Personal Protection Tips From the Detroit Police Department

This past Tuesday evening, I attended the Detroit Police Department's (DPD) "First Quarter Report on Crime" at Charity Lutheran Church on the east-side of town. One of the presenters, DPD Lt. Dwayne Blackmon, gave a presentation on personal protection.

In my professional opinion as a Personal Protection Instructor, it was a decent speech when you consider the amount of information he crammed into it within the short amount of time he was allowed to teach. I took notes and present the following to you as personal protection tips from the Detroit Police Department.

• Be wary of folks erratically riding by on a bicycle. It may be a tip-off that he is holding a handgun.
  
  
• Avoid Coney Island Restaurants at 2:00am on the weekend.
  
  
• Don't go to "after-hours" bars and clubs.
  
  
• If you use a carwash at night, you'll probably be robbed.
  
  
• Gas stations and parking lots are dangerous places.
  
  
• Avoid going to the gas station every day. Fill up your tank.
  
  
• Carjackers can be children appearing to be just loitering nearby.
  
  
• Avoid patronizing establishments with folks "hanging out" in close proximity.
  
  
• Be aware and speak to people near you. It may discourage an attack.
  
  
• Don't leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicle.
  
  
• Crime can happen as often during the day as often as it does at night.
  
  
• Alcohol is a major cause of domestic violence.
  
  
• If a family member leaves and threatens to come back to harm someone, remove that person from the area.
  
  
• If you are thrown into a trunk, you can draw attention to the situation by either opening the trunk via the latch in newer cars or kicking out the brake lights with your feet in older cars and sticking your hands in the newly created hole.
  
  
• Three times of the year when crime spikes:
  
  
  
  • The Christmas shopping season
    
  • The first warm weekend (85 degrees F)
    
  • The day time "falls back."

Obviously, there is a lot more that can be taught on the subject of personal protection than what was presented. Interested persons who desire the Detroit Police Department to give their group, church, or organization a more thorough and longer presentation are invited to contact their local DPD District.

For the record, I was disappointed that DPD did not approach the subject of the lawful use of a handgun for personal protection. The reason they cited for the omission was that citizens using handguns for personal protection wouldn't drive down and make a significance difference in the crime stats.

I disagree. In my humble opinion, if more people carried and used firearms for personal protection, less crimes would be committed. DPD and I respectfully agree to disagree on this topic.

However, if you have a desire to take a state of Michigan Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Class, contact me:

Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
http://www.detroitccw.com
info@detroitccw.com
313.733.7404