812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 18, 2000
Refuse To Be A Victim
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
READING (Berks Co.) Do you
fear being mugged?
Are you afraid your car or house
might be burglarized?
Deputy Sheriff Jackie Weaknecht
believes one can refuse to be a victim.
“A victim’s personality plays a key
role,” Weaknecht said about the
chances of being victimized by a crimi
nal. “Criminals want an easy target.
You stand a much better chance of
preventing criminal attack if you
make yourself difficult to prey upon.”
In a recent presentation at the
Berks County Cooperative Extension,
Weaknecht wiped out preconceived
ideas people have about criminals and
about personal safety.
“Criminals want to blend in with
the crowd, and try to gain your trust,”
she said. “You can’t easily identify
them.”
Physical Security
To protect oneself, Weaknecht of
fered the following advice:
ill’s a known fact
that when frightened,
people’s motor skills
leave them, and they
become all thumbs. 9
Jackie Weaknecht
Deputy Sheriff
• Be alert and aware of your sur
roundings, especially when leaving
shopping malls, because criminals
know you are probably carrying cash,
checkbooks, credit cards, or valuable
merchandise.
• Make eye contact with strangers.
• Wear shoulder bag strap across
your body. Money belts are even bet
ter, but fanny bags can easily be re
moved.
• Don’t lay down packages.
• Keep packages in front of you.
• When walking in a parking lot,
have one hand free with keys out and
ready.
• If you see someone who makes
you feel uneasy, don’t walk toward
them. Car Security
Weaknecht recommends looking
beneath your car before entering it. In
some instances, criminals are known
to hide beneath the car and grab the
ankles of the victims.
Hunters , Hosts Must Keep Safety In Mind
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)
When Pennsylvania deer season be
gins on Nov. 27, an estimated one mil
lion hunters will head for the woods.
Both hunters and landowners need to
keep safety in mind.
Many hunters use the property of
farmers and other landowners,” said
Earle Robbins, Tioga County exten
sion director for Penn State Coopera
tive Extension and certified hunting
safety instructor. “Cooperation and
mutual understanding between hunt
ers and hosts is the key to keeping ev
eryone involved safe and satisfied.”
If hunters are guests on your prop
erty this year, make sure they are re
sponsible and mature. “If you have
any doubts about the behavior of
hunters who ask to use your land, it’s
probably best to say no,” Robbins
warns. “Make sure your guests know
how you expect the land to be treated
and ask if they have any questions
about the property or your expecta
tions.”
Check your property before letting
anyone use it. “Walk around your
land before the season starts and look
for hazards,” Robbins says. “Your
Deputy Sheriff Jackie Weaknecht explains the importance of having
a personal safety strategy in place before you need it. “You stand a
much better chance of preventing criminal attack if you make yourself
difficult to prey upon,” she said.
• Get in the car and lock it immedi-
ately.
• Start the car. If necessary, you
will be prepared to leave immediately.
Weaknecht said, “It’s a known fact
that when frightened, people’s motor
skills leave them and they become all
thumbs.”
• Keep anything of value out of
sight in a locked car. Desperate crimi
nals are known to break inside a car
when spotting loose change.
Home Security
At home do not leave a wallet or
money lying in an area that can be
easily spotted from a criminal looking
in a window.
Recently a rash of home invasions
have been happening even while the
homeowner is at home. A common
scam is for someone to ring the door
bell and distract the homeowner while
a partner in crime enters through a
rear door and grabs jewelry, money
and other valuables.
• Do not open the door to a strang
er. Weaknecht recommends installing
a wide-angle door viewer to identify
people on your doorstep.
• Never tell a stranger you are home
alone. Do not broadcast your plans in
public where others can overhear.
• Keep trees and shrubbery around
your home well-trimmed. Overgrown
bushes and trees provide excellent hid
ing places for criminals. Instead plant
guests aren’t as familiar with your
land as you are, so you may see dan
gers they wouldn’t. Warn hunters
about hazards and post warning signs
if needed. If you want parts of your
land left alone, say so.”
Hunters never should assume they
have a right to hunt on property not
posted with “no trespassing” signs.
“Always ask permission to hunt on
private property,” Robbins says.
“Hunting and trapping are privileges
in Pennsylvania. A license does not en
title you to trespass on private lands.”
If you get permission, ask the land
owner about potential hazards on the
property and whether any sections are
off-limits. “Always obey the owner’s
rules and respect his or her property,”
Robbins says. “Behave the way you
would like a guest to behave in your
home.”
Hunters must strictly follow Penn
sylvania Game Commission rules on
safety. Wear at least 250 square inches
of fluorescent orange material on the
head, chest and back. Camouflage
fluorescent orange may satisfy this
regulation if the total orange content
is at least 250 square inches.
Remember that it’s illegal to hunt
defensive shrubbery (bushes with
thorns, stiff, spiky leaves) around the
home, especially beneath windows.
• Never hide a key under a mat, in
a flower pot or other easily accessible
place. Criminals know all the hiding
places.
Phone Security
• Do not give information to strang
ers on the telephone.
• If you have an answering ma
chine, do not announce your name
and number as part of the message.
Weaknecht explained that criminals
sometimes dial numbers randomly,
and may not remember which number
they dialed unless repeated by the an
swering machine.
• Consider keeping a separate line
or cellular phone as a security device.
Criminals often taking a phone receiv
er off the hook, which renders other
units on the line inoperable. A cellular
phone in your bedroom is a good pre
caution.
• Never give important information
such as credit card numbers when
using a cellular phone. For less than
$lOO, anyone can buy scanning de
vices and listen in on cellular phone
conversations.
Weaknecht recommends the 3-hour
course, NRA Refuse to Be A Victim,
which is available throughout the U.S.
For information about courses in your
area, call 1-800-861-1166.
within ISO yards of any occupied resi
dence, camp, industrial or commercial
building, school or playground with
out permission. This creates a safety
zone roughly the size of one and a half
football fields.”
Always follow basic gun safety
rules. “Handle a gun as if it’s loaded,
even if you’re positive it’s not,” he
says. “It’s an extremely bad idea to
cross a fence or stream with a loaded
firearm. Unload it and place it
through the fence before you go over
or under. Never stand a loaded gun
against a tree, wall or vehicle where it
could be knocked over and dis
charged. Unload it and place it on a
flat surface instead.”
Finally, Robbins advises hunters
and their hosts to promote safety by
reporting violations and injuries to the
Pennsylvania Game Commission as
soon as possible. “If you have ques
tions about specific hunting regula
tions, contact the game commission.”
Robbins also recommends “A Digest
of Pennsylvania Hunting and Trap
ping Regulations,” published by the
game commission. “It’s an excellent
summary of regulations and offers
many safe hunting tips,” he said.
SEE YOUR NEAREST
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89
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DEALER FOR DEPENDABLE
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