robbery nearby... concerned

[pbonebright]

Hi, I have been reading this forum for a while now, and have gotten a lot of great tips. I just got back from vacation and stopped in to a local sandwich shop near where I work yesterday. The women who run it told me about an armed robbery that happened in broad daylight about 1-2 weeks ago, about 100 yds away. They are now very concerned about their safety. The place is kind of isolated since a couple of the businesses have recently moved out. I was trying to think of anything they could do to be more secure. I stopped by today and told them they needed a latching door or countertop to slow someone down getting to the back of the counter and blocking their escape. I also gave them a 2 oz can of Fox 5.3, and told them to run out the back door and call 911, & only spray they perp if they are followed, and have the can with them when they open and close the shop. BTW sometimes they have small children after school. What other advice would you give them? Thanks.

 

[Leanwolf]

Well, if the woman owns the shop, she can carry a concealed handgun while on the premises. (Or that was the law during the 35 years I lived in Los Angeles. Might have changed in the past nine years I've been gone from the Gulag.)

She can also have a gun hidden under the counter. That is based on if she would use one to protect herself. A lot of people don't think that way.

Other than that, the pepper spray is not a bad idea.

L.W.

 

[DomMega]

California is a difficult place to protect yourself. Pepper spray is certainly an option but all the criminals out here know that the populace is all unarmed. Because the criminals have no intention on following any of our insane laws but know that you will, puts you in a bad situation. The only high road thing I can say is what was already mentioned, if the woman is the owner of the establishment she needs to get herself some protection and face the harsh reality of things. My neighborhood is starting to get more violent as well, but the merchants here who are mostly friends of mine have taken care to well....take care of themselves.

Anything else I can say as far as protecting yourself out here with the dang near impossible issue of CCW's isn't very high road so I will refrain from discussing it further, lol.

 

[DesertDawg]

TWO ladies in the sandwich shop? Chances are that a robbery suspect would wait until there are no other customers inside to rob the place.

You might want to suggest that, if a lone male enters the shop, one of the ladies should grab a cell phone and step outside. The other lady can make the sandwiches, if it's a legitimate customer, but the one outside can watch what is going on....and if a robbery takes place, she should find a good hiding place AND call the police.

While this kind of action COULD lead to a hostage situation, at least both ladies won't be compromised. The lady inside should try to make the robbery as "pleasant" as possible, and as quick as possible.

It's really a tough situation to deal with if a robbery suspect orders an employee to step into a back room. It could mean that the suspect merely wants the employee to be unable to chase after him, but it COULD mean that he's about to "get rid" of the employee/witness. In my opinion, I would fight with anything/everything available if the suspect were to follow me into a back room, but....that's just me, a 6'5", 230 pound male.

Tell the ladies that they should call the local police for some "extra patrol". It might pay to have some coffee for them, too. There is NOTHING wrong with being "neighborly" toward the police, with a cup of coffee! Heck, let them know that the restroom is clean and always available for them to use.

Also, have the ladies discuss their situation with the police, and ask the police if there is some sort of "signal" that they can use to let the police know that everything is okay inside the business, when they pass by in their patrol vehicles. It's somewhat common for the police to hold up 4 fingers to their fellow officers, to silently communicate that everything is okay.

A firearm inside the business? That's LEGAL, for it is private property, even though it has "public access". Of course, the owner may have a "no guns" policy for employees.

 

[Kacerdias]

+1 on making friends with the local PD. They may also concider getting a panic alarm installed that alerts the police in the event of a robbery. In one of the offices I worked in, several folks carried a tiny remote device with a single panic button. When pressed, it activated the silent building alarm which notified the police of trouble. I've seen a similar setup where the panic button was actually one of the flip-up cash holders in the register. It was a different color than the rest and the shop owners would keep a lone $20 under it. Flip it up to retreive the $20 and the alarm was activated.

IF LEGAL and the owners have no objection - a short barreled Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 under the counter would be ideal provided they got some training with it. If they don't want firearms for some reason, a pistol grip canister of Fox fogger would be great - soak the perp down and run. At least it would be harder to draw a bead when your eyes are on fire.