So many times in my presentations I address various “stereotypes.” Why? Because we all have them. Ask any group of kids to describe a “stranger” and you’ll be amazed at the answers you receive. They’re looking for Freddie Kruger, not Mister Rogers, yet we all know it’s more of the latter than the former that poses a real threat to our kids.

Now take as another example (for college students and adults) the case of Joran van der Sloot suspected in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway five years ago in Aruba, now also a suspect in the murder of a young woman in Peru. But more importantly “look at” his photo. Is this the new face of crime? Actually, it always has been, as the more and more you learn, the more you also realize (a) there are no stereotypes and (b) the more “effective” perpetrators are those who do not “look the part.” The old saying about not judging a book by its cover is still very sound advice.

Remember this the next time that “nice young man/woman” approaches you to offer assistance, buy you a drink or escort you to your car, home, apartment, etc. It’s the face that can often times throw you off. Look beyond the cover and learn to read the book.

Jeff McKissack
Defense By Design

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.