I continually have people ask me why are we seeing an increase in victims in our society? I think it goes back to the fact that unless you have served in military, law-enforcement, or some type of security related field, no one has talked to you about your personal safety and security since 6th grade….

How many times have we seen stories in the news where bystanders, witnesses, neighbors comment following a tragedy of violence with something akin to “But our area is so ‘nice’,” or similar? If we have learned nothing from September 11th, or the Aurora, Colorado shooting, or the Boston Marathon Bombing, or any of a myriad…

The home security industry makes a fortune on selling us the latest and greatest technologies to keep our homes and belongings safe (or at least “safer”). If you think I am going to take a shot at them for this, you’re wrong. They are worth every dime you spend with them, especially when the systems…

Society is changing – and not necessarily for the better. We live in a world today where you simply cannot count on those around to come to your aid in an attack. But oddly enough, you can pretty much count on someone filming the attack on their phone! Great for the police and prosecution, but…

Whether you have chosen to take self-defense or martial arts training to increase your personal safety or have purchased some device or weapon to enhance your personal safety, there is one dynamic most overlook regarding any and all of these — proximity. The element-of-surprise plays in heavily to an attackers M.O. for obvious reasons. If…

I get asked about new “safety apps” that are coming on the scene, particularly when I address real estate groups and parent or college student groups, touting to send out your GPS position, notify loved ones that you are in a potentially dangerous situation, or even call the police. Hey, GREAT IDEA! But understand that…

As someone who has not only spoken on personal safety for 28 years, but someone who has taught physical defense for probably 20 of those years, I am always question those who offer “pat answers” to difficult situations. Likewise, I caution those who take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to their own personal safety when recommending others…

Over the years I have done a number of “value-add” events for various companies and groups on behalf of their members, clients, and customers. These have usually been for entities such as mortgage and title companies on behalf of the real estate agents that bring them business, or for insurance agents/agencies and financial planners/firms on…

When we think of robbing a bank, most probably would think of the classic television or movie scenario of a gunman or gang walking in and “holding up the bank”, having the tellers empty out their drawers and making a speedy escape. Or maybe some have seen a lone person (sometimes in disguise and sometimes…

Last year I was honored to be invited by the National Restaurant Association to address the HR and Risk Management Directors of the top 100 restaurant chains in the country. The topic was employee safety related to workplace violence. I can almost imagine your first reaction to this concept, “Restaurants and violence?!” Yes. There have…

Of course, I like others, can vividly remember where I was when the news came in on that fateful day on the 11th of September in 2001. I don’t think anyone can wipe away the horror, the anger, and the (let’s say it) “terror” we all felt, not only watching those planes crash into buildings…

Over the past 2-3 years, I have given presentations to hundreds if not thousands of residential real estate agents in the Dallas/Fort Worth area regarding personal safety. These have been MCE accredited events, MLS meetings, happy hours, and office presentations. But I’ve done so with a slight “twist” now reflected by our Trouble Spotters team…

Those in the medical profession can attest to the “at-risk” nature of their profession. Obviously those working in the typical hospital environment face the greatest number of concerns, but even private practices and medical clinics of various specialties are not immune. Within the classic hospital scenario, there are three major areas of potential vulnerability for…

I have personally addressed 250,000+ children and teens, from K-12 in my earlier years of work. The absolute, positively WORST advice parents can give their child or teen is “Don’t talk to strangers!” Why? 1) First and foremost, they see “YOU” do it all the time, mom and dad! So your example is, “do as…

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In fact, the entire financial services field has been built on this premise. Whenever you sit down with your planner or manager, they talk stocks, bonds, annuities, 401K, precious metals, etc all to strengthen your financial standing “in case” one or…

I thought it appropriate on today, the 4th of July, to address a topic often glazed over by the wider populace. The aspect of independence and its innate cost, that of “personal responsibility”. For years I have said, “Personal safety is also a personal responsibility”, and I’ve seen the heads nod in audiences, yet I…

With Transformers 4 opening this weekend, my mind thought of their old tagline, “More than meets the eye” from years past when I saw the photo image topping this blog post on Facebook today. Far too often, we judge or simply assess others by what we “see”. This is the very essence of stereotyping, judging…

The goal of Trouble Spotters is to provide qualified speakers as a resource to their respective communities, often presenting to civic clubs and organizations, educating people of all ages how to better “spot trouble ‘before’ trouble spots you.” No matter where you live, in apartment or home, or in urban, suburban or rural areas, we…

Security your safety under your “own” roof is challenging enough, let alone securing your safety under many others’ roofs. But this is exactly what we are talking about when discussing apartment or “multi-family” living. Any number of challenges and concerns come to mind, but let’s simply look at a few as well as several possible…

Women get together for a myriad of events, from bachelorette parties to Tupperware parties, from book clubs to night clubs, and from baby showers to high teas. I’m sure I probably missed a few, but I also believe you get the idea — women enjoy the company of other women for personal and professional development….

We have all heard the old saying, “Crime doesn’t pay!” However, stories of drug raids and arms deals in the news tell us a different story. But even in the world of crime “prevention” there lies a multi-billion dollar industry in everything from alarms to cameras to security patrols to executive security (i.e. bodyguards). And…

In almost three decades of teaching personal safety and defense, I have seen devices come and devices go related to personal safety. The list is pretty extensive including mainstay items such as pepper spray, TASERS, stun guns, and firearms. Some others I have seen include whistles, body alarms, GPS tracking devices for kids’ clothing or…

After some 28 years of speaking to hundreds of thousands of people in audiences regarding personal safety and defense, it has baffled me how often people expect such information and training to always come for “free”. Granted, we offer pro bono presentations, on occasion, to various groups and organizations, but not all. And again, the…

2014 Miss Nevada, Nia Sanchez, recently found a new meaning for “self-defense”. This 4th-degree TaeKwonDo Black Belt came under attack herself after recently remarking, “But I think more awareness is very important so women can learn how to protect themselves. Myself, as a fourth-degree black belt, I learned from a young age that you need…

Many churches regularly send their members on short-term missions trips. These groups can be more teen-oriented, young adult oriented, professionally-oriented (doctors, nurses, carpenters, engineers, etc), or a mixture of any or other of these. While many say they have prepared their people for the challenges of new cultural experiences, including U.S. inner cities as well…

Multi-tenant buildings face a number of unique challenges in trying to secure the safety of those leasing space in their buildings as well as visitors to their properties. These are just a few such challenges and concerns. Solicitors are an on-going challenge as there are genuine sales and service professionals daily coming in and out…

This old saying applies not only to sports, but to personal safety! But whereas most would think of how this applies to an impending physical attack, I would suggest rewinding the tape to the point-of-origin when/where the situation either began or began to escalate with the “potential” of becoming violent. There’s a paradigm shift for…

One of the ploys I’ve seen used for several decades now to gain entry into both homes and businesses is to simply pose as someone you are not. Sounds pretty simple, and it is, but it is also a HIGHLY effective way to gain people’s trust and thereby gain that access for immediate or later…

“One out of five women will be a victim of violence before graduating from college.” So says the U.S. Department of Justice. Just in the past month or so, these crimes have been making national press as even our President is speaking out on these crimes. It is, in many ways, a national shame. Not…

One of the better academic definitions I have seen for critical thinking comes from Michael Scriven & Richard Paul, presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer 1987. Their definition reads: “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information…

For some 28 years I have been involved in teaching people how to “spot trouble ‘before’ trouble spots you.” I have done so to audiences totaling some 350,000+ people during that time. However, despite those numbers, I am still just one person. For several years, I have had people approach me asking, “Jeff, when are…