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As the holiday season approaches we will be busy rushing from store to store to get that perfect gift. We will see an increase in robberies and burglaries in the coming months. Here are a few tips to help keep you safe this season.

• Do not shop alone, take a friend or relative.
• Park in a well lit area
• Do not park next to a van.
• Do not carry a purse inside. If you lock it in the trunk of your car make sure you do that before you get to the parking lot. Carry your money or debit card in your front pocket
• If you do carry a purse, carry it in front of your body and do not put the strap around your body.
• When you leave the store have your keys in your hand and continually look around as you walk to you car.
• If it is dark outside ask an employee to walk you to the car.
• Do not walk next to parked vehilces. This is a good hiding place for a bad guy.
• If you see someone that looks suspicious, make eye contact and verbally greet them. This lets them know you see them and can Identify them.
• If you get that gut feeling that something is not right. Stop and go back into the store.
• When you get to your car look in the back seat before entering the car.
• As you drive home from shopping make sure you are not being followed. This is a common tactic. The bad guy will watch leave the store, follow you and when you pull into your driveway they will rob you.
• If you think you are being followed, drive back to the store or a well lit public place. If you have a cell phone call the police.
• Do not leave your car running in your driveway or any parking lot. Not even if you can see it from the store. It only takes a a second for someone to jump in and take off.
• If you are attacked yell FIRE! Everyone wants to see a FIRE but, nobody wants to help.
• If you someone tries to get you into your car or another, you must fight right then, right there. Statistically, nothing good happens to you when a bad guy gets you in the car. More often than not they will take you to a deserted place, do bad things to you, and kill you.

These tips are my opinions based on my experience as a police officer and long time martial artists. Only you can determine when and if you should fight an attacker based on the circumstances. These tips are not designed to scare you. I simply want you to be aware them. If you remain alert and not distracted you will greatly reduce the possibility of being attacked.

The following are few calls I responded to as a police officer:

One morning about 7 am I responded to a call of a stolen vehicle. I got closer to the scene, dispatch advised that it was kidnapping and the vehicle was last seen getting on I-35 northbound. I jumped up on the interstate and within a mile of where the vehicle was stole I locate the car. It was on the shoulder of the interstate still running. I found the two year old boy unharmed in his car seat. Mom said that she pulled into the gas station, parked in front of the doors and went in to buy something. She could see the car the whole time so she left he child in the car seat and left the car running because it was cold outside. She saw a man get into the car, back up and drive off. She was not able to get back to the car in time to stop him. Apparently, the bad guy had no idea there was a child in the car and once he determined that he pulled over and fled on foot.

I responded to call of auto burglary about 9pm one evening. When I arrived the victim said she had just bought approx. $400 worth of Christmas presents at Wal-mart. Got in her car and drove about 2 miles away to her home. When she arrived home she went to the front door, unlocked it and went inside to turn on the lights. Less than a minute later, she went back out to the driveway and observed a vehicle speeding away. The trunk of her car was open and all of the presents were gone. Most likely, the bad guys saw her in the store and followed her home.

This is one that happened to a friend and I did not respond to this call.

He had just purchased hundreds of dollars worth of Christmas presents at the mall. As he was putting the key in his car door a man pushed him against the car and placed what felt a like a gun to his back. The man said " My babies need Christmas presents" "Do not turn around". The man fled on foot. The victim could not identify the suspect because he never saw him.

You must be alert and aware of your surrounding.