There’s something really bizarre about the term “serial killer”. That term, whether or not it’s on the news, in a book, or in a movie, should spark some immediate concerns within your life. Not just in the area where the incidents are taking place but to every person in every city, because the bottom line is “it could happen to you”.
Unfortunately the term serial killer sometimes sparks only quick curiosity about the case and then everybody forgets about it and goes on with their lives. Until something similar happens to you, a family member, or a friend. And then it’s too late.
5 people have been murdered in the past few weeks within the county where I work. The first in the string of murders was a 15-year old girl walking home late at night from a dance. It has been suggested that the additional 4 killings involved working prostitutes.
Investigators are still trying to figure out if there was a connection between the first killing and the pattern shown with the other 4. There has been hesitancy to label this as a “serial killer” being on the loose. On the other hand, I’m getting the feeling that the media, as well as experts in the criminology field, support that speculation of a serial killer being on the loose is justified.
As a cop, I am well known for interrupting suspects while they are in the middle of giving me a well-constructed and creative lie, and telling them flat out that “I look for one thing and one thing only. For 2 and 2 to add up to 4! Simple mathematics so get on it, and stop wasting my time, because the garbage you’re giving me isn’t even coming near three!” And you know what? It works 99 percent of the time I get straight answers to my questions.
In this instance I’m thinking the math is adding up to four. Murders take place everyday in many places. In most cases there is a linked connection between the suspect and the victim. Even in cases of “workplace violence” there may not have been a direct connection with the victims of the incident in the aftermath of it all, but there was a direct motive in the suspect’s mind and innocent victim’s got in the way.
Although murders continue to take place, most of these incidents are isolated and cease after completion of the act, or when an arrest is made. It is rare when a pattern develops and the killings continue. The pattern here involves the selection of women who apparently were prostitutes, or who might have possibly been mistaken for being prostitutes. Several of the victims were known prostitutes. Another victim was last seen walking alone on a dark roadway. Another had a habit of walking alone.
Experts say that often prostitutes make a common target for serial killers. I am by no way an expert in this field and I highly respect the opinions and training of the specialist working on the case. I’m just a street cop, but let’s look at the common factors involved aside from any given occupation the women may have been linked to.
• Women
• Walking alone
• Dark Roadways
Hello! Am I the only one that sees this as being a problem? Guy goes into the doctor’s office and say’s “Hey Doc, it hurts when I raise my left arm over my head. Doctor looks at the patient and say’s calmly “Then don’t raise your left arm over your head.”
Women,
Get off the street,
Don’t walk alone,
And especially STAY OFF dark roadways!
It doesn’t get any more simple does it? Somewhere out there, a person with a sick mind and a warped brain who doesn’t deserve the right to breathe the air we do, has let us know who he likes to target. But whose to say that this is just going to stay with hunting down hookers on dark roads at night?
The saddest thing to me is that there are so many unsuspecting victims lacing up shoelaces right now, getting ready to go out jogging. Alone and unprepared. A perfect target.
I know.
You work all day and the evening is the only time that you have to go running. The evening is the only time that you have to go shopping. You live in a nice area, it’s OK to drive alone at night without a cell phone. You’ll walk to the store instead of drive. You need the exercise. You’ll pull into that parking lot for just a minute to use the ATM machine. You’ll only be a minute. Hey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news and rain on your parade, but it only takes a minute for your life to change forever. That’s if you live long enough to remember it.
We’re not living in Mayberry anymore folks. Why does my gut feeling tell me that until this maniac is removed from society, that the acts will get more brazen in nature? Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But there’s a lot you can do to prevent becoming tomorrows headline. It shouldn’t take a “serial killer” on the loose to prompt you to use good common sense and to follow simple basic common sense guidelines regarding your personal safety. Hey, another key-phrase!
YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY.
All throughout our book, I repeatedly remind you that “Every action has a reaction.” I pray that you understand the seriousness of that sentence and that you’ll make a decision right here and right now, to re-evaluate how you may be doing certain things and to make needed changes to your daily routine. Remember that this particular maniac has been kind enough to share with us their favorite targets.
Women
Walking alone
Dark Roadways
Women, you’re especially at risk, but does this mean that a child, teenager, or male could not be a potential victim? Of course not! Take precautions.
