An Escape Plan: Assault Prevention Training - We Educate, Train and Empower » Jeff Patterson

5 Fold Path of the Warrior – by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:45:49 +0000

Avoiding trouble is the key. Our city recently had a big yearly event downtown that received a lot of media coverage. Unfortunately, there was some trouble when somebody starting shooting a handgun and many people were injured.

As I watched the violence unfold on the news I noticed many young teens and children out. Mind you this shooting happened late at night and unfortunately this event is known to bring a certain amount of trouble after hours. So my question is, why were those young people out there and exposed to danger in the first place?

The 5 Fold Path of the Warrior says:

Avoid before check

Check before hurt

Hurt before maim

Maim before kill

For every life is precious and none may be replaced

The 5 Fold Path of the Warrior tries to give sort of a continuum when dealing with violence. The first step in the continuum is avoid. We should all make every effort to keep ourselves away from situations if we know that they may put us in harm’s way.

As a human being you should be able to go to any part of the world, country, state, neighborhood without having to worry about violence. The sad fact of the matter is, you can’t. Because we can’t we need to be aware and be sure we do everything we can to avoid these situations.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:21:53 +0000

A few years ago I was called to a 7-Eleven convenience store to arrest a shoplifter. As a police officer, basically all I was for shoplifters was transportation. We do the report and transport the person to jail but it is up to the store to prosecute.

When I arrived on the scene I found out that the guy had tried to steal bologna. He had tried to steal it because he was hungry and had no money. This guy was going to jail because he was doing what he thought he needed to do to survive. As you can imagine there may be a moral issue here. Yes the guy stole something but he was doing it so he could eat.

This situation is an issue police deal with daily. Police officers have to be able to put emotion aside and focus on the law. As civilians however, we have to understand emotion and desperation. We have to accept the fact that there are people who will use us as a means to an end without any thought to the hardship their actions present to us.

We have to educate and train ourselves to be prepared for this situation when it happens. That education starts with our Protective Thinking video.

Don’t find yourself in this situation alone. Take with you the knowledge you have gained from Escape Plan.

Men and Self Defense by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:20:22 +0000

Do you ever wonder why men don’t take self defense classes? Could it be because as men we have egos? Maybe. Is it because as men we have always been made to believe that we are the protectors and “we can handle ourselves”? That could be too. But here’s a question. How do you know you can handle yourself? How do you know you can protect yourself or your family from a dangerous predator?

Did you know that according to the Department of Justice and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Reports men are victimized at rates 22% higher than women and men are more likely to be victimized by a stranger?

Men, it is our job, our responsibility, to be sure we can protect ourselves and our loved ones. Don’t let ego, fear, or anything else stop you from doing what needs to be done. Be sure that if the wolf comes knocking at the door you are prepared.

What Would You Have Done #4 – by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Sat, 15 May 2010 03:38:15 +0000

After a long day at work a woman stops by the store to pick up some groceries. She arrives home and walks up to her apartment building with her arms full of grocery bags. As she approaches the outside door of her building a man that she doesn’t recognize opens the door from the inside. The man sees her and asks if she needs help carrying the bags. The lady tells him no but he insists. He say something like, “if my mother new I let a woman carry bags and I didn’t help she would not think too highly of me”. The woman gives in and gives the man a bag and he follows her upstairs to her apartment door. She unlocks the door and the man tells her that he will help her in to the apartment. She tells him no but he promises he will just set the bags down and then go.

Once in the apartment the man rapes the woman but she is able to escape before he kills her.

What Would You Have Done?

This story is based on a story out of Gavin De Becker’s book “The Gift of Fear”.

What Would You Have Done #3 by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:02:27 +0000

As you all know I am a police officer and often times work part time security jobs. I was recently working part time at our city’s symphony. During an intermission I was walking in an alley that separates the symphony and a parking garage where many of the patrons park. As I was walking I noticed a small door that leads out of the symphony, into the alley, and two ladies leaving early. I greeted them and we all went on our way.

Just after I left the ladies I noticed a homeless man entering the alley and I began to think. I wondered what if… What if I weren’t there with the two ladies and they were in a downtown alley alone with a homeless man?

I’m sure that they would have been fine, but what if…

What would you have done?

What Would You Have Done #2 – by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:18:16 +0000

Some of these stories are “no brainers” to most but remember they are all based on TRUE STORIES.

It’s a Friday evening and a twenty something year old girl is being confined in her house by her boyfriend. He is yelling at her and becoming extremely violent. As the hours pass she is becoming more frightened. She never thought “he would do this”.

