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by Sharon Kebschull Barrett
Member and Former President
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mothers Club
Did you miss July's evening meeting? If so, you missed
a great presentation on safety for moms in Chapel Hill, led by an officer from the
Chapel Hill Police Department. Since the evening meeting happened right after the
Fourth of July holiday, when so many of us were out of town, and since the officer said so much
worth hearing, here's a recap of some of it:
His strongest point was for the need to have a plan.
That is, what will you do if you're in the parking lot and something happens?
What will you do if you're on the Bolin Creek trail and get attacked? What if
someone breaks in? Do you know where escape doors are, or where you could safely
lock yourself in? Do you notice where other people are, to whom you could call
for help or run? Where's the closest phone? He emphasized before he started that
he didn't want us to leave scared-Chapel Hill remains a safe place to live. But
it's important to get in the habit of being aware of what's around you, and being
careful. When you strap your kids into the car, if at all possible, get in and
lock the doors first, then strap them in. When you're out by yourself, have your
cell phone at the ready. He also stressed the importance of making sure someone
always knows where you are. Use your cell phone and a buddy system, especially
when you're out with kids. Think through your day, and be sure someone knows
where you're going and how long it should take.
And, all us Southerners, don't be a typical Southern
woman, hesitant to make eye contact or make a scene. At the very least, look
confident ("walk like a champion-walking like you own the place"), and look
people in the eye, so they know that you know what they look like. I can attest
to the importance of this-a friend recently helped the police catch someone who
was masturbating next to a popular Durham walking trail by refusing to be scared,
and instead getting a good look at him before getting away. She found out
later this guy had apparently been doing this for a year, including in front
of a child.
And how often have you seen something suspicious,
someone out of place, but talked yourself out of calling the police? The officer
strongly emphasized trusting your instincts and calling 911 whenever you see
something suspicious, especially in your neighborhood (he spoke right after a
weekend where several neighborhoods had a rash of break-ins). The police, he
said, will truly be glad to check it out, even if you're trying to tell yourself
it's nothing, and they'll let you know whether they found anything, or whether
you don't need to be concerned. Aside from the people who call asking them to
change their light bulbs or restart their pilot lights, he said (!), there are
no stupid calls. You can also report something anonymously. Also, he reminded
us, be sure to say where you are when you call 911 from a cell phone. And talk
to your children about using 911, so they know how (and when).
On weapons, he said that if you carry pepper spray,
check it every few months-go outside and give it a squirt to be sure it's
working, and check the expiration date. And buy two cans-one to keep and one
to practice with-can you get it out fast enough and flip the switch? Do you
know how strong it is? (Police who carry it, he said, are required to use it
on themselves so they know what it's like.) If you don't want to carry that,
use your keys as a weapon, holding them spread between your fingers so you
could scratch someone's face, or use your purse to hit someone, or push your
cart ahead of you-anything to give yourself a bit of space to scream and run.
The question about kids and guns came up; he stressed making it clear to
your kids that if they see a gun (especially at a friend's house), do not
go near it, just call or get home immediately. Make it clear to them, of
course, that they're not in trouble and that it won't necessarily mean they
can't play with that child again-but they must get away and/or ask to all
you.
On home security, he said that the bulk of break-ins
happen when people are gone (or they think you're gone). He noted that crooks
expect you to keep the good stuff in your bedroom. The police like house
alarms, but they expect you to know how to use them. They don't charge in
Chapel Hill for false alarms deliberately, to encourage people to use alarms,
especially panic alarms. He noted that it may be good just to have a security
system on but not monitored-the light and noise are the most valuable. Also,
you can call the community services division of the police department to have
them come out for free to give you security recommendations for your house.
Where in Chapel Hill should you be especially
concerned? There was no one spot, he said-it was more general spots where
people are looking for easy targets-dark parking lots, blind corners, and anytime
that you're out after midnight (more drunk drivers and purse snatchings, etc,
then). On the Bolin Creek assault, he said that they arrested someone but didn't
think after investigating that he was the one-on the other hand, there were no
assaults since. Go ahead and walk on the trail, he said, but don't do it alone,
and do it with a cell phone.
Posted August 2005
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