Walking alone? What’s the harm in that? There are so many variables. You leave your apartment in the early morning to walk to the bus stop and head for the B.A.R.T station on your daily commute. Aside from the innocence of that simple act, could there be the possibility of a man waiting in the bushes outside your complex or somewhere along your route who knows your routine?
Ok so you drive to work. As you enter your dark garage at home, or that dimly lit carport of your apartment complex, could there be the possibility of someone laying in wait for you? As you open your car door have you looked inside the interior both front and rear to make sure no one is inside?
I have to laugh when I watch the X-files, and see agent Mulder get into his car and drive away from the curb. Mulder looks into his rear view mirror and hears the sinister voice of the cigarette smoking man say “Good evening Agent Mulder”. That’s after Mulder got the crap scared out of him. Unfortunately in real life that’s how many rapists surprise their victim’s. That’s exactly what happened to a young woman who worked in my city a few years back. It’s real and it happens! And there’s no producer sitting in a chair with a megaphone yelling, “Cut” to stop the scene.
When we hit the street for patrol, we are supposed to walk around our patrol vehicles for a quick inspection. Make sure there’s air in the tires and that the guy you’re relieving didn’t scrape up the car with damage you might get blamed for if it’s not reported. I remember a few years back I was doing my “boring” walk-a-round and saw a thick string hanging onto the pavement from underneath the rear of the car next to mine. At first I blew it off but it just didn’t look right so I took a peek underneath.
I’m reminded of the Jerry Seinfeld type of response similar to “Wow, now there’s something you don’t see everyday”. I was staring at a stick of dynamite that had been taped to the gas tank of the patrol car. The fuse had been lit but had gone out. My sergeant thought I was out of my mind but quickly changed his tune to frantically call the bomb squad after he saw it for himself. What would have happened if I hadn’t seen it?
The moral of that story is, are you ready for the unexpected? Do you carry mace or pepper spray? Have you taken a self-defense class? Do you have a panic alarm installed at your home or on your vehicle that can be activated with a remote to summon assistance or scare away the suspect?
Here are a few common sense things to think about.
• Don’t walk alone at night. Walk with a friend. A group of friends. A group of co-workers. Even with a big rottweiler. But don’t walk alone. Use just as much caution when walking in the daytime. Many of the rapes or rape attempts that occur during the daytime hours take place when female joggers are using park trails or streets and roadways in rural areas. If you need to ask why, review the headlines at the top of this article.
• If you have to go shopping at night or run other errands, refrain from doing so alone. The thought of “I’ll just make a few stops on the way home and then I won’t have to go later” can get you hurt or worse!
• Check the interior of your car BEFORE you get into it. More so at night, but this applies to daylight hours as well depending on where you are at. Check around your car before you approach it. Have your keys ready. I’m a big fan of these car alarm systems that have automatic door unlocks.
• You can only jog at night because of your work schedule? I think not young lady! Get a Gym membership and go after work just like hundreds of other people do. Key word being “Other people around!” Don’t like the gym scene? Invest in a good home cardiovascular exerciser and pump out 30 minutes of sweat while listening to your favorite music. Most corporate employers encourage health and fitness, allowing big discounts at local gyms or extra time at lunch to work out. Take advantage of the time!
• Invest in a cell phone. If you are not disciplined, you’ll use it for every little thing and run up incredibly high bills and eventually have it disconnected. If you use it for what it is best at, being EMERGENCIES, that $19.95 or $29.95 you pay a month will be incredibly CHEAP insurance for that one time you need that phone in a life threatening situation. Just ask the lady in my city who was jogging with husband who collapsed with a heart attack. That one call to 911 saved his life prompting a quick response by fire department paramedics.
Or ask the guy who was taking a potential buyer out for a test drive in the motor home he was selling. The buyer pulled a stun gun out, shot the seller, and had intended on kidnapping him but a struggle ensued and the seller got kicked out of the motor home onto the roadside. But the buyer didn’t know that the seller had placed his small cell phone in his shirt pocket before leaving for the test drive. The seller called us via 911 and we were able to locate the motor home traveling down the road and arrest the suspect after a chase.
• Be aware of your surroundings. At home, at the mall, at the ATM machine, wherever!
