If I Were a Criminal...

That's an uncomfortable title, and it's meant to be. One of the best ways to improve your own safety is to spend a few minutes thinking like the person you'd rather never meet. I've spent much of my career doing exactly that. Not because I admire criminals. Quite the opposite. Understanding how opportunity develops is one of the best ways to understand how to interrupt it before anything ever happens.

After nearly four decades in the personal safety industry, I've come to believe that most criminals aren't looking for the toughest person in the parking lot. They're looking for the easiest opportunity. That simple observation changes the entire conversation about personal safety. Instead of asking, "How do I win a fight?" a better question becomes, "How do I avoid looking like an easy opportunity?" Those are two very different ways of thinking.

If I were looking for someone to victimize, I wouldn't start with the strongest person I could find. I'd look for the least attentive. Someone staring at a phone while walking through a parking lot. Someone digging through a purse while trying to find car keys. Someone balancing shopping bags, distracted by children, or mentally somewhere else entirely. Criminals don't create distraction. They simply recognize it when it already exists. Awareness has a remarkable way of closing opportunities before they ever become crimes.

I'd also pay attention to routine. If someone parked in the same space every day, left work at precisely the same time, walked the same trail every morning, or announced their location on social media in real time, I'd know more about their habits than they probably intended to share. I'm not suggesting people should become secretive or paranoid. Predictability simply creates information, and information can create opportunity. Occasionally changing your routine or waiting until later to post where you've been are simple habits that quietly reduce unnecessary risk.

If I were planning to commit a crime, I'd much rather work where nobody was watching. Isolated parking spaces, poorly lit walkways, empty stairwells, and deserted hallways naturally offer more privacy than well-lit areas filled with people. That's one reason I generally encourage choosing visibility whenever practical. More light, more activity, and more potential witnesses rarely work in a criminal's favor.

Perhaps more than anything else, I'd hope you ignored your instincts. Over the years I've read countless victim accounts that begin with the same sentence: "Something didn't feel right." Unfortunately, many of those stories are followed by another sentence that's even more revealing: "But I ignored it." If I were looking for opportunity, I'd be counting on exactly that. I'd hope you didn't want to appear rude. I'd hope you convinced yourself you were imagining things. I'd hope you worried more about embarrassing yourself than protecting yourself. The moment you trust your instincts, walk back inside a building, cross the street, change direction, or call someone, you've made my job much more difficult.

Courtesy can create similar opportunities. Most of us were raised to be polite, accommodating, and helpful. Those are admirable qualities that make society function. Unfortunately, they can also be exploited by people with bad intentions. I've said many times that kindness and awareness are not opposites. You can be a considerate person without becoming an easy target. Good judgment simply means recognizing when courtesy should give way to personal safety.

Another habit I'd quietly count on is a lack of preparation. Throughout my career, I've met countless people who purchased emergency equipment they never became familiar with. They've never tested their flashlight, checked the batteries in an emergency radio, practiced accessing the pepper spray they carry, or discussed an emergency plan with their family. Ownership and preparedness aren't the same thing. Real preparedness comes from familiarity, repetition, and thoughtful planning long before anything ever goes wrong.

I'd also hope your family never talked about personal safety. Families regularly discuss vacations, school, sports, finances, and weekend plans, yet surprisingly few spend time talking about emergencies. What would you do if someone followed you home? Where would everyone meet if communication failed? How should an elderly parent respond to a convincing scam phone call? Those conversations don't create fear. They create options, and options are valuable long before anyone needs them.

Finally, I'd hope you believed crime only happens somewhere else. Few statements concern me more than, "That doesn't happen around here." After spending nearly forty years in this industry, I've learned that crime has very little interest in ZIP codes. Criminals aren't limited by city boundaries, gated communities, or small-town reputations. They follow opportunity wherever it exists. Good neighborhoods experience crime. Small towns experience crime. Large cities experience crime. Opportunity travels remarkably well.

The encouraging part of this entire discussion is that nearly everything I've described is within your control. You can pay attention to your surroundings. You can trust your instincts instead of dismissing them. You can occasionally vary your routine, choose well-lit parking spaces, put your phone away while walking, have your keys ready before reaching your car, and begin conversations with your family about personal safety. None of those habits require exceptional athletic ability, expensive equipment, or specialized training. They simply require intention.

If I truly were a criminal, I'd spend my day looking for people who unknowingly made my job easier. That's precisely why I spend so much time writing about awareness instead of equipment. Equipment certainly matters. I've devoted much of my career to designing, manufacturing, and selling products that help people protect themselves. But awareness changes the conversation long before a defensive tool ever becomes necessary. If paying attention keeps you from becoming a target in the first place, that's the best outcome anyone could hope for.

Over the years, one of the biggest misconceptions I've encountered is the belief that criminals are constantly searching for the strongest opponent they can challenge. Most aren't. They're searching for the easiest opportunity they can exploit. Fortunately, opportunity is often reduced through ordinary habits practiced consistently over time.

If I could leave readers with one thought, it would be this: don't focus on becoming someone who can win a confrontation. Focus on becoming someone who is difficult to choose in the first place. That's a far more effective strategy, and after nearly four decades in the personal safety industry, it's one I've seen prove itself over and over again.

About the Author

David Happe has spent nearly four decades in the personal safety industry. During his career he has served as Executive Vice President of Mace Security International, President of Fox Labs Pepper Spray, founded Vigilant Personal Protection Systems, authored the Vigilant Kids safety program, spoken at the International Security Conference (ISC), and today manufactures pepper spray in the United States. Through Fight Back, he shares practical lessons learned from a lifetime devoted to helping people become harder to victimize.

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Until next time...

Take Your Safety Into Your Own Hands™

David Happe
Founder, PepperSprayWarehouse.com