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"Refuse To Be A Victim!"

Excellent Self Defense Tips For Anyone

DEB PETERSON - Bulletin Staff Writer - April 23, 2009

Paul Mruk, a retired police officer, spoke to a room full of seniors Wednesday at the Baxter Regional Center on Aging. He was teaching them self-defense.
 
"There are four vulnerable areas of the human body," he told the group of both men and women. "Ears, eyes, trachea and solar plexus."

He added a fifth if the attacker is a male.

With a Bic pen and a dummy, he demonstrated how to end a personal attack by holding the pen with the base of it in the palm of your hand and jamming it up under your attacker's chin.

"The attack will be over," he said.

Mruk shared advice on being safe while shopping, including going during daylight hours when alone, keeping your purse zipped, walking deliberately, watching for lurkers in the parking lot and asking for an escort from the store or mall when in doubt.

He taught the group what he calls "the three A's" - avoidance, attention and anticipation.

"Always think the worst," Mruk said. "Never get in a car with someone, even if they have a gun."

He explained that perpetrators might not kill you in a parking lot, but if you get in the car, nine times out of ten they'll take you to a cornfield, kill you there, and it could take weeks to find you.

Mruk also advocated carrying pepper spray, available at gun stores, and having it in your hand with the safety latch off when you know you're in a dangerous situation. Pepper spray shoots in a stream now, he said, making it easier to hit a person between the eyes from a distance of six feet.

"Go for the eyes," he said. "It's impossible to open your eyes for five to six minutes - just impossible. If they can't see you, they can't hurt you."

Lt. Sam Seamans of the Mountain Home Police said that most of the crimes in this area are property crimes and theft, including identity theft.

"Be cautious about who you respond to," he advised. "Unless you are the one who initiated the transaction, don't give anyone your personal information."

Seamans said that scammers occasionally hit the Twin Lakes area via the telephone, citing a recent scam where a caller claims to be a grandchild who needs money to get out of jail.

For information about future classes at the Center on Aging, call 508-3880. Lt. Seamans is available to speak to groups about identity theft. Call the Mountain Home Police at 425-6336.

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