California Crimefight, by Byron Walls
Byron Walls has been speaking on crime safety since 1980 when he began working for Citizens Against Crime in Nashville, Tennessee. He moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and started California Crimefight, which markets personal and family items for self protection against crime, and he speaks to many groups on this. Before then, he worked as a folk singer, comedian and actor since age 20. He gave us an informative and humorous presentation (although he didn't sing for us).
He reviewed crime prevention techniques and safety tips for getting to and from your car at the mall, on the street, and in your home, how to avoid looking like a victim, when and how to fight in a rape situation, and how to avoid car jacking.
Byron spoke of the importance of safely locking your doors and windows at home and while driving. However, some locks can be broken by home invasion robbers. From his briefcase, he showed a swedge alarm for doors and another model for sliding windows, a wedge-like object which blocks violent opening and sounds a 120 dB alarm when activated. These are also useful in a hotel room when traveling.
Another protection would be having a large aggressive dog in the house, or at least a large dog dish visible to discourage entry by strangers, or an aggressive dog recording. He showed a sign stating, “Member National Pit Bull Breeders Association” (looks official), and his brochure showed one stating, “Warning: Pit Bull with AIDS”. Another item is a 4-inch red stop-sign sticker warning of an alarm system.
A parking lot is very dangerous, especially while entering or leaving a car; walk with authority and carry your car-key ready in one hand with spray protection in the other. One of his items is a key chain spray containing CS tear gas and pepper spray, which incapacitates for 20 minutes. (These cannot be taken into airports.) A larger model is good for keeping at home inside the front door and near the door of the master bedroom, hung above the reach of children but ready for immediate use. He advises against having a gun, because the burglar who sees one will just shoot first.
If stalled on the freeway, keep the doors locked and stay in the car. He advises having a sign in the glove compartment to unfold and display in the back window stating, “Call Police”. This can make the difference between waiting 20 minutes or many hours for help. If confronted by a robber, give him immediately what he wants, but avoid getting into a car with him, and run if you can. If captured, continue talking to the robber to alleviate his tension.
Byron passed brochures around listing his devices and kits, and was available for accepting orders at the end of the meeting. His organization’s website is http://www.californiacrimefight.com/.