You should be aware: The most vulnerable places to keep your wallet are in your back pants pockets, your inner coat jacket pockets, your backpack and/or your fanny packs (especially if the fanny pack is behind you). At the same time, pickpockets often avoid front trouser pockets, especially if they are buttoned or zippered.
Some things you can do to make it harder to pick your pocket:
1. If you carry your wallet in a pocket, try putting a rubber band around your wallet; the band’s friction against the fabric of your clothes can act as an alarm.
2. Informally, if you use a wallet chain, fasten it to your belt or another item of clothing or a purse.
3. Don’t put your wallet on top of your purse or pack–bury it deep so they have to reach in for it.
It’s the season for holidays, pickpockets, thefts, and other mischief. So I’m going to start a series of posts about how to protect yourself during this season of making merry. I hope you all find them useful.
Pickpockets don’t just come out after dark, nor do they hang around only tourist spots and transportation hubs. They strike at all hours, in all venues, especially where money changes hands. So be on alert at banks, currency exchange booths, outdoor food stands and open-air markets, among other venues. Pickpocket zones also include plazas, carnivals and similar places where there are crowds and lots of jostling. Of course, your pocket can be picked on an empty street; someone can “knock” into you and walk away with your wallet — so keep your distance from strangers if you can.
Pickpockets often create distractions to catch shoppers and tourists unaware. Sadly, as cute as groups of children may be, they aren’t always so angelic. While you are fawning over them, one may be slipping her tiny fingers into your pocket. If you see a gaggle of kids or adults approaching, walk away swiftly and avoid eye contact. Certainly, don’t walk into the group or between them. I’ve posted at other times about the dangers of walking into a group–you never know where to look.
The Washington Post today ran a Front Page Story about how the government is using cell phones as tracking devices. Sometimes this is done with warrants, sometimes without. Sometimes with probable cause, sometimes without. Privacy advocates object to the government using this technology without appropriate constitutional safeguards. What caught my eye is was that the story says “federal agents tell a carrier they need real-time tracking data in an emergency but fail to follow up with the required court approval. Justice Department officials said to the best of their knowledge, agents are obtaining court approval unless the carriersprovide the data voluntarily.” So first they ask, telling the carrier it’s an emergency and promising court documents, then the carrier voluntarily turns over your data obviating the need for the court documents. Catch-22! I love it!
Seriously, you might recall my earlier post about the benefits of speed-dialing “911” and how it can help police find you in an emergency. Well, this is the flip side of the technology.
For those parents who want to know what their children are up too, the cell phone companies will let you do it for a fee: Sprint Nextel and Verizon has “ehanced 911” which you can subscribe to. Although slightly different, both provide tracking services so you know where your child is.
This isn’t exactly one of my normal posts but something happened yesterday that I want to talk about. I was walking my dog in the park when we came up to a young lady and her dog. She pulled off to the side & pulled her dog with her. But instead of sitting or standing, the dog crouched down, facing us, ears cocked. Something about the dog’s posture bothered me but I wasn’t sure what. The young lady seemed friendly enough so we went past with Jr on heel. But I kept watching the dog. Suddenly it exploded out of the crouch in an attack.
Fortunately the dog couldn’t reach us. The young lady pulled the dog back on its harness (no collar or head control) and we went on. No harm. That’s when I saw that the dog was a pit bull.
But what if I hadn’t noticed that the dog was crouching in an attack posture? What if we had been closer? So the moral of the story is to watch carefully when approaching others. Not just dogs, people too. Check their posture. Are they “crouching” or merely “lying down”? Can you tell the difference? Just something to think about.
I’ve talked about this before, I think, but it bears repeating over and over. If you are going to have a weapon you must practice with it. CNN had this article linked to a man who shot 6 times at a robber and missed each time. Fortunately he didn’t hit one of the passersby either.
Another note: as a lawyer I REALLY don’t think it was a good idea for the store keeper to say “I meant to kill the dude. I meant to kill him, trust me. Anybody trying to stick me up, if I get the chance to shoot him, I shoot him on the spot.” I hope he wasn’t quoted correctly. Otherwise, if there is any more trouble at his store and he does shoot someone he could be in big legal trouble.
I just came from a 2 day conference sponsored by the ABA Law Practice Management in Washington D.C. While I was there I noticed that they had some books for sale and I went over to take a look. I was interested in 2 of them: the “Complete Guide to Designing Your Law Office” and and “Law Office Policy and Procedures”. I was very disappointed to say the least.
The “Complete Guide” has over 300 pages of which less than 4 pages relate, in any way, to security or protecting yourself and your staff. Nowhere is there any discussion of designing to deal with unruly clients or other problems. They spent more time talking about earthquakes, fires and floods than security. The second book, the “Policy and Procedures Manual” was even worse, if possible. It had only 3 paragraphs. That’s it–no more.
With all the problems lawyers and judges have had in recent years, I do not understand why so little attention is paid to this issue. I feel the ABA and other professional organizations should step up and at least give good advice.
