This video, “Man Beats Woman in Home Invasion,” was released by the victims 4-5 days ago on the news and on YouTube. I have watched the video and wanted to make a few observations and comments. As painful and horrible as videos like this are they can inspire improvements in one”s life and help motivate us to make positive changes.

The video is VERY disturbing. Do not watch if you are easily upset.

Clearly the video was edited, so we don”t know exactly the order of events so they really are not up for debate. Basically a Mother of 2 was beaten ferociously by an intruder intent on robbery. Seemingly, the intruder uses the robbery as an excuse to beat this woman excessively. She is lucky to be alive, and very lucky to have ultimately. unharmed children. In many situations like this since it is a very upsetting circumstance, we (caring people but angry people) have emotional responses; heated and passionate ones. That is not my goal here. This is a situation were the victim wants the criminal caught to stand justice and also to prevent this from happening to further victims.

My careers have led me down the path of “security and self-defense expert”. In an emotionally detached way my mind analyzes situations like this in order to prevent them. Please don”t misinterpret my opinions; I do care and I don”t blame the victims. However I don”t want things like this to happen to anyone.

“Man Beats Woman in Home Invasion” Video – An Analysis

Firstly, the nanny camera. Cameras in general are retroactive.

They are useful after an incident to identify the perpetrator(s). Some cameras are monitored live by security personnel but in this case from what I understand it was not. If it was… then clearly that was not enough to stop the crime. So cameras are not preventative; they are helpful after a crime has been committed.

In the video, ADT alarm monitoring company is mentioned although it is still unclear what role they play in this particular incident. News Reports although researched and edited and made as accurate as possible sometimes lack all the pertinent facts. From what I gather possibly the nanny camera and an alarm were installed in the residence of the victim just prior to the crime.

Alarm systems in situations like this perform two functions; 1. ideally if used correctly they alert the homeowner of an intruder, both at the location and by telephone and 2. the alarm notifies the alarm monitoring company who in turn notifies police and/or other family contacts. The simple fact of having an alarm with a siren in no way guarantees that an incident like this one will be stopped or even prevented. In turn if police are contacted it is up to them to interpret the severity of the call, prioritize it with other active calls and finally dispatch OR do not dispatch. Because police receive an alarm call does not guarantee that police will be dispatched; in addition it does not guarantee that if the police do decide to dispatch that if will be in a “timely” manner.

This is not meant to sound as though the Police do not care; indeed they do! However, these are the logistics of running a police force… there are high priority calls and low priority calls. Police are receiving a call from an alarm monitoring company employee who communicates with a dispatcher. Then, the dispatcher communicates with a police officer who makes decisions based on what they hear from the dispatcher, and also based on what they know of the neighborhood. Has this officer responded to this residence before for a false alarm? On a criminal charge? On baseless complaints against neighbors”? Is it a high crime area? Are calls backed up because of a bank robbery or riot? In many cases police do the right thing and fast! But realize that miscommunications are possible; mix ups, bad info, logistical errors, events beyond their control etc are always possible even in the best of circumstances. If the alarm employee, the dispatcher or the officer makes a “telephone game” type of miscommunication there could at minimum be a delay.

So cameras help after the incident by ideally providing details about the crime and criminal. Alarm systems alert the homeowner or business owner of an intrusion, and if working properly the alarm co. who in turn contact police. Neither of these technologies are guaranteed to prevent, stop or even alert us in an incident like the video shows.

Well then you might ask “what”s the point of having this stuff?” The point is that the camera will help identify details of a crime and ideally the criminal. The alarm will ideally notify us and the monitoring company of an intrusion. That”s it.

Stopping, preventing, deterring crime is up to the home or business owner. Reliance on technology and OTHER people allows us to put the responsibility and sometimes blame… I’m not saying I blame the homeowners in this crime; who’s to know if there was ANY way to stop or prevent this crime. I also don’t blame the alarm company or the Police. My point is that this victim was lucky… and luck is a pretty sketchy thing to rely on. The victims are lucky no one was killed and lucky that the bad guy didn’t just first thing yank the camera off the wall and smash it. They are also very lucky the children were not physically harmed.

