of their surroundings

But the phrase "You are responsible for your life" and other versions of this phrase are getting manipulated in such a way that when a person suffers a tragedy or loss, the person is blamed rather than treated with compassion.

We should also look out for one another whenever possible. "He ain't heavy, He's my brother."

:hippie:

[shadowrider]

59. Whenever possible. I don't disagree

It's when you're by yourself, with no hope of "whenever possible", that's under discussion.

[one-eyed fat man]

60. You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-20dURI9qA

No one helped him at all. Nothing! No first aid! Nada! No one called the police, not the woman whose life he likely saved, not the passers by who snapped pictures of the dying man with their cellphones. Not even the guy who looks like's going through the dead guy's pockets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_Jogger_case

They got no compassion from dozens and dozens of New Yorkers who rather WATCH THEM DIE than lift a finger. The very society that FAILED to come to their aid also requires and demands they be unarmed and unable to help themselves.

"He ain't heavy, He's my brother."

You'll forgive me if I see that as a cop-out of the first order. It ain't happening! Witness thirty-eight respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks over a half-hour mewling, "I didn't want to get involved."

There is no greater example of the truth in the statement, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

It is a far cry from 100 years ago when citizens spontaneously sprang to the aid of their local lawmen and terminated their "gang problem."

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/daltons.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/jamesyoungergang/northfield.html

[spin]

61. Many people know this, but don't practice situational awareness ...

Many people walk around with a cell phone permanently glued to their ear.

The object of the OP is to point out that unless you want to be a victim it's wise to be alert to your environment. Simple awareness is often enough to avoid a tragic encounter.

I posted this thread not to blame people but instead to try to remind people of the importance of "keeping your wits about you".

I posted in the Gungeon, because firearms are mentioned in the article as a last resort. Still, the advise is excellent for those who do not legally carry as well as those who do.

Hopefully, some who read this post will do a little research and pick up some quick tips on how to be safe on the street.

Here are some tips and tricks you may find useful in developing your situational awareness.

* Pretend to be the bad guy – Start to think like a criminal or thug. Where would you attack someone? What would be the best place to take somebody unaware? In that side street, or car park?

* Try as often as you can to direct your consciousness externally. That is to say dont walk downs the street thinking about what your brother or boss said to you earlier, or what you are going to eat for dinner. Instead observe your environment, engage with it, be aware of the street, the doorways, the newly painted shop fronts, the people. Much like when you are driving be an active observer not a reactive one.

* Become a student of people. When you look at someone try to see what you notice about them, does everything seem in place. Are they dressed appropriately for the area? Do they seem at ease? What type of attention are you receiving from these people?

* Be prepared. Always think actively about the environment you are going to be finding yourself in. Make sure you park your car in a well lit and easy to observe place. If you are going to be in an area you are unfamiliar with try not to be alone if possible. Plan a safe way home from wherever you are. This may seem like a chore but most of us only have a few routes we take all the time. Make sure the routes you take are the safest available.

* Trust your gut feelings! If you have a gut feeling or something that you cant quite put your finger on is putting you ill at ease. Trust it and get the hell away from there. Try to see what it is that is giving you this feeling and move away from it. Do not be afraid to cross the street to get away from someone or something that is making you uneasy. You have 1000s of years of instincts built in to you, ignore them at your peril.
http://streetselfdefense.org/environmental-awareness-for-self-defense/

[tango-tee]

63. This should be required reading for all!

Again, thank you for a valuable contribution.

[spin]

64. Thanks. (n/t)

[GreenStormCloud]

65. Good web site. I bookmarked it. N/T

[tango-tee]

62. Great OP, thanks!

I'd like to tell you what happened to me last year:

I was on my way to the subway station at 5:30 a.m., going to work. At that time of morning, there were no pedestrians, only a bus went by, and a cab. That's when I noticed two young guys coming out of the shadows of the entrance to a department store. One was heading toward me on the sidewalk, the other stood still, checking both directions.

At that moment, alarm bells went off in my head. I've never been mugged, beaten up or anything of that nature. Anyway, there is this young man coming toward me, wearing a hoody. And right then and there, I had the gut feeling I was facing trouble and instead of being frightened, got angry. Within a split second, I was pissed off beyond belief.

Rather than running toward the subway entrance, I started heading toward the young man myself in a confrontational manner, ready to beat the snot out of him. I'm a 57 year old woman, only 5'4" tall, but spent 10 years on active duty in the military in a typically "male" field, the only woman among 64 guys for quite a while.

Guess what happened? They both took off.

Afterwards, I realized that my reaction could have gotten me into deep trouble. I had no idea whether they were armed, crazed on drugs, whatever. Once I was on the subway and the adrenaline rush subsided - that's when I became frightened and my hands started shaking.

I was lucky.

[X_Digger]

66. Luck schmuck!

You didn't fit the victim profile. Most criminal predators select victims based not only on environmental characteristics (alone on an empty street at night, eg) but also on victim characteristics.

Their goal is to get in and out with as little fuss as possible. Victims who are less likely to notice what's going on until the last moment are preferred- once the criminal is within striking distance, many people will comply. Those who catch on early are less likely to comply, have more opportunity to avoid the situation, and are more likely to raise a racket, complicating the 'and out' portion of the enterprise.

Good job for breaking their victim selection profile!

[tango-tee]

69. Fortunately,

so far that has been my only encounter with would-be muggers.

There have been some really great recommendations concerning situational awareness in this thread. Everyone - but especially women - should be encouraged to pay heed.


:thumbsup:

[GreenStormCloud]

70. Outstanding!

Too bad Germany doesn't allow citizens/residents to carry concealed handguns.

[tango-tee]

72. Getting gun permits is very difficult over here.

I'll just have to rely on my handbag as a weapon. I usually carry a large glass bottle of mineral water to work with me, and as a last resort, guess I'd have to clean someone's clock with the bag.

[spin]

73. A handbag is a good weapon ...

and it can really surprise an attacker.