Okay, everyone take the usual precautions.
Times are tough, and people are getting more desperate than usual, so even "good neighborhoods" are experiencing crimes previously rare or unheard of.
This morning, while getting gas on her way to work (in a "good section" of Montgomery County), one of my coworkers was carjacked. This woman, out of all of us, was on my "least-likely-to-be" - she's over six feet tall, buff, and has The Grandmother Death Stare. She isn't hurt, thankfully, but the jacker got her car, purse (phone, IDs, credit cards). She was standing next to the car, and had just replaced the nozzle from the pump, and was about to sit down. (The car door was open, keys in the ignition, ignition off.) The guy approached from behind, grabbed her around her neck and pushed her to the ground, hopped in and peeled out.
So:
1. If you're not in your car, lock it, even for a few seconds. That few seconds is all it takes you to re-open the door, right? And if the door is locked, then you've got the keys, they're NOT IN THE IGNITION. Even if the car isn't running, that's not a good place to have your keys if you're not inside your vehicle.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, pay attention to that feeling.
3. Take your important valuables with you when you get out of your vehicle. (I realize this can be tricky or impractical for women with purses; this is one of the reasons I don't carry one. Everything I care about, minus my EpiPen, is in my pockets. But do what you can.)
4. If you only have a cell phone (no land line), know somewhere you can go in an emergency if you suddenly lose your cell phone - say, for example, you're carjacked, and the thief has your phone. You'll need to call the credit reporting bureaus, your state DMV, the SS bureau, any credit cards or utility accounts, mortgagor, etc. after you file your police report to alert them to possible fraud on any account you might have. (Having a photocopy of the contents of your wallet - with the numbers blanked out, if you wish - just so you know what's in there in the event of an emergency, is a good idea.)
I'm sure there are other points I want to make here, but those are the main ones. We're all a little rattled, and just glad she's OK and didn't hit her head on the concrete when she was pushed down.
This morning, while getting gas on her way to work (in a "good section" of Montgomery County), one of my coworkers was carjacked. This woman, out of all of us, was on my "least-likely-to-be" - she's over six feet tall, buff, and has The Grandmother Death Stare. She isn't hurt, thankfully, but the jacker got her car, purse (phone, IDs, credit cards). She was standing next to the car, and had just replaced the nozzle from the pump, and was about to sit down. (The car door was open, keys in the ignition, ignition off.) The guy approached from behind, grabbed her around her neck and pushed her to the ground, hopped in and peeled out.
So:
1. If you're not in your car, lock it, even for a few seconds. That few seconds is all it takes you to re-open the door, right? And if the door is locked, then you've got the keys, they're NOT IN THE IGNITION. Even if the car isn't running, that's not a good place to have your keys if you're not inside your vehicle.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, pay attention to that feeling.
3. Take your important valuables with you when you get out of your vehicle. (I realize this can be tricky or impractical for women with purses; this is one of the reasons I don't carry one. Everything I care about, minus my EpiPen, is in my pockets. But do what you can.)
4. If you only have a cell phone (no land line), know somewhere you can go in an emergency if you suddenly lose your cell phone - say, for example, you're carjacked, and the thief has your phone. You'll need to call the credit reporting bureaus, your state DMV, the SS bureau, any credit cards or utility accounts, mortgagor, etc. after you file your police report to alert them to possible fraud on any account you might have. (Having a photocopy of the contents of your wallet - with the numbers blanked out, if you wish - just so you know what's in there in the event of an emergency, is a good idea.)
I'm sure there are other points I want to make here, but those are the main ones. We're all a little rattled, and just glad she's OK and didn't hit her head on the concrete when she was pushed down.