In contrast to this crime, another Mother and her children recently were victimized by a home invasion. This mother took her and her children to the attic, called the husband and police… and she ultimately was forced to defend herself with her handgun that she recently had been trained with by her husband:

Comparing two completely different people and situations is unfair; however my point is made clear in the second case. Police couldn”t get there fast enough. The woman in the 2^nd case had to defend herself and her children….other people did not, could not.

My discussion of these two events leads me to my main point “How do we prevent ourselves from being a victim in a horrible crime like this?”

1. Have a security plan that includes Home Invasion. Like the second video demonstrates, the family had a communally known and accessible safe room. The Mom and the kids ran there with a telephone and a handgun and locked all the doors leading there. Note that even their perfect execution of the “go to the safe room” plan did not succeed in stopping the attack… the capable use of a handgun did.
2. Get a firearm or other defensive tool for home defense. There are levels of force and training required for every defensive tool out there. In both cases my opinion is that pepper spray would not have sufficed. Tasers or stun guns also may have only delayed the attack. Handguns seem to be the easiest to implement in a small structure; in addition they can be employed one-handed if necessary.
3. Use a high capacity firearm. Five shots did not incapacitate the attacker in the second video; it did cause him to flee. Worst case scenario the bad guy will run and get a gun or another weapon and arm himself or…get his partner waiting in the car. If you are using some other defensive tool same concept applies, either train so that you can fight prolonged and against multiple attackers or have the defensive capability of reloading and using multiple attacks to stop the attack against you.
4. Train with your Firearm or defensive tool. The second video is unclear in this regard but did she reload her pistol in case he came running back with his gun? Did she even have spare ammunition with her? Learn how to shoot, reload, and keep your handgun in your hands. Gun retention is the art of not allowing your gun to be taken away in an attack. Again same thing applies to other defensive tools.
5. Mental Preparedness. Prepare yourself mentally as best you can so that if an event like this were to happen you would be prepared to defend your family i.e. Prepared to run or evacuate, prepared with a plan B if plan A fails, and be prepared as a good person to be able to hurt a bad person to protect yourself and your family. Mental preparedness takes discipline and training.
6. Get an Alarm System. Layers of security are better than a single layer. One layer may be overrun or bypassed, one layer may be unusable, another layer may be defective etc. Most importantly burglar alarms notify us when we are asleep or distracted that an intrusion has occurred.
7. Get some type of camera system. Cameras assist in the knowledge that a crime was committed in the first place. Sometimes if it were not for the camera, we wouldn”t even know a crime happened. In the first case of the beating victim clearly the camera was being used to watch the kids and babysitter. It did not prevent a crime; but it will assist in capture and prosecution hopefully.
8. Review the physical security of the business or home. Did the door, frame or locks fail in the first incident or did the bad guy just bust casually through like in the second incident. Either way the physical locks and security in both cases was ineffective. (Note that in the 2^nd case the bad guy had a crow bar tool/weapon?)
9. Stay in good shape. Be able to run, punch, kick, shove, duck, jump, and elude. If you are physically unable to do this you must work harder on other suggestions listed here to compensate. Staying in healthy shape helps with mindset as well.
10. Stay alert and aware. You can”t stop an attack you don”t see coming. Also you can”t stop an attack that you are unaware even exists. You do not have to live in fear and paranoia; but also you don”t have to live in denial or live in a house made of hay and sticks. Be aware of who is around you, question their intentions and create effective physical barriers so that they cannot hurt you. You can make efforts to limit access to your home and you can stay alert so that if danger does make it in, you have time to react to it.

Do the best you can in implementing these suggestions. Avoid hazardous attitudes that might insulate you from a truly critical analysis of your security measures. Use situations like the two discussed to educate, motivate and compel you to make changes in your own life so that you and your family are safer and protected as best as is possible.

