"Ring His Doorbell" and Other Personal Safety Tips from a Retired Cop

Have you ever been off the mark when trying to ring someone's doorbell? Probably not, which is why Bill Fairchild recommends poking your attacker in the eye as a surefire means of close-quarter self defense. 

"Ring his doorbell" the retired Suffolk Police officer told an audience at the South Huntington Library. "Ding Dong. One never misses." 

The classic elbow to the face and knee to the groin were also on the short list at Fairchild's presentation on personal safety Wednesday, part of the Suffolk County Police Department's community meeting series.

Throwing down with your attacker is best avoided, of course, and the number one way to do that is to use common sense and get the heck out of there.

"The best way to get out of trouble is to avoiding getting into trouble in the first place," said Fairchild. "Leaving a situation that you know you're going to lose is not cowardice. It's not running away; it's called a tactical retreat." 

Fairchild said it's surprising how many people find themselves in trouble because they didn't listen to their gut feeling about a situation or just weren't paying attention. Perhaps they were busy texting, like the woman who fell face-first into a mall fountain.

For those of us who know not to park in an otherwise empty parking lot next to a sketchy van or walk down a dark alley, Fairchild offered some interesting tips based upon research he's collected over the past 40 years:

• Don't look like a victim; Appear confident and intentional, even if you are scared. Criminals often target those who appear weak. "If you look like a Twinkie, somebodies going to bite you," Fairchild said.

• Only carry a weapon if you know how to use it. Knives are essentially useless. Don't reveal you have a weapon before you're ready to use it because the attacker may be able to defend against it.

• Do not get abducted (obviously). Someone orders you into a car at gunpoint, try to get away at all costs. Once he takes you to the second crime scene, your odds of survival dramatically decrease.

• If you're shot at, according to FBI statistics, you only have a 25 percent chance of getting hit and you only have a 10 percent chance of dying if hit. Those are good enough odds to try and make an escape.

• If you are attacked, yell "Fire" instead of help and make lots of noise. People are more likely to respond, in Fairchild's opinion. He used the tale of Kitty Genovese's 1964 murder to support his claim. Although Kitty was attacked three times in plain sight of her neighbors, no one offered assistance or called the police for over 30 minutes.

• If experiencing a rape or sexual assault, yell "No" "Stop" "Get Away" loudly and clearly. It may help you in court.

• Be aware when someone unfamiliar approaches you to gain your confidence, especially if there is a way they may have gleaned information such as through a nameplate necklace. 

• Criminals use a tactic of bumping people from behind on the road to put them in a vulnerable position. If you feel uncomfortable pulling over, tell them to follow you to a well-lit public area such as a 7-Eleven or gas station.

• If you're pulled over by someone in an unmarked car claiming to be a police officer and you know you've done nothing wrong, make sure he knows you're not trying to run and tell him loudly and clearly "follow me" and take him to the nearest police station. Explain yourself. You can also call the police and ask for a response from a marked unit.