Get off your phone. Get your head on a swivel. Be situationally aware.
A former Dallas County police officer, Ms. Haddock now handles security detail for royal families in Qatar and Saudi Arabia; watching other people’s backs has been her business for well over a decade.
But the post-COVID era saw her interests expand to helping a wider clientele become their “own security guard,” as she witnessed crime spike across the country. The unprecedented numbers of carjackings, robberies, and murders, especially in large cities, have made regular folks fearful to go to the grocery store or pump gas.
As a civilian, “you don’t have a badge, you don’t have a gun, you work with what you have, which is between your ears,” Ms. Haddock told The Epoch Times over the phone. “Not a lot of us have money to actually hire a bodyguard.”
That’s why, she said, so many people “are just so thirsty” for security cues. It was in her heart to expound that knowledge. Fortunately she’s a certified instructor with professional experience.
Ms. Haddock happens to be a shooting trainer for A Girl & A Gun. One day, a novel idea popped up and a friend recorded one of Haddock’s sessions, which went viral. She has since attracted 160,000 followers on Instagram, sharing her security tip shorts.
“I just wanted to be that voice,” she said. “Listen, you can do it, you are doing it, you’re not alone.
“It’s going to get a little rougher. I think we’re going to be okay.”
1. Situational Awareness, Post-COVID
Has the world really gotten more dangerous since the pandemic began in 2020? Ms. Haddock believes so, calling what’s going on in the world “absolutely horrific.”Returning home from her security detail post-COVID, she never really came off duty. “Now, I’m doing this just to survive,” she said, “without getting paid.”
The world has changed, and “we’re just going to have to accept it,” she said. “Take that extra breath, that extra moment before you get out of your car, before you step out of your house.
“And get your head on a swivel and start looking—and not just for the bad guys; just for a potential incident.”
That means, for one, lifting your face out of your phone. “Kids these days were born with this stupid cell phone in their hand,” she says. Remember, when you are driving, it’s a deadly weapon. If you have a wreck, it’s a possible manslaughter charge.
“You really shouldn’t be doing Tik Tok dances in your car,” she said.
2. At the Store and Bank
Remember, you are vulnerable walking back to the car. Carrying new purchases, always watch your surroundings to see if you’re being followed. “A lot of people do not return the cart,” Ms. Haddock said. But if you have stowed your groceries and decide to return it, “lock the door, then take the cart back.”If you are situationally aware, as you should be, you will spot anyone lingering around your car. Go back into the store and solicit help from staff or authorities if you must.
Don’t tread into unsafe territory. Your security is a choice you make.
When visiting the bank, Ms. Haddock recommends keeping track of who’s working security and who is armed. That would-be robber will do likewise and avoid the stronger targets.
She recalled a distracted guard, nose in his phone, that she saw on duty. She asked him, “Walk me to my car,” after her transaction. Her motive here? A hint. Keep your head up. You’re at a bank. Save scrolling for home time.
3. In the Car
Back in the car? Good. Now, first thing—before checking your phone, before examining receipts—Ms. Haddock says, for the love of God, lock the door. Not just the driver’s side (or whichever door you happen to enter) but the whole car.Crotch-watching could cost you big-time if a kidnapper pops the handle and sticks a gun in your face. That could be your last text. The car is your safety. It won’t work without the lock.
Carjackings are up these days. Something like that could quickly become your worst nightmare—even if you hand over the keys. Haddock advises, pay attention around stop lights, gas stations, and drive-thrus that make you a sitting duck.
4. At the Gas Station
Gas stations are robbery magnets because “everyone needs gas,” Ms. Haddock says. There are preoccupied drivers with topped-up tanks. One is a “sitting duck,” she added. “Ninety percent of people do not lock their cars when pumping gas.”She advises not just locking the door but choosing the pump nearest the road. You won’t become trapped between the islands or beside the building. You will have an escape route, even if you have to drive across the sidewalk.
And, being situationally aware, you will learn to spot loitering vagrants at the station. Learn to recognize who your homeless people are and distinguish them from strangers.
But if a gunman really does demand your keys, she says, “what is the car worth? There are some things you have to decide as owner of the vehicle.”
5. Things Women Should Know
Among the fairer sex herself, Ms. Haddock with her savvy words was well received by female viewers. Boyfriends commented that their significant others have finally come around on the subject of street sense because of Ms. Haddock’s guidance.She advises women to break the social mores of the shy female. “We [women] don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” she said. “I find a lot of women getting caught up—it’s hard for them to say ‘no.’”
You might detect the polite-sounding stranger making disingenuous offers at a grocery store, making the hair bristle on the back of your neck. “Can I help you with those groceries,” they might ask. Give the curt response, “No, get away!” Ms. Haddock advises.
The same holds when you’re carrying groceries back to your building and some strange man asks, “Oh, do you need help?” “No, I don’t need you coming up to my apartment,” Ms. Haddock said, adding that, “We [women] are taken advantage of because of being female.”
Women need to be aware of where to draw the line. And then summon the assertiveness to draw it.
“I’m a tall blonde, I’m a target,” she says. “I’m aware of that. I am hyper-aware.”
