Every individual has the right to feel secure and protected. Youth especially believes that they carry around a shield of invincibility. We are aware that dangerous incidents happen repeatedly, but ignore the fact that we, too, can fall victim.

Campus security serves and protects Fisher residents 24 hours a day. Those living on campus are enclosed in a bubble of blue lights and patrol vehicles. Unfortunately, faculty, staff and commuters living in off-campus houses and apartments must look out for themselves.

No matter what one’s living situation, individuals should take “crime preventative measures,” Mike McCarthy said , head of Safety and Security. “Safety for commuters would be the same for any homeowner or apartment dweller.”

 Carol Sloan, an employee of the college, recently had her home invaded. The break and enter occurred at 3:23 a.m. while the librarian and her husband were sleeping.

 “I heard them on the stairs and immediately dialed 911,” Sloan said. The intruders left the house as soon as they overheard the call. The burglars fled with cash stolen from Sloan’s purse, which was left on the kitchen table.

Sloan has learned a great deal about safety since the unpleasant incident.

 “If an item is convenient for you, it is convenient for a thief,”  Sloan said. McCarthy advises against leaving “purses or valuables in plain sight.”

Sloan called for emergency help on her home phone. When a person calls 911 from a landline, his/her number immediately appears on the systems database. On a cellular phone, it is more difficult to trace the location of a call. “Make sure that you can reach for a telephone without having to get out of bed,” Sloan said.

Home security systems can be confusing and pricey. Sloan suggested that if you drive a modern vehicle, you might already have an alternative solution to receiving help. A panic button on a car remote can be used as a warning device.

 “Keep your car keys on a nightstand and inform your neighbors of the intended use,” said Sloan.

Students renting a house or an apartment should be familiar with their neighbors so that they can contact the police if they see unusual behavior. “Students should be active neighbors, good neighbors and respectable neighbors with those around them for a variety of reasons. Students don’t want their neighbor to blow off someone climbing in through the window as ‘that’s just the college kids next door,’” McCarthy said.

If the dwelling is vacant during long breaks, students should have trusted neighbors, another student or friend pick up the mail. A heap of mail overflowing a mailbox or doorstop is a huge indication of your absence. Timers for lights or radios are great for commuters that spend their time either in class or at work. “People can use shades or blinds to block a view of the interior,” McCarthy said.

Homeowners should frequently check windows and locks to ensure that both are secure and in good working order. “Dead bolt locks are encouraged but it must be the type of lock where you can escape in the middle of the night in case of a fire, without the use of a key,” McCarthy said.

Owning an animal, especially a large dog, is one way to ward off hazardous strangers. Even if you do not have a pet, you can purchase an enormous dog dish to put on your front deck or patio. Fill the dish every day with fresh water, so that it appears that Spike or Butch is just around the corner. “Criminals are predators, and they will feed on what they assume to be their weakest prey,” Sloan said.

Protection is also an important issue while driving and walking to and from a vehicle. If you are a woman with a purse, “keep it under your calves when operating a vehicle and not in the front seat,” Sloan said. If you are at a stoplight, a person on the sidewalk could easily reach for the valuable through a widow or snatch the belonging by opening the passenger door.

When looking for an automobile, features such as automatic windows and locks are more important than air conditioning. “If you stop to ask for directions and the situation becomes unfriendly, a manual window is hard to roll up fast,” Sloan said. “With power windows you are able to roll down the opposite window only an inch.”

Students often balance a cellular phone on their shoulder while walking. “Crime prevention specialists have warned that cell phone usage while walking is not a good idea because you are too distracted to pay attention to your immediate surroundings,”  McCarthy said.

While walking to and fro, a marauder could easily pull you aside if you are focused on your feet. “In a parking lot and other venues, keep your head up and look alert,” Sloan said. Similarly, “avoid parking next to vans whose doors open from the inside.”

If you’re strolling along and feel that someone in a vehicle is stalking you, turn in the opposite direction of where you are headed. “It is tempting to run to your destination, but a car can drive faster than you can walk,” Sloan said. It is much more difficult for a car to turn around than it is for an individual to flee to the nearest safe zone.

In a life-threatening situation, “nothing you are carrying is worth your life,” Sloan said.  

STAFF WRITER
NICOLE REITZ
Email address: nmr06212@sjfc.edu