Finally, in the early morning hours, he leaves but before he does he tells her that he’s coming back and she better be there. As frightened as she is she finds the courage to call the police and when they arrive, she tells them what happened and that her boyfriend will be back anytime. When the police officer tells her that he will wait for the boyfriend to come back the girl says that she doesn’t want anything to happen to him. She just wants the police officer to stay while she gets some clothes so she can leave.

What would you do?

Spring Break Safety by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:05:39 +0000

Spring Break is coming up and many people will be traveling and vacationing to other (warmer) places. Here are some tips for staying safe while you are having fun.

Hotel rooms:

Reserve a room that is located above the first floor but below the 6th floor
- First floor rooms are easier to break into
- Rooms above the 6th floor are sometimes too high for fire ladders to reach

Use room safes for valuables
Make a mental note of where the nearest fire exits and stairwells are
Remember where you park your vehicle in the parking lot or garage

ATM’s:

Go in groups
Try to go while it’s light
Use ATM’s that are located in populated areas
Be sure to retrieve your card from the ATM machine

Out on the town:

Go out in numbers
Watch your alcohol consumption
Don’t leave with someone you don’t know
If you do leave tell someone you are leaving and where you are going
Check in with each other

Cruise Ships

http://www.cruiseknowledge.com/cruisesafetytips.htm

Children

Remember that children can wander off and be gone in a matter of seconds.
Have a current picture of your child with you
Have your child carry an ID card with important names and numbers
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle!
- It can take as little as three seconds for someone to steal a car
- Inside temperature may be harmful
- The child may release the brake
Don’t have your child’s name on the clothing: children are more likely to go with strangers who call them by name
Accompany children in public facilities, including restrooms
Teach children that if they are lost FREEZE and yell for their parents: this let’s others know that they need help
Teach children to recognize those who can help them
- Police
- Security

Taking a few safety precautions can make insure a great family experience and fantastic Spring Break. Happy Spring Break everybody!!!

What Would You Have Done? #1 by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:04:48 +0000

This is the first in my “What Would You Have Done?” series. The unique thing with this series is that all these stories are based on true events.

One spring morning a lady is in her apartment going about her day when suddenly there’s a knock at the door. The girl looked through the peephole to see who it was and saw her ex boyfriend on the other side. The main phrase here is “ex boyfriend”. She doesn’t open the door and tells him to leave. They are yelling back and forth through the door. She finally opens the door a little and he rushes in. Before he leaves he verbally and physically assaults her. What would you have done?

Where’s Crocodile Dundee When You Need Him? – By Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:45:08 +0000

A lady sits on a subway and is stabbed by a guy because she was looking at him. What’s worse is nobody did anything to help. Why are there so many stories like this?

There’s a quote that says “people will do more to avoid pain than they will to seek pleasure”. If that’s the truth then people must live an extremely submissive and confining life. They must live a life that limits what they do and doesn’t allow them to live life to its fullest. Living in fear must be a terrible thing.

The definition of a coward is “a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person”. This definition doesn’t paint a picture of a bad person. To me, it paints a picture of a person who doesn’t know what to do when faced with these situations.
When a person is able to face danger and survive they are often times called a hero. Doesn’t it make sense that this “hero” is simply a person who applied learned knowledge? Does “doing what we know to do” make us heroes? I don’t think so. I think it makes us prepared, responsible people.

The question remains though, what’s to be thought of those who aren’t prepared? Are they to be thought of as irresponsible? I say yes, especially when training is so available. Remember, there are many things worse than death and performing poorly is one of them; or so many times not performing at all.

As Hard As I Try by Jeff

Jeff Patterson — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:08:00 +0000

I recently taught a class on Diversity and Verbal De-escalation. There’s no secret information out there on these topics that I release to the participants. Basically I review things they already know but try to come at them form a different angle. I try to speak from a position of somebody who has “been in the trenches” so to speak.
The third phase of the class is spent discussing physical, reactive techniques that can be utilized in the event that the participants need to defend themselves or others. I basically teach the proactive, and parts of the ground survival program of our Protective Thinking series.
As usual, we give the participants the opportunity to evaluate the class. While reading one of the evaluations I became very frustrated at the comments. The writer gave the impression that they felt that the self defense portion of the class was good but it didn’t really pertain to them. Not while they were at work anyway.
As a result of the comments on this evaluation I took it upon myself to find crime statistics for the city. The crimes were staggering and guess what? There were actually crimes in the area where the writer works.

As hard as I try it is difficult to make people believe that crime can happen anywhere, to anybody, at anytime. I can teach all the techniques in the world but if people don’t begin to accept the fact that crime can happen to them and that they need to be prepared to deal with these situations, then all they have really received out of the class in a few hours of exercise.