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How Do You Quantify How "Safe" You Are?

The Night Rider

The Night Rider

Professional
I don't live in the best neighborhood in Colorado Springs.


This happened within the range of his rifle from my home.

Was my safety really affected?

About a month ago I heard something in the hallway outside my apartment.

I looked out the door and about a yard away from my front door a security guard was dealing with an EDP. I asked him if the cops had been notified and asked if he wanted me to call.

A few minutes later The Fuzz showed up.

Was my safety really affected?

Next month when we move out of the city will we really be measurably safer?

Like I said how do you measure how safe you really are?
 
Don’t know that you can really quantify safety. You can do things to enhance your safety, and perhaps reinforce your safety measures.

Everyday I get in my truck I put on my seatbelt because it’s what I can control in the cab of my truck.

But am I really safer?

I change the batteries in my smoke alarms in the house once a year.

But am I really safer?

We have life jackets on the boat.

But are we really safer?
 
I live in a town of almost 700 people. Of the five surrounding towns we are the 2nd largest. Just the other night over the scanner an announcement suggesting people in the village proper lock their cars and outbuildings. Twice already this year a naked man with a machete has been reported. I still think I'm more likely to get run over by a herd of cows, than face any violence, then sometimes I think I'm delusional. Just five years ago the thought of carrying a gun in my home, was laughable. Guess the laugh was on me. :cry:
 
You can minimize risks you can not whenI ate all risks.

Living in the country you are usually avoiding crowds and homeless of unknown mental function however the number of well say druggies looking for stuff to steal has stretched to some rural areas.

So wherever you are have awareness and lock up your stuff
And Carry a gun and OC!
 
ECS686 said:
You can minimize risks you can not whenI ate all risks.

Living in the country you are usually avoiding crowds and homeless of unknown mental function however the number of well say druggies looking for stuff to steal has stretched to some rural areas.

So wherever you are have awareness and lock up your stuff
And Carry a gun and OC!
Click to expand...
*And knife. As my old martial arts instructor used to say, "when all else fails, stick a knife in his leg. He'll get off you."
 
It’s all about situational awareness. The more aware you are, the more safe you are.

I moved into the house I currently reside in October 1985. It was a relatively new neighborhood then, one of the nicer in the “city” of 120k (think it was about 95k back then). Houses all built in/around 1982. Could walk the neighborhood any time, it was quiet, people took care of their property, etc.

Fast forward to 2025.

My immediate neighbor’s back yard “grass” is almost as tall as my 6 ft privacy fence. He won’t cut it this summer and city won’t issue code violations for anything they can’t see from the street. If I was brave enough to check, I’m willing to bet there is a snake den in the shed in the back of his yard that no one can get to. Came across a snake a couple of times near his side of my yard while doing yard work last summer. Nothing this year…yet.

Two more houses in the same direction, I’d swear Fred Sanford owns the house (reference to old TV show, Sanford and Son, where they owned a junk yard that was their front and back yards).

Not unusual to see folks in various states of undress walking the street in front of my house mumbling to themselves, yelling at houses, etc…not very often, but enough to know I don’t want to encounter them on a walk.

Speed limit has been 30 since we moved here. I’m sure some read that as 50 now.

Been a few shootings in the neighborhood over the last 5 years or so (one domestic, two drive by-same house, different days).

It’s not hard to measure that this neighborhood has become less safe over almost 40 yrs. It’s always been on the perimeter of the city limits, near the airport. They have built many new neighborhoods and most original residents of this neighborhood gone. Me? I’m retired, this starter house is paid for, and I have no intention of going $250k-$500k into debt to “move up”.

We’re on dogs #6 and #7 over those years, these two being the biggest yet.
I put nothing outside I don’t care if it goes missing. Shed with lawn equipment stays locked up. When kids were much younger (now 45 and 38), could leave bikes and stuff laying around yard worry free.
I no longer take walks, bought a treadmill.
Current cars, and last few, have alarms.
In and out of house, some type of self defense weapon is always available.
I try to hit range every week or so to keep skills proficient 😀.

In the big scheme of things, still WAY, WAY safer here than any blue urban cesspool city, just not near as safe as we used to be.
 
So, I asked Co=Pilot to give me the top ten;

🚨 Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America (2025–2026)​

RankCityNotable Issues
1️⃣Memphis, TNHighest violent crime rate; gang activity2
2️⃣Oakland, CAArmed robberies, assaults, and homicides
3️⃣St. Louis, MOHigh murder rate; persistent urban violence3
4️⃣Baltimore, MDDrug-related crime; law enforcement distrust3
5️⃣Detroit, MIGang violence; economic decline3
6️⃣Little Rock, ARGun violence; high assault rates3
7️⃣Milwaukee, WIRising homicides; firearm-related violence
8️⃣New Orleans, LAEconomic disparity; high homicide rate3
9️⃣Stockton, CAPolice staffing shortages; property crime
🔟Cleveland, OHGang activity; poverty-driven crime3


I'm in Southwest Mo, between #3 and #6, not that far from #1.

