Tips from RUPD help save woman

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– February 13, 2009Posted in: Current News

Tips from RUPD help save woman

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News staff

When a Missouri City woman’s home was invaded by burglars recently, she followed some safety tips she recalled from KPRC-TV’s Web site.

Those tips, which were provided by Sgt. Jim Baylor of the Rice University Police Department (RUPD), recommended finding a safe haven and calling for help when confronted by an attacker.

KPRC-TV’s self-defense tips, provided by Sgt. Jim Baylor of the Rice University Police Department, helped save a Missouri City woman whose home was invaded by burglars recently.

The woman did not answer the door when the burglars knocked; she then locked herself in the bathroom and called 911 on her cell phone. The burglars eventually broke down the doors and found the woman, but apparently they panicked when they saw her talking with the 911 operator and ran out of the house. By then, the police were in the area and soon apprehended the three burglars.

Baylor, who is RUPD’s training and crime prevention coordinator, was ecstatic when Channel 2 shared the story with him.

“We give out crime prevention and self-defense information year after year, but people still get affected by crime,” he said. “Sometimes we feel like throwing up our arms and asking, ‘What are we doing this for?’

“But then we hear a story like this, and it kind of rejuvenates us and gets us going again.”

Because several home invasions like the one in Missouri City have occurred recently, Channel 2 decided to do a follow-up story in which Baylor demonstrated his self-defense tips while walking through a house during a simulated break-in.

Baylor, who teaches the Rape Aggression Defense class at Rice and has been involved in crime prevention since 1975, recommends thinking about the following in advance so that you can act quickly if your home is invaded:

* Identify a safe haven where you can hide for protection. Ideally, it should be a reinforced room, such as a bathroom or a closet, that has a strong door and a lock on the inside.

* Test your cell phone in that room to be sure you can get a signal there. If you have a spare cell phone, keep it charged and stored in your safe haven.

* Plan an escape route. Think about rooms with windows on the first floor that you can climb out of safely and quickly if another exit isn’t an option.

Baylor cautions against confronting an attacker. “Don’t engage the attacker,” he said. “Defend yourself, not your property. Escape and get away ASAP and call for help.”

He also emphasizes the importance of being a good witness so the attackers can be caught later. “Pay attention to what the criminals look like. If they’re in a car, note what type of vehicle it is and try to get the license plate number,” he said.

Baylor, who noted that all members of RUPD have gone through crime prevention training, hopes that other potential crime victims will benefit from the additional tips he shared on Channel 2, just as the woman in Missouri City did from the earlier tips.

“She carried out a good example,” Baylor said. “And we feel good when we hear stories like hers.”

To view the Channel 2 story featuring Baylor, go to http://tinyurl.com/dlq8uz.

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