I feel horrible about the victim of the home invasion. I could not stop thinking about it once I watched it, and could not sleep until I sorted out my thoughts with this article. Hopefully it helps someone out there and they in turn learn from these incidents. I think it is brave and well executed to release the video so the public can learn from it and assist in the capture of the bad guy. The victim is doing the right thing with the release of the video and I hope she makes a full recovery from the injuries.

Please note that I own an alarm company and have years of experience installing both cameras and alarms. In addition, I have worked with clients and police after various incidents in evaluation of the series of events, etc. that occurred. Also, I am able to walk the home/business after a crime to evaluate the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the security measures in place utilized by the home or business owner. Sadly, I am called to install these devices in most cases AFTER some sort of break-in or incident. Lastly, I have taught self-defense firearms classes for nearly 8 years, and martial arts for over twenty years. Many of my students have had incidents that either compelled them to train, or in training they have overcome or prevented incidents like the two discussed above.

Moderator, SAS Forum

Security around the home can be universally overlooked by the average person (including myself) at times. Yes, even Security Experts can get distracted or complacent! Even so, those moving to a new area can have even tougher obstacles. In my case it was distraction and work overload that played havoc with my security. Having just moved my family across the state to a totally new area was difficult and presented many challenges. Not only did my home need to be moved, but also my shop and business. The stress of moving, fatigue, and unfamiliar places can add up to spell disaster.

Some of the things I came up with during this move really assisted me; security disasters were averted, prevented and avoided. I thought it best to share some of the tips used in my move and couple them with some tried and true home security measures. Many of these things I’m sure aren’t new to the average homeowner. Whether you are constantly on the go or are new to an area these tips can be helpful. Are they being implemented? That is the question and my challenge to you.

Image courtesy of healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Vary your schedule and routes to home and work.

Neighbors notice when you leave and when you come home. If you are as predictable as the palace guard you are increasing your chances of being burglarized by a person near your home. Using different routes and varying times can also educate you on the area around your home. Which routes are most efficient at different times of day? Is there more than one way to get to work during construction or traffic problems? You can even learn what your neighbors and teenagers are doing during your time away by surprising them when showing up unexpectedly.

In my case learning the roads in my new neck of the woods has proven very valuable to me and my wife. My unpredictable schedule also kept potential crooks jumping as I could show up literally at any time of day. Moving vans and boxes are a dead giveaway that someone new is moving in… but counter balancing that with unpredictability helps immensely. Leave to the corner store and come right back, or even go around the block then home. This may seem like paranoia but it isn’t when you are in a new or unfamiliar place. I often did this without even meaning to as I habitually leave my coffee or briefcase wherever I go!

Lights and sound equals ACTION!

Give the impression of activity when you aren’t at home or work. Leave a radio turned on and couple that by leaving a light on as well. Many times people think you are still “there” when they get the impression of activity.

The reverse is of course, inactivity. Piled up phone books on the steps, items left in the same spot for weeks on end, no lights or sound; these things create a safe atmosphere for the crook. Ever walk into a place like a campground and just feel like “man, no one has been here for a LONG TIME.” Your home can also give that impression. You want the people around to believe that you are home or that you could be home at any time.

Light timers can be used on both lights, radios, and even televisions. No need for fancy home integration systems when a $15 timer will suffice. You can also have friends, relatives or trusted co-workers visit your place to create an impression of activity. Be careful handing out keys and alarm system codes however. Keys can be copied, and alarm codes can be mistakenly left for others to see. Lend out keys stamped “Do Not Duplicate” available at your local locksmith shop, or have your locks construction keyed. This makes a key temporary until the owner removes it from the construction key system. Then the temporary key no longer works and the lock does not need to be rekeyed.

If you are moving into a previously occupied place, have it rekeyed.

Image courtesy of Michelle Meiklejolin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the last tip it was suggested to have a place construction keyed for friends to create an atmosphere of activity when you are away or on vacation. But when you first buy or move in you must determine if the locks there are new, have been rekeyed, or even if they are already construction keyed or master keyed. You don’t want a stranger to just walk in during the middle of the night, do you? Nope and me either! Have a locksmith service your locks first thing when moving or renting a new place.

