Making Sure You’re Not Followed

This past weekend I taught my Spy Escape and Evasion course in Las Vegas. I had a great group of students who were among the fastest ever to escape from the trunk of a car after being handcuffed.

Among the topics covered during the course were surveillance and counter surveillance. I talked about the story of the Connecticut family who had the home invasion and the mother and two daughters who were murdered, and the father – Dr. Petit – who was the sole survivor.

What most people don’t know is how the home was targeted in the first place. One of the criminals spotted the mother and daughters out shopping earlier in the day. The family looked wealthy to him so he followed them around the store and eventually out to their car. 

Their car…

When he noticed they were driving a nice car he got into his own vehicle and followed the three women all the way to their house and noticed they lived in an expensive house.

Later that night when the criminal and his buddy were together looking to “score” some money, the first guy mentioned he knew where a rich family lived and they probably had cash in the house. The two criminals broke into the house and after spending over eight hours in the home they murdered the wife and two daughters.

The fact is, this could have happened to a lot of folks, which is why you constantly need to be aware of your surroundings and check to make sure you’re not being followed. This is especially important for gun owners.

Why?

Because criminals love to stake out shooting ranges and then follow someone home because they know that person has guns in the house and they can rob them. Every time I go shooting, or purchase a gun, I am always careful to make sure that nobody is following me around or following me home.

The good new is, it doesn’t take much effort to make sure you’re not being followed. Since most criminals are amateurs – like the dirt bags that murdered the Petit family – simply drive around the block if you think you’re ever being followed. In other words, never go straight home. And if you’re truly frightened and sure you’re being followed, drive to a police station or hospital.

And finally, if the stuff truly hits the fan while you’re being followed make sure you’ve got a way to protect yourself, which in my case is my gun (usually a Glock 19 or a Ruger LCP.)  But if you don’t have a gun, use your knife, tactical pen, or any other weapon you can find… But again, the best thing to do is to be aware of your surroundings in the first place.