Written by Bernie Carr
Just a quick post today, as I share an interesting news report that caught my attention.
As we’ve discussed a few months ago, crime increasingly has been on the rise, especially in large cities. Since I live near a large city, and so do many of my readers, crime is a problem that we are all facing.
LAPD warns residents to stop wearing jewelry in public
According to The Daily Mail, the Los Angeles police department has told residents to stop wearing expensive jewelry in public. Robberies have gotten really bad:
In some startling examples in Beverly Hills, people have had their watches and and jewelry snatched from their bodies by brazen thieves who approached them as they dined in restaurants and sidewalk cafes.
SOURCE: The Daily Mail
According to the LAPD statement, “Over the last year there has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public. If it is visible, it can be a target.”
What we’re asking the public to do with these crime increases is if they’re going to wear expensive jewelry or drive high-end cars, when leaving restaurants, taverns and other locations, they need to be mindful of their surroundings, and be in well lit areas. [We ask that] they recognize there are opportunists that are willing to take advantage of them and many times, these individuals are armed with firearms,” said Moore.
SOURCE: FOXLA
We’ve seen these types of warnings before. As we discussed in a previous article, Bank of America executives told their junior staff to dress down to avoid crime.
Additional tips
For more information, read our previous posts, How to keep a low profile in urban situations and Avoid being targeted by criminals.
Do you worry about crime in your area? What are you doing to protect yourself? Please share in the comments below.
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Bernie Carr is the founder of Apartment Prepper. She has written several books including the best-selling Prepper’s Pocket Guide, Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure, The Penny-Pinching Prepper and How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget. Bernie’s latest e-book, FRUGAL DIY has just been released on Amazon. Her work appears in sites such as the Allstate Blog and Clark.com, as well as print magazines such as Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. She has been featured in national publications such as Fox Business and Popular Mechanics. Learn more about Bernie here.
Common sense advice. Actually same goes for expensive devices like tablets or iPhones. There’s a whole industry here based on grabbing expensive stuff while people are distracted by their electronics. My own area is getting pretty bad. One thing commuters do is keep their bus money and coffee/lunch money in a wallet with rewards cards or expired cards. If someone accosts you, you give up the sacrificial wallet which only has maybe a 20 visible with some ones under it. Your real financial cards and whatever money you carry for a large purchase isn’t in an obvious place, and you don’t need to replace ID and cards that get stolen.
// Also, develop the habit of not using your expensive things while commuting or walking. If you’re sitting in a public place okay, but when you’re walking or on public transit you can do without it for a few minutes. It could save you the cost of your device and perhaps an injury when someone decides to take what you’re distracted by.
// There’s something to be said for being poor. I wear my hoodie and my old shoes to commute and my everyday bag is really unimpressive. I watch who’s around me and see opportunity thieves sizing people up. Their eyes tend to slide right over me after a brief glance, because people at my income level are lucky to have four dollars of bus change on them. You don’t have to dress like you slept on a bus bench; just don’t have trendy expensive gear or clothing make you an attractive target.
// When I’m on the bus I would say 90% of passengers are so involved in their phones, earbuds or tablet that they actually miss their stop. If you do read or listen to something on your device, train yourself to look around every few seconds. If you inadvertently make eye contact with most of the people sizing you up, they’ll pick another victim. Ironically, they don’t like the idea that you noticed them and may be making a mental note of what they look like and what they have with them.
Hi Mme Homebody, That’s a good idea, carrying a dummy wallet to give up in case you get robbed. It’s harder to lose your drivers license and cards. Dressing down is also wise these days. That’s an important point, paying attention to phones and tablets and never looking up makes one an easier target. Thanks for the comment.