Growing up in Maine, we never locked our doors  (car or home) until the day we were burglarized. Now I live in a relatively crime-free area or rural Maine, yet I own a sophisticated alarm system and lock all my doors. I know people who do not and want to believe that there is no need to do so. I know someone who chastises people for locking their doors.

Whether it’s a computer system, a high tech installation, or your home – the weakest link in any security system is the people.

You can own steel doors with super-secure deadbolts, but if you fail to lock them they are useless. You can have a firewall and antivirus software installed on your computer, but if you open that email attachment from uncle Fred, you can infect your system. Companies can install intrusion detection and prevention systems on their network, but allow their employees to walk out the door with a hard drive full of valuable secrets.

The things that make us more or less safe boil down to the decisions we make daily.

Security is always a trade-off. I know I could stay relatively secure if I moved into the woods and locked myself in a panic-room wearing a bulletproof vest. However, the trade-off in lifestyle is not one I’m willing to make. There is no system that is 100% safe. Looking at security measures and their trade-offs is a good way to analyze and figure ways to become safer from crime.

Having lived in the city for 20 years, locking my doors is second nature. It isn’t really an inconvenience or extra expense. Having an alarm is a minor expense and a slight inconvenience, but saves a little on homeowners insurance and gives me some peace of mind. Everything else I do, which is undisclosed for security purposes, is a result of choices of trade-offs I have made. Only you can decide which tradeoffs you’re willing to make.

As an example,  jogging alone at dusk through a sparsely populated park with lots of blind spots while wearing headphones is one way that people in major cities like to get mugged. Seriously -  this is an activity that that encourages a lot of crime. So what are some trade-offs that could make jogging safer? Jogging with a friend may not be convenient, but may be the safest alternative. Choose a well-lit area with more people – not as nice an experience maybe, but safer. Don’t wear headphones while jogging – allow yourself the senses you were given to avoid danger.

Think about what you are willing to trade in order to be more safe. For some people it’s emotionally difficult to hold the idea that there are people who see them merely as objects to get what they want. You might have to give up some psychological comfort. Unfortunately, this is the criminal mindset. You do not have to go from blissfully ignorant to completely paranoid – there is a nice medium where you can live a happy but safer life.

If we are to believe the news, it looks like home invasion is a growing crime. The truth is that it is hard to tell because home invasion is not tracked as a single type of crime. Instead, home invasion may be counted in crime statistics as a count of breaking and entering, with perhaps burglary or assault added in.

For sure, the prospect of a possible armed intruder is pretty scary. This report is the second one I’m aware of in the past couple of months where someone in Maine awoke to find a stranger in their bedroom.

As with any type of crime or emergency, preparation and prevention are keys to avoiding or mitigate potentially horrible results from a home invasion.

The very first thing to take a look at perimeter security:

This is almost common sense but, are your doors and windows locked? Are your external doors hardened with deadbolts, modern bump-proof locks, and more secure strike plates that are screwed 3 inches into the frame? You might look at having safety film installed on first floor windows.

The vast majority of break-ins happen though first floor doors or windows, so securing those is key.

Think about adding an alarm system if you can afford it. A system I like is Frontpoint Security (if you use Referral Code: ef73c and Special Offer Code: R09WELCOME you can get $50 off an initial order). Their system is less expensive than others but is fully wireless, and will work even if a criminal breaks in and smashes your alarm panel to bits.

Look at your outdoor lighting. It’s good to have motion sensing lights near entryways. Also, having shrubbery that can obscure a criminal while he breaks into your home is a bad idea.

Be careful about letting anyone into your home. Some criminals have posed as utility workers, or used ruses like breaking down and needing to use the phone. If a utility worker shows up, ask them to wait outside while you confirm they should be there. If someone claims to need your phone, offer to make a call for them while they wait outside.

Post Perimeter Security:

OK – now what happens if, despite your best efforts, a criminal gets past your perimeter. Even with an alarm going off, the police may be minutes away. You need to have a plan, and evevery person in your family needs to know the plan and you should practice like a fire drill.

Under stress, complex directions can be misunderstood an time lost. Have a safety word that everybody in the family knows is the key to following the plan.

First, you should have a designated safe room. This doesn’t have to be a panic room like in the Jody Foster Movie, but should be a room that locks from the inside and can be somewhat secured. A bathroom can sometimes be a good choice. It would be good if the room’s doorway was not in a direct line to your front or rear door.

You should have access to a phone there – perhaps make it a habit of charging your cellphone there when not on your person. If you have weapons for home defense, you’ll want to have one or more stored there. If you can add a solid core door and a deadbolt – all the better.

When the safe word is given, all family members should go to the saferoom, which would then be locked from the inside while the police are called. If a family member is blocked or can’t get to the saferoom, they may have to get out of the house – run to a neighbors and seek help.

Nothing here is ever meant to serve as legal advice, but if you have a look at Maine Self Defense Laws you’ll see that Maine has a Castle Doctrine law which allows the use of deadly force to prevent or terminate a criminal trespass under certain circumstances. You should familiarize yourself with the conditions under which you can use deadly force to protect yourself, your home, and your loved ones.

Gun Defense

We believe that any training for self defense, whether that’s martial arts, or gun training, or anything else, must emphasize safety. It makes no sense to get hurt while training for self defense.

Most of us have jobs and family commitments that would be impacted by an injury, but injury recovery also detracts from the time we could be training. The effects of sports-type injuries seen most commonly in martial arts studios can be cumulative, causing real problems over time.

However, no activity involving body movement is without risk of injury. Yoga, dance, team sports, running all carry risk of injury. In general, most martial arts are safer than many sports.

In Ketsugo Jujutsu we say that there are three speeds: Slow for learning, medium for practice, and fast for the combat.

When a movement is first being learned we may practice it “tai chi” slow – like we’re moving through molasses. The main reason for this is that we want to learn correct biomechanics. In order to make small corrections, to observe the effect of a movement, and to build efficient neural pathways – you must move slowly.

Once a movement can be executed correctly repeatedly it can be “presure tested” at a medium speed. Medium speed practice adds a sense of reality, builds confidence, and helps to develop strategy.

Ketsugo Jujutsu is a combat martial arts, and cannot be practiced at full speed, even with protective gear. Many of the techniques, when applied at full speed, are designed to attack weak parts of anatomy (like joints).  Speed adds momentum, and we would quickly run out of training partners if we dislocated training partners elbows or shoulders.

As a reality-based self defense school we do try to approach reality in practice, but we necessarily have to work at a slower pace than many systems. We do not spar, and we do not compete or practice sport. This is simply not our emphasis.