A REALITY CHECK

I finally got the opportunity to take a look at the FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucrquest.htm) about Rochester, NY for the year 2005.  As if we didn’t already know, crime is up.  The biggest jump was in murders, up 47.22% followed by assaults at 10.26%, rape at 9.89%, robbery at 9.85% and burglaries up 1.36%.

Volumes could be written as to what the causes are and the experts could argue till the “Second Coming” but do we really care?  All we need to know is that the crime rate is up and the crimes are becoming more and more violent.  In 2005 murders in Rochester increased by 47.22% from 2004 and 2006 looks like the trend will continue.  I’m willing to bet a large number of the homicides are drug related in some manner but there are more innocent people being killed on our city streets than ever before.

Those of you that are not exposed to the violence on a day-to-day basis might not comprehend how wide spread it really is.  Reality check - not every shot fired, man beaten with a club or strong-arm robbery makes the 6:00 news.  What you see on your new Plasma screen TV in the safety of your living room is just the tip of the iceberg.  When you stop to pick up a gallon of milk or take your family to a fast food restaurant, odds are you aren’t seeing an armed security guard standing in the corner, but they do in the city.  Listen to a police scanner some night and you’ll be amazed at the volume of serious calls they have to deal with.

How does this affect you?  Well, city officials are looking at new ways to curve this alarming increase in crime and I have no doubt they’ll make an impact.  BUT, what happens when a predator has no more prey – they move on and look for it elsewhere.  Does this mean their “hunting grounds” will expand into the suburbs – that would be my guess. 

Generally speaking, in the suburbs there are fewer police and because of the larger area they have to cover they take a little longer to respond to a call, than in the city.  Many suburbanites are not street savvy and fairly trusting of their fellow humans.  Few are prepared nor have the means, to defend themselves.  All of these factors make us “prime feed” for a pack of roaming predators.

How do we prepare for this potential onslaught?  First, always be aware of your surroundings.  Take note of what is going on around you and mentally plan a defense if the need should arise.  Second, trust your instincts - if something doesn’t look or feel right, it probably isn’t.  The key to survival is not being caught off guard.  Third, get competent instruction in some form of self-defense;  armed or unarmed, but be aware of the fact that the odds are pretty good the predator will be armed.  Fourth, practice what ever your chosen method of self-defense is; practice so you can respond without thinking.  The time and effort you put into preparing for an event we hope and pray will never happen will be time well spent and may just save your life!