Nothing out of Texas or New York surprised me.

It looks like higher degrees of violence in red areas than blue areas, like 7 to 3. I based that by the state's flavor, not sure about neighborhoods.

I'm in town, and while we don't have shootings every night, we have 2 or 3 a week now, I grew up here and there wasn't a block I couldn't walk by at mid night without fear, not the same today, but then I'm never out at midnight anymore.
 
Survival and safety should begin before you step foot out the door of your hacienda and long before the moment you need to act. I look at it like it is a triangle: tactics + skills + conditioning (mental and physical).

You should always be sensitive/situationally aware and concentrate on preventing risky situations from escalating into dangerous ones. YMMV, of course.
 
Recusant said:
Guys, lighting can strike you anywhere! I think that the secret to staying safe is knowing your own limitations. But as mamma used to say, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Click to expand...

The Genesis of this discussion was my wife telling me that once we move we'll be "safer".

Even though I got my face chewed on by a dog out there a week ago.

So I got towondering how do you quantify "safer"?
 
Ozarker said:
So, I asked Co=Pilot to give me the top ten;

🚨 Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America (2025–2026)​

RankCityNotable Issues
1️⃣Memphis, TNHighest violent crime rate; gang activity2
2️⃣Oakland, CAArmed robberies, assaults, and homicides
3️⃣St. Louis, MOHigh murder rate; persistent urban violence3
4️⃣Baltimore, MDDrug-related crime; law enforcement distrust3
5️⃣Detroit, MIGang violence; economic decline3
6️⃣Little Rock, ARGun violence; high assault rates3
7️⃣Milwaukee, WIRising homicides; firearm-related violence
8️⃣New Orleans, LAEconomic disparity; high homicide rate3
9️⃣Stockton, CAPolice staffing shortages; property crime
🔟Cleveland, OHGang activity; poverty-driven crime3


I'm in Southwest Mo, between #3 and #6, not that far from #1.

Nothing out of Texas or New York surprised me.

It looks like higher degrees of violence in red areas than blue areas, like 7 to 3. I based that by the state's flavor, not sure about neighborhoods.

I'm in town, and while we don't have shootings every night, we have 2 or 3 a week now, I grew up here and there wasn't a block I couldn't walk by at mid night without fear, not the same today, but then I'm never out at midnight anymore.
Click to expand...
Left St. Louis (outskirts) in 1976 and have had zero desire to return…it was pretty bad then, though I don’t recall riots in Ferguson.
 
Mine, ya think it's good for an EDC?

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The Night Rider said:

The Genesis of this discussion was my wife telling me that once we move we'll be "safer".

Even though I got my face chewed on by a dog out there a week ago.

So I got towondering how do you quantify "safer"?
Click to expand...
Well, I can certainly quantify safer as not needing a security guard to protect my dwelling.

(Referring to this part of your post “I looked out the door and about a yard away from my front door a security guard was dealing with an EDP. I asked him if the cops had been notified and asked if he wanted me to call.”)

I lived in Colorado Springs 1977-1980. Stationed at Peterson. Last two years there, I lived in an apartment about 10 miles from base but can’t remember name of complex or neighborhood. No security guards needed back then, but we weren’t dealing with the recent (2021-2024) sanctioned invasions from the South.

I do think no organized gang activity in the area automatically qualifies as “safer”.
 
Ozarker said:
So, I asked Co=Pilot to give me the top ten;

🚨 Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America (2025–2026)​

RankCityNotable Issues
1️⃣Memphis, TNHighest violent crime rate; gang activity2
2️⃣Oakland, CAArmed robberies, assaults, and homicides
3️⃣St. Louis, MOHigh murder rate; persistent urban violence3
4️⃣Baltimore, MDDrug-related crime; law enforcement distrust3
5️⃣Detroit, MIGang violence; economic decline3
6️⃣Little Rock, ARGun violence; high assault rates3
7️⃣Milwaukee, WIRising homicides; firearm-related violence
8️⃣New Orleans, LAEconomic disparity; high homicide rate3
9️⃣Stockton, CAPolice staffing shortages; property crime
🔟Cleveland, OHGang activity; poverty-driven crime3


I'm in Southwest Mo, between #3 and #6, not that far from #1.

Nothing out of Texas or New York surprised me.

It looks like higher degrees of violence in red areas than blue areas, like 7 to 3. I based that by the state's flavor, not sure about neighborhoods.

I'm in town, and while we don't have shootings every night, we have 2 or 3 a week now, I grew up here and there wasn't a block I couldn't walk by at mid night without fear, not the same today, but then I'm never out at midnight anymore.
Click to expand...
Hmmmmm, there's something that all those cities share, they all have the same dark cloud above them.
 
30 years ago my town was safe. Now between drugs, gangs and who know what it is not safe. Can't even hire enough cops, pay isn't good. Younger generation has really messed things up and expect everything handed to them. In a few years it will be a sewer.
 
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