Still thinking walking/jogging with music is a bright idea?
Story:
Sweden -- a 25-year-old Bohuslaen man has admitted seven sexual assaults, but he is a suspect in other cases as well.
The man was arrested in November as a suspect in sexual assaults in Lund, Gothenburg, Uddevalla and Bovallstrand.
The man has admitted rape in three of the cases, while other times the intended victims have gotten away.
A police spokesman says they are certain that the man intended to rape his victims in all the incidents.
The serial rapist has been called "the mp3 man" because he almost exclusively picked victims that were listening to music through headphones.
Showing posts with label headphones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label headphones. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Targeting
More cases about the hazards of not being aware of your surroundings.
northjersey.com reports:
A 25-year-old suspect in a series of rapes and attempted rapes that occurred in the city's East side has been arrested, Paterson police (New Jersey) said. The man targeted young, petite Latinas. Since November 2006, he attacked at least five victims between the ages of 16 and 34.
According to police he looked for women who were distracted with cell phones and iPods before sneaking up on them from behind. They say he grabbed his victims with a choke hold, dragging them to a yard or an alleyway and then whispered in their ear before assaulting them.
And here's another report from East Lancing, Michigan:
A young woman called police saying she was approached from behind and fondled on a street by the Eli Broad School for Business building just after 11 p.m. Tuesday. She fought back and got loose in order to run away.
Another student told police a man with a tried to pull her jogging pants off while she was walking the river trail late Sunday. She also fought back and ran away.
"Both of these individuals were alone at the time," a MSU police spokesperson said. Both women escaped without injuries, but don't know the attackers. Police warn the women attacked were distracted--one was just finished making a call, the other using an iPod.
northjersey.com reports:
A 25-year-old suspect in a series of rapes and attempted rapes that occurred in the city's East side has been arrested, Paterson police (New Jersey) said. The man targeted young, petite Latinas. Since November 2006, he attacked at least five victims between the ages of 16 and 34.
According to police he looked for women who were distracted with cell phones and iPods before sneaking up on them from behind. They say he grabbed his victims with a choke hold, dragging them to a yard or an alleyway and then whispered in their ear before assaulting them.
And here's another report from East Lancing, Michigan:
A young woman called police saying she was approached from behind and fondled on a street by the Eli Broad School for Business building just after 11 p.m. Tuesday. She fought back and got loose in order to run away.
Another student told police a man with a tried to pull her jogging pants off while she was walking the river trail late Sunday. She also fought back and ran away.
"Both of these individuals were alone at the time," a MSU police spokesperson said. Both women escaped without injuries, but don't know the attackers. Police warn the women attacked were distracted--one was just finished making a call, the other using an iPod.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Walking, sitting duck
Depending on your point of view, it may be kind of scary, funny, or outright stupid. What?
Some people demand the right to be sitting (or walking) ducks for criminals, that's what. How is that? Well, they "have" to listen to music, of course!
Running, walking or riding a subway or bus - you see them all over. Tuned out from the world, just waiting for some criminal to pick them as a victim.
Wcbstv.com (New York) reports about a new study by researchers at the Urban Institute. The study reportedly suggests the gadget is so popular, there's a spike in violent crime nationwide.
Nearly 90 million iPods had been sold by the end of 2006, most of them from 2004 to 2006. During those years, the FBI saw a spike in robberies. Before that, crime stats had fallen 14 years in a row.
As a result, the researchers at the Urban Institute point to the easy access to iPods for the increase in robberies.
The iPods are so popular and in such high demand, many people are changing out the standard white headphones, hoping to steer clear of possible violent threats. Personally, I kind of wonder why we can't just tune in to our surroundings instead.
"It's almost the equivalent of walking around with a $100 bill taped to your back or something, so you've got this very expensive little piece of machinery that's very visible to other people," said John Roman of the Urban Institute. "And you're sort of tuned out, while you walk around with it, so it really is an invitation to a would-be robber."
Some people demand the right to be sitting (or walking) ducks for criminals, that's what. How is that? Well, they "have" to listen to music, of course!
Running, walking or riding a subway or bus - you see them all over. Tuned out from the world, just waiting for some criminal to pick them as a victim.
Wcbstv.com (New York) reports about a new study by researchers at the Urban Institute. The study reportedly suggests the gadget is so popular, there's a spike in violent crime nationwide.
Nearly 90 million iPods had been sold by the end of 2006, most of them from 2004 to 2006. During those years, the FBI saw a spike in robberies. Before that, crime stats had fallen 14 years in a row.
As a result, the researchers at the Urban Institute point to the easy access to iPods for the increase in robberies.
The iPods are so popular and in such high demand, many people are changing out the standard white headphones, hoping to steer clear of possible violent threats. Personally, I kind of wonder why we can't just tune in to our surroundings instead.
"It's almost the equivalent of walking around with a $100 bill taped to your back or something, so you've got this very expensive little piece of machinery that's very visible to other people," said John Roman of the Urban Institute. "And you're sort of tuned out, while you walk around with it, so it really is an invitation to a would-be robber."
