Self-Defense Statistics That DPD Doesn't Want You To Know

On Tuesday, Detroit Police Department (DPD) Detective Brian Fountain presented carjacking statistics to city residents during the DPD 2nd Qtr Crime Report Townhall at the Fellowship Chapel on the west side of town.

Accordingly, the data presented by Fountain is listed as the following:

- 50% of all carjackings are failed
- 75% of all carjacking assailants are armed (gun or knife)
- 65% of all carjackings happen within 5 miles of victim's residence
- 20% of all victims who resist carjackers are injured

The origin and source of the data is in question. For example, is this city of Detroit data or national data? I had difficulty corroborating it. As such, I've made several attempts at contacting Detective Fountain to ask a few clarifying questions. My calls went unanswered. I'm not accusing him of dodging me - just reporting the facts.

In any case, this data was used to justify DPD's opinion that victims should not risk an injury by resisting their assailants. I've done research in this area and knew right away that the entire statistical story about victim injury rates was not being told.

To start, one credible statistical reference that refutes DPD's position of non-resistance by victims during an attack and calls into question their ethical reporting on victim injury rates is "Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control," authored by renowned criminologist Dr. Gary Kleck.

Kleck's data presents the following info:

- Victims resisting a robbery with a gun were injured 17.4% of the time.
- Victims who did not resist during the robbery were injured 24.7% of the time.
- Victims using non-violent resistance were injured 35.9% of the time.
- Victims who resisted with a knife were injured 40.3% of the time.

Please note that "doing what the bad guys say" and not resisting during a robbery can get you harmed. In fact, resisting with a firearm is the best response for a robbery victim - eight percentage points better statistically than not resisting at all.

Thus, based on the above data, you should only obey robbers and not resist if you don't have a handgun - advice one would never hear from DPD.

Why won't DPD tell you to buy a handgun?