This isn’t going to break the bank if you do research and find a good local locksmith. If you are a DIY type of a person you can even replace the locks yourself by ordering them keyed alike from a hardware store or lock shop. Just make sure that when you move in all keys are accounted for and that locks are unique and in good working order. You also don’t want to get locked out by a malfunctioning lock or worn key.

The first thing I did upon getting our new home was have the locks replaced and rekeyed as needed. I was handed a pile of keys when I arrived by the previous occupant. Some of these keys did not work, some did, and a few I think were just pawned off on me. The lock to the shed didn’t work or have a key, the passage locks in the bathroom and basement didn’t work, and the exterior door locks had worn over-copied keys that worked intermittently. I spent some money, replace those that needed it, lubricated locks, rekeyed locks and fixed the ones that were easily repaired or adjusted.

Not only did this help my overall security. It gave my Wife and me peace of mind and lessened sources of possible stress. Yes it costs money to do it but it would have been more stressful if we were locked out and more expensive to have a locksmith come after hours to let us in. Also, no one has let themselves in with an unaccounted key as the locks are brand new! Seems like a no brainer to me!

Make eye contact and introduce yourself.

Another idea that can really help you and its obvious but overlooked. Be friendly to your new neighbors and introduce yourself! Make eye contact, smile, and stand up straight.

Yes I am a Dad, but that isn’t the reason I’m lecturing you. Crimes happen less frequently to confident people who create boundaries and to those who don’t act like a victim.

By making eye contact you are displaying confidence. When you smile and introduce yourself you are asserting yourself, and setting a social boundary. You are saying “I’m here and I’m not afraid to talk to you and let you know I’m here.” If you are a nice person your new neighbors might even look out for you and help you out with local problem people or situations. Most people are good and want to help you out. The people who aren’t nice will show their colors in this situation and ignore you or display behavior that tells you “go away”. This is good to know and is actual a good way to gather intelligence on your new neighbors. If they frown, avert their eyes, ignore you or refuse to shake hands you can bet that they might be someone to watch or avoid.

Two sets of eyes are better than one.

When you are busy it is difficult to notice the little things. If you are stressed out, tired, or overwhelmed it can be worse. Is that a snake or a garden hose? Try to buddy up with someone during your move or travels to make it safer.

My sixteen year old daughter is often texting away obliviously, but she noticed that I left my front door unlocked. My wife can’t move heavy things, but she was good at pointing out strategies and missed items during the move. Even my cat helped by finding things dropped under the appliances! Another set of eyes is vital when you are on the go or are moving. At one point I had a moving truck hit my work van… but it was under the watchful eye of my friend helping me move and we spotted the moving truck before it could leave the scene unnoticed by me. Another disaster averted!

Final Thoughts

Be sure to vary your schedule and routes. Create an atmosphere of action by using lights and sound to give the impression you are home or nearby. Replace or rekey locks and make sure you can secure your property and loved ones at night. Make eye contact, smile and introduce yourself to learn about the new people that surround you and to display confidence. Being friendly with new people can help you and your family. Lastly, travel with a buddy. Get a second set of eyes to increase your awareness and point out the things you miss.

True security is not simply knowing about security tips, it is in the implementation. Security measures must be part of your daily routine, so much so that when you are stressed out or tired, they practically implement themselves. Added stress like moving or hectic schedules should not derail your security program.

To my amazement and to my families’ amusement, I made many errors during this strenuous move. I left my work truck unlocked overnight with tools and products inside. I simply forgot to lock the deadbolt on the old place with our belongings still inside. I even lost important paperwork and misplaced many vital business documents! But in the end nothing was stolen, we weren’t burglarized, and we were always safe. By implementing these security tips regularly I was able to have a safe move, and in the end my family’s safety is more important than financial or business concerns. Make sure to implement these security tips when you travel, are on the go or are in the middle of a project or move. They made my difficult move safe, and hopefully they help you, too.

Copyright 2009 by duracles. Reprint permission granted if article remains completely intact.