The general theme of how to protect yourself is a wide one.
For this page we will look at three specific areas of self protection.
The first is about how to protect yourself from the police. Sadly,
not all officers respect people's rights. There are a few things
you need to know about searches of cars, just in case.
After that we'll look at a fascinating video about RFID chips
in your credit cards and what they mean. Finally, we'll have
a few suggestions for avoiding street crime.
Protect Yourself From Police
Many years ago I was doing auto repossessions and frequently
had to deal with police officers. We always had our papers in
order and so had the legal right to take the cars we were after,
but there are officers out there who--like many others--do not
like repo men. We were threatened more than once by a police
officer.
Now, most officers are just doing their jobs, and perhaps
most are even doing a good job. Also, taking cars from people,
even if they aren't paying for them, is an activity that is culturally
frowned upon. But in any case, there are bad cops out there,
and there are good cops who sometimes go too far in their desire
to enforce the law. It is especially common for them to push
the limits of legality and ethics when seeking to search a car,
so let's look at how to protect yourself.
To start with police officers can lie to you legally. They
can threaten you as well. For example, they can tell you that
if you don't allow them to search your vehicle they will have
to call in drug dogs to check it out, and that the dogs will
tear apart the car. At that point an officer will usually offer
up a friendly bit of "wisdom" like this: "Why
not just make it easier for yourself and let us take a look?"
Just say no. Your refusal to cooperate does not constitute
reasonable cause for a search, so if they couldn't search already,
they still will not be able to. And don't think complete innocence
is a good reason to allow such violations of your privacy. You
never know if a friend dropped an illegal pill between the seats,
or if the beer cans you are returning to the recycling center
will be considered "open intoxicants" because they
are not completely dry.
What if a search is done after you say no, and something is
found which is used in a case against you? In that case you have
a chance of excluding such evidence on the basis of an illegal
search. It will automatically be allowed if you said yes to the
search.
There are two other points to make here. A search can waste
your time, and police officers can damage your car or the things
in it. There is no reason to invite trouble. Refuse to allow
a search that doesn't need to be done.
Protect Your Credit Card Information
I found the following fascinating video on YouTube, and thought
it was a good one for this page. Wait until you see how the guy
takes credit card information, puts it on a hotel room key card
(no joke) and buys a meal at McDonald's with hotel key.
In case you didn't have time to sit through the video, the
highlights are: Credit cards often have RFID (radio frequency
identification) chips in them now. Look for three curved lines
(a radio wave symbol), or the name "paypass," "paywave"
or "blink" to identify cards with these chips. They
can be scanned from nearby using inexpensive equipment that reveals
the number, expiration date and more. You can prevent this by
using a metal wallet or by wrapping your cards in aluminum foil.
Protect Yourself From Street Crime
This is not going to be a lesson on self defense techniques
for when you are being attacked. Knowing how to physically defend
yourself is not a bad idea, but the tips here are about avoiding
a conflict or robbery in the first place. Here are a few basics...
- Walk in well-lit areas at night whenever possible.
- Look confident. The research shows that criminals are like
animal predators; they look for and respond to weakness.
- Cross your body with the straps of purses, cameras, other
bags and briefcases. It is a lot easier for a mugger to grab
something that is hanging from one shoulder.
- Travel in groups. Attacks on solo pedestrians are the most
common, for obvious reasons.
- Say something to an imaginary friend. If you think you are
being followed or watched from the shadows, turn to say something,
as though your friend is coming right after you. This buys time
for you to get safely into your car or to a lighted area.
- Carry a fake wallet. If you need to travel in risky areas,
have a wallet that is meant to be stolen, with a few dollars
and perhaps an expired credit card and old driver's license in
it. Bulk it up with notes and business cards so it looks entirely
convincing. This can be handed over to a criminal if you are
threatened, while your real wallet is safely hidden elsewhere.