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Still not convinced?
Still not convinced about the dangers of walking oblivious to your surroundings?
Story:
Tokyo police have in custody a suspected rapist who stalked women walking alone at night while using their cellphones or listening to music players, sources said.
The 28-year-old man, a South Korean student living in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, has admitted to police that he attacked several other women.
According to police, the man said he targeted women carrying plastic bags from convenience stores, thinking that they likely lived alone.
He also singled out women wearing headphones or talking or texting on their cellphones because they "tend not to notice that they are being followed," according to police.
Source
Story:
Tokyo police have in custody a suspected rapist who stalked women walking alone at night while using their cellphones or listening to music players, sources said.
The 28-year-old man, a South Korean student living in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, has admitted to police that he attacked several other women.
According to police, the man said he targeted women carrying plastic bags from convenience stores, thinking that they likely lived alone.
He also singled out women wearing headphones or talking or texting on their cellphones because they "tend not to notice that they are being followed," according to police.
Source
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Gotta have music
"I can't work out without music."
Some people are never gonna learn until it hits home. Even then, many can't see that they could have done things differently ...
Story:
Wisconsin -- She didn't hear her attacker running up behind her. The 18-year-old woman was listening to her iPod as she rollerbladed along the Janesville bike trail the afternoon of May 24.
She didn't pay much attention to the man she saw sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette. But a few moments later, he blindsided her with a blow to the head.
Knocked to the ground, she kicked and waved her arms at the assailant. He fled, and she skated home to report the assault.
Another teenager, Rachel, rollerblades the trail every morning. She's not apprehensive because she uses the path in daylight, usually with a friend.
The teenager said she can't carry a cell phone because her skating outfit has no pockets. She also listens to music while skating.
When it was pointed out that the woman attacked was skating alone in daylight without a phone and listening to music, she replied: "I can't work out without music. Where else am I going to work out? I don't enjoy the road."
Source
Some people are never gonna learn until it hits home. Even then, many can't see that they could have done things differently ...
Story:
Wisconsin -- She didn't hear her attacker running up behind her. The 18-year-old woman was listening to her iPod as she rollerbladed along the Janesville bike trail the afternoon of May 24.
She didn't pay much attention to the man she saw sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette. But a few moments later, he blindsided her with a blow to the head.
Knocked to the ground, she kicked and waved her arms at the assailant. He fled, and she skated home to report the assault.
Another teenager, Rachel, rollerblades the trail every morning. She's not apprehensive because she uses the path in daylight, usually with a friend.
The teenager said she can't carry a cell phone because her skating outfit has no pockets. She also listens to music while skating.
When it was pointed out that the woman attacked was skating alone in daylight without a phone and listening to music, she replied: "I can't work out without music. Where else am I going to work out? I don't enjoy the road."
Source
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
More music
Australia -- Police investigating a sexual assault in Sydney have warned women wearing iPods to stay alert to what is going on around them.
The 22-year-old victim had been listening to music on her iPod and was unaware a man had followed her from Town Hall Station to her work about 9:15 a.m. on February 20.
Police say the man indecently assaulted her in a stairwell leading from the foyer to the first floor, before she managed to fight him off and run to a nearby shop for help.
She returned to work and immediately contacted police, who are treating the case as an attempted sexual assault.
Source
The 22-year-old victim had been listening to music on her iPod and was unaware a man had followed her from Town Hall Station to her work about 9:15 a.m. on February 20.
Police say the man indecently assaulted her in a stairwell leading from the foyer to the first floor, before she managed to fight him off and run to a nearby shop for help.
She returned to work and immediately contacted police, who are treating the case as an attempted sexual assault.
Source
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wearing headphones
Police are advising women not to run alone at night and recommending they don't use headphones, like iPods, while exercising in the dark after a jogger was attacked on West Cliff Drive Saturday.
A man repeatedly stabbed a 22-year-old Santa Cruz woman who was jogging alone and wearing headphones on a popular trail near Natural Bridges State Beach just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police say.
Source
A man repeatedly stabbed a 22-year-old Santa Cruz woman who was jogging alone and wearing headphones on a popular trail near Natural Bridges State Beach just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police say.
Source
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
See no evil ...
Denmark -- Following a second sexual assault in less than a week, Randers police are looking into the possibility of having a serial rapist at their hands.
Thursday evening around 8:30 p.m., a 25-year-old woman was violently assaulted.
The woman was out running when she was attacked. The perpetrator forced her to the ground, threatened her with a knife and attempted to tear her clothes off.
The terrified woman hit the attacker with her cellular phone. She then wrestled free and ran away from the man.
Since the method used and the description of the perpetrator in the two cases are very similar, police alleges it may be the same man responsible for both attacks.
Neither of the women saw or heard the man approaching, since they both listened to music when they were attacked, police says. They add that it is very likely that the man have been preying on this victims before striking.
Source
Thursday evening around 8:30 p.m., a 25-year-old woman was violently assaulted.
