Top 8 Ways to Protect Yourself

Personal safety and security is a vital concern for everyone, whether you're at home, work, or out in public. It's important to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm and minimize the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Here are some tips to help you improve your personal safety and security:

1. Be aware of your surroundings: One of the most important things you can do to stay safe is to pay attention to your surroundings. Avoid walking or jogging with headphones on, and stay alert when you're in public places. Look for potential dangers, like suspicious individuals or unlit areas, and take action to avoid them.

2. Use good lighting: Proper lighting can deter criminals and make it easier for you to see potential hazards. Make sure your home and workplace are well-lit, especially at night. If you're walking or jogging outside, stick to well-lit areas and carry a flashlight if necessary.

3. Lock doors and windows: Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you're at home, and use deadbolts if possible. If you're traveling, make sure your hotel room is secure by locking the door and using the peephole before opening it.

4. Use security systems: Consider installing a security system on your person and at your home or workplace. This can include Virtual Halo®, cameras, alarms, and motion detectors. These systems can provide an added layer of protection and can deter potential criminals, while letting your emergency contacts know there is an active emergency.

5. Be cautious with personal information: Be careful with your personal information, including your social security number, bank account information, and passwords. Only share this information with trusted individuals and use secure methods for online transactions.

6. Trust your instincts: If something doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and take action. Avoid potentially dangerous situations and seek help if necessary.

7. Learn self-defense: Consider taking a self-defense class to learn basic techniques for protecting yourself. This can give you more confidence and help you feel safer in potentially dangerous situations.

8. Always have Virtual Halo on your Apple Watch or iPhone and have it ready to send an alert if you get into a challenging situation to let your emergency contacts know where you are and that you’re in trouble.

Personal safety and security is an important concern for everyone. By being aware of your surroundings, using good lighting, locking doors and windows, using security systems, being cautious with personal information, trusting your instincts, and learning self-defense, you can improve your personal safety and minimize the risk of becoming a victim of crime.

Tips For What To Do If You're Being Stalked

It’s that time again, January is National Stalking Awareness Month. If you are a victim, here are VITAL tips that will help you navigate your case with the police and keep you safe.

Safety Checklist:

• What to do if you're being stalked:
  • Make it clear to the stalker that you don't want any further contact.
  • DOCUMENT ALL INCIDENTS IN A JOURNAL: Include time, Date and description of event
  • Save all the evidence - Phone messages, emails, letters, gifts, etc.
  • Contact the Police - Bring all evidence to the Police Station
  • Keep a camera or videocamera on hand - Snap his picture or videotape his antics. Do not put yourself in danger to get the shot. Stay in your car or home when taking the picture and make sure the environment is safe before you videotape any damage that has been done
  • Make an emergency contact list for you and your family - Include phone numbers of Police Station (911 if it’s urgent), Name and Badge number of officer assigned to your case, Child Care or School contact numbers, name and number of attorney or prosecutor
  • Subscribe to [Virtual Halo][1] so you can let your family or close friends know if the stalker comes near you or is harrasing you; they will know your location and can talke swift action to minimize a bad outcome.
  • Avoid any further contact with the stalker: Do not communicate with your stalker in any way. Change your daily routine. Shop at a different grocery store; drive home a different way every day. If your situation is extremely dangerous, relocate. (Talk with police officials or victim assistance organizations for help) For more information, read [College Safety 101, Miss Independents guide to Empowerment, Confidence and Staying Safe][2] (Chronicle Books).

Reprinted from SafetyChick.com

College Freshman "Must Have" Guide on Safety

As you excitedly pack up your worldly possessions and get ready for college life, there is one extremely important thing to remember: YOU are responsible for your own actions - your Mom and Dad won't be there to protect you any more. The choices and behaviors are your own. All the safety measures and stats in the world won’t help you if you’re not making smart personal safety choices. Here are some basic, fundamental tips and ideas to follow. Once you have completed these assignments, you can enjoy your new found freedom and personal safety on campus as you go through your daily, crazy, life.

Essential Gameplan Tips for the New College Student:

1.) Be Camera Shy: It is suggested that freshmen should “respectfully decline” to have a photo and personal information published for distribution to the campus community. Fraternities and upperclassmen have abused this type of publication to “target” naive freshmen.