Be especially suspicious of people loitering nearby either on foot, or in a vehicle. If you’re at the mall at night and you see a subject loitering near your car, go back and summon a security guard to escort you to your car. We often get calls from shoppers or female employee’s working late at night for an escort to their cars parked nearby. It’s better to be safe than sorry! And that’s what we’re here for.
• Report suspicious activity or subjects immediately! It does us no good to have you call the next day after the person is long gone. What kind of car was it maam? Do you know the color? Was it a 2-door or a 4-door? Did you happen to get a license plate?
No, no, and no? You can practice being a great witness with just a little work. Start paying attention to details and pretty soon it will become second nature for you, just like it is for us.
I like it when I hear this on the radio! Dispatch; witness reports the vehicle was an older full size sedan, 4-dr, possibly a Chevy, red in color. Possible license plate of
1ABC234, occupied by 2 white males in early twenties. Witness reports driver had a shaved head. Last seen traveling northbound on Prison street approximately 3 to 5 minutes ago. Bingo! This witness has her act together and guess what? An incoming unit traveling south on Prison street sees the vehicle a few blocks up. Inside the vehicle are 15 to 20 purses that the suspects had stolen from nearby vehicles where the witness had been parked. And both suspects had active arrest warrants for previous auto burglaries and prowling. Who would be their next victim if this alert woman had not called us?
Practice looking at people briefly and making mental notes of descriptions:
Race
Sex
Facial hair
Hats
Build
Clothing
Do the same thing for vehicles when you’re driving down the street. Practice reading off license plates. Even have your kids do it when they are in the car with you.
2-doors
4-doors
Color
Make
Dents or Bumper stickers
Number of occupants
It’s easy, and it’s effective! We can’t be everywhere at once, but with your help, we can overcome that deficit!
• This applies to neighborhood watch groups as well. Got one? Make sure it’s active and play a strong part with its existence. Don’t have one? Call your local police department and talk to a crime prevention officer to get information on how to start one. In the old days, everybody looked out for each other. The neighborhood kids felt safe at everyone’s house on the street because everybody knew each other. In this day and age you’d be shocked at the number of neighbor dispute calls I go to over the most ridiculous things. It’s almost like restraining orders get delivered more frequently than newspapers do! You have so much power as a group. Whether it’s car burglars or serial killers out and about, a neighborhood that is well informed, prepared, and united, can and will become much less desirable targets to the criminal predator.
• Want exercise? Enroll in a self-defense class. Martial arts classes have become much
more modernized to address real life situations that you could be confronted with in
today’s society. Aside from teaching physical techniques, they also teach awareness
in many scenarios. It’s a fun way to stay healthy, and most importantly, it can help
you avoid tragedy!
• Get certified to carry Mace or Pepper spray.
• When driving, keep your doors locked and window’s up when traveling in unfamiliar areas, or if you notice suspicious persons around. Keep a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you when stopped in traffic. Leave yourself an escape route. A good rule to follow is to stop when you can see the rear tires of the car ahead of you, over your hood. Whether it’s because the car ahead of you stalls, or because someone with a mask on is approaching your vehicle on foot, you at least have left yourself an “out” as compared to being nosed up to the rear bumper of the car ahead of you with “Nowhere to go!”
• Don’t use ATM machines at night and never use them alone. Use the machines inside supermarkets.
• Don’t let your young kids walk alone when avoidable, but especially never at night! Your kids have to be made aware that there are some pretty bad people out there who can hurt them, and that trouble can be avoided by not giving that person opportunity. Remember that the first killing in this recent series in my county, started with a 15-year old girl who was walking home alone late at night, on a dark desolate roadway.
My first question would be…Now I don’t really have to come out and say it do I?
Every Action has a Reaction.
Take away the opportunity, Take away the crime.
This article could go on and on.
This could almost be a book in itself. Rather than continue on a topic that could take hours to write I’ll refer you to our book “CopTalk” that took over a year to write. Over 280 pages long. It contains hundreds of tips to enhance your personal safety. All that information at a very reasonable price, email or call me and we’ll ship one out to you.
Our objective is not to show you how you can get out of a situation once it’s too late. We’ll leave that to the martial arts instructors. Our focus is in getting you to recognize a bad situation in the first place, and how to avoid it! I believe that with a proper balance between the two area’s, you can remove alot of worry, stress, and risks out of your life that do not need to be there.
Any questions? Give us a call.
Stay safe always,
Netcops PSI