The woman was out running when she was attacked. The perpetrator forced her to the ground, threatened her with a knife and attempted to tear her clothes off.
The terrified woman hit the attacker with her cellular phone. She then wrestled free and ran away from the man.
Since the method used and the description of the perpetrator in the two cases are very similar, police alleges it may be the same man responsible for both attacks.
Neither of the women saw or heard the man approaching, since they both listened to music when they were attacked, police says. They add that it is very likely that the man have been preying on this victims before striking.
Source
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Red flags
Here is a great article about "red flags", or danger signs that I like to call them.
It's a great read by an (obviously) experienced police officer.
Even though the examples may be a little off from a civilian point of view, the underlying principle is spot on - always observe and think; use your radar!
Now this may sound tiresome, but I can assure you it is not. It is simply a matter of getting used to having your head and your body at the same place and time. It's nothing fancy at all.
Remember that good self-defense and self preservation begins with awareness. This is not the same as walking around being scared or being "prepared for the worst". Awareness is using your senses and your mind in a relaxed manner. It takes a little exercise, that's all.
Some of the things that may lower your awareness:
Drugs and alcohol, being tired, running late, using headphones or talking on a phone, being upset or angry, being occupied with past or future issues, being caught in tourist traps, travelling, shopping, watching or listening to something that intrigues you - and so on.
It's a great read by an (obviously) experienced police officer.
Even though the examples may be a little off from a civilian point of view, the underlying principle is spot on - always observe and think; use your radar!
Now this may sound tiresome, but I can assure you it is not. It is simply a matter of getting used to having your head and your body at the same place and time. It's nothing fancy at all.
Remember that good self-defense and self preservation begins with awareness. This is not the same as walking around being scared or being "prepared for the worst". Awareness is using your senses and your mind in a relaxed manner. It takes a little exercise, that's all.
Some of the things that may lower your awareness:
Drugs and alcohol, being tired, running late, using headphones or talking on a phone, being upset or angry, being occupied with past or future issues, being caught in tourist traps, travelling, shopping, watching or listening to something that intrigues you - and so on.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Headphones again ...
Georgia -- A teen goes out for a jog and then has to run for her life. Now police are looking for the man who tried to snatch her.
The attempted kidnapping happened in Marietta. A 16-year-old girl says she fought back when a man tried to grab her.
Cobb County Police say the man tried to grab the girl, who was wearing headphones, and force her into his car. But the victim was able to fight him off and run to a neighbor's house for help.
Source
The attempted kidnapping happened in Marietta. A 16-year-old girl says she fought back when a man tried to grab her.
Cobb County Police say the man tried to grab the girl, who was wearing headphones, and force her into his car. But the victim was able to fight him off and run to a neighbor's house for help.
Source
Sunday, April 02, 2006
That's (not) a big help
Changing your route - now that's a big help...
Story:
(...) power-walked in the center of town, listening to tunes on a CD player. She said she had not heard of the assaults in which two women escaped without serious injury by resisting an attacker.
"I try not to go the same route when I walk," said the 48-year-old nursing assistant who has lived here for 17 years."
Source
Story:
(...) power-walked in the center of town, listening to tunes on a CD player. She said she had not heard of the assaults in which two women escaped without serious injury by resisting an attacker.
"I try not to go the same route when I walk," said the 48-year-old nursing assistant who has lived here for 17 years."
Source
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Obviously oblivious
Have you ever watched someone speaking on a mobile phone or a pay-phone? Have you seen how all their focus is directed towards the person they're talking to?
You may also begin to watch people with earplugs or headsets from phones, portable CD-players, mp3 players, iPods etc.
Just watch how easily you can approach these people walking or standing in their own "time and space". Does this tell you something? Don't you think a purse-snatcher, thief, mugger, rapist, crook, villain and other people of that ilk sees the same thing?
I can promise you they do - in fact I know they do! After studying and talking with many of these people I'll tell you this is one of the first signs they see in a potential victim: someone not fitting in or being unaware of the surroundings.
So you do the math - it's your call:
What is more important, listening to some music and shutting out the rest of the world; Or, making it more likely you come home in one piece and with all your belongings still there?
You can indeed close in on music or a phone call, and be alert to your surroundings simultaneously. But this takes practise, often a lot of practise...
You may also begin to watch people with earplugs or headsets from phones, portable CD-players, mp3 players, iPods etc.
Just watch how easily you can approach these people walking or standing in their own "time and space". Does this tell you something? Don't you think a purse-snatcher, thief, mugger, rapist, crook, villain and other people of that ilk sees the same thing?
I can promise you they do - in fact I know they do! After studying and talking with many of these people I'll tell you this is one of the first signs they see in a potential victim: someone not fitting in or being unaware of the surroundings.
So you do the math - it's your call:
What is more important, listening to some music and shutting out the rest of the world; Or, making it more likely you come home in one piece and with all your belongings still there?
You can indeed close in on music or a phone call, and be alert to your surroundings simultaneously. But this takes practise, often a lot of practise...
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