2.) Get Oriented: Participate in all the orientations the school has to offer. It’s a great way to learn the ins and outs of the campus, quickest routes to class, how the systems work and meet a ton of new friends in the process!

3.) Do A Drive By: Study the campus and neighborhood with respect to routes between your residence and class/activities schedule. Make a mental note of where ‘blue light ‘or emergency phones are located.

4.) Sharing Is Good: Make sure to share a copy of your class/activities schedule with your parents and a network of close friends, effectively creating a type of “buddy” system. Create a network phone list to share with your parents, advisors and close friends. Utilize the Virtual Halo app and suggest that your new "buddy system" do as well so everyone in your group actively watches out for each other.

5.) Program New Digits: Get the number of your local campus and city police departments and program their numbers in your cell phone (dialing 911 in your time of need can first go to a regional monitoring station then to your local police) every second counts when you are in danger.

6.) Run With A Pack: Always travel in groups. Use a shuttle service, taxi or Uber after dark. Never walk alone at night. Avoid “shortcuts” no matter how tired you are after a long day of studying.

7.) Be Your Own P.I.: Survey the campus, academic buildings, residence halls, and other facilities while classes are in session and after dark to see that buildings, walkways, quad-rangles, and parking lots are secured, lit and patrolled. Check to make sure emergency phones, escorts, and shuttle services actually are available, working and adequate.

8.) Cruise The Streets: To gauge the social scene, drive down fraternity row on weekend nights and stroll though the student hangouts (with your pack). Are people behaving responsibly, or does the situation seem reckless and potentially dangerous? Remember, alcohol and /or drug abuse is involved in about ninety percent of campus crime. Carefully evaluate off-campus student apartment complexes and fraternity houses if you plan to live off-campus.

9.) Eastside Walk It Out, Westside Walk It Out: No matter where you are on or off Campus you must always be aware of your surroundings. The more you are familiar with the area the less you become a target for criminals. Remember: Criminals look for the easiest target-that is generally someone who preoccupied, unsure and generally unaware of who or what is around them. Always walk with confidence and know where you are going, be sure to have that Safety Chick Swagger.

10.) Heads UP: Keep your mobile phone in your pocket so you can stay alert! With your head down, you become an easier target to criminals. Walking with purpose and determination are your friends.

New Kids On The Block: Remember if you are in a new town, it is filled with strangers. Be aware when you and your new ‘roomie’ go to Wal-Mart or Target for your matching bedding and stuff, be aware of the strangers around you. Criminals in college towns look for the “newbie’s” to victimize. Be sure no one is following you back to your dorm or apartment. If you feel that someone is following you, make a turn on the next street then another turn (essentially making a circle back to the street you were on). If the car or person is still following you, drive to the nearest police station or well-lit gas station and go inside for help - or dial 911 and stay moving on a well-lit highly trafficked street until help arrives, while also sending an SOS from Virtual Halo if you're in a stationary location and can't move.

Share this info with as many students as possible! Have fun and always remember to make SMART personal safety choices!

Reprinted in part from SafetyChick.com

What To Do When Traveling Abroad During an Attack

Conde Nast published a great article on what to do when traveling abroad during an attack. In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, the Boston Marathon bombings, additional attacks in Paris, the foiled attacks in Munich and now the tragedy in Brussels, the thought that you might be present for an attack has sadly become a reality.

It's time to stop thinking "that won't happen to me." It can. Hopefully it won't, but you should prepare for it nonetheless. If you are present during an attack, or even in a city where an attack takes place, you need to know what to do. Below is a quick "cheat sheet" on resources to utilize when traveling abroad:

• Prior to Travel:
  • Add the international roaming option to your mobile phone. Over the past year, each of the major cell phone companies, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have lowered the cost and increased the capabilities of their international plans.
  • Make a list of phone numbers and email addresses that you can access if your mobile device runs out of power. Internet cafe's and hotel business centers are great places to shoot messages off to loved ones.
  • Visit the U.S. State Department's Alerts and Warnings Website - this resources will give you information about where you're going and what to be cognizant of.
• While Abroad:
  • Register your international travels with the U.S. State Department's STEP Program (State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
  • Log into Facebook and mark yourself as "safe" with their Safety Check tool (they know where you are based on your phone's GPS functionality).
  • Use the Virtual Halo app to let your emergency contacts know that you're safe