Crime, Safety, and the Police

[Daytonamonger]

I am in Las Vegas at the moment coming back from a SD/TJ trip which I'll have a report of shortly. I like the idea of wearing a jock and hiding your money in the jock as most muggers aren't going to try and strip you down to your undies nor would you think they'd have enough time to do that in view of everyone.

I have a money belt. It looks like a regular belt and has a zipper on the inside that can hold a few big bills but the problem is that the rateros are getting smarter. They took the guys shoes which #1. prevents him from running after them should he regain consciousness not to mention that it makes going anywhere a pain in the ass. So items like the hidden compartment shoe reviewed here http://www.gadgetreview.com/2008/03/...ment-shoe.html would do you no good if they take your shoes.

If they're taking shoes I imagine they know about money belts and will be attempting to take those off as well. Taking a belt is one thing but I doubt they're willing to strip you down to get to your jock...lest they become classified as maricon rateros. LOL.

The small and skinny of the matter is that you should always have your wits about you. Avoid excessing Alcohol and if you do seriously imbibe ALWAYS take a taxi as being visibly intoxicated WILL make you a target. Keep your head on the proverbial swivel. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you will have the upper hand. Some basic self defense maneuvers might help as well and you can usually get these types of classes at your local community center or YMCA. Just remember that no ammount of money is worth your health, well being, or life and sometimes it's just better in the long run to let your wallet go.

This is where carrying a dummy wallet with an old drivers license an expired credit card, some business cards, and other expired dittys along with about 10 or 20 dollars in cash will come in handy. Usually all they want is the wallet.

Keep the tips coming guys, together we can outsmart these guys.

Daytona

[Sgt Perv]

I carry a nylon wallet that hangs around my neck in the club and I move it down to my crotch when on the street. An old wallet (front pocket) with BS in it is good to have so the bad guys think they got your main stash and leave. The jockstrap is a great idea if you are not wanting the chicas to play with Mr.Happy. Jogging shorts is a great idea, instead of wearing underwear. Never been a fan of sticking ID ,ATM in my shoes.

[SuperSteve]

For pocket money I use a combo watch/money clip, it can be found for about $20.00 on ebay. That way you do not have to have a watch, no matter how cheap, showing. I usually carry $40.00 or so, and an old DL & outdated credit card in hopes that they would think they are getting it all.

I also put most of the money in a leather wallet that attaches by strap to my belt, and cannot be detected from the outside. It hangs inside my pants with no bulge. I guess if they get my pants off they would find it, but.

While there are some very good tips here, the best is to know your surroundings, and who is in that space, at all times. Gut instinct is very often correct in these types of situations.

If you are walking, stop every so often and look who is around behind you. Should you feel that you look lost, and feel that may make you a target, it is very easy to appear to be looking in a store window. If you notice the same guys following that you don't get a good vibe from, either stop and let them pass with your back to the wall, walk off the curb and let them pass, or cross the street.

While it could happen to any of us, they are looking for control of the situation. The more control you have over any given situation, the less likely that you will become the target. For may reasons they like it easy and to have complete control, especially coming from the rear unnoticed.

Health & happiness to all.

[Efjayel]

You're a funny guy but you brought up some good ideas. Hiding money in the socks sounds like a good one. Those muggers they got pictures of showed them taking the guys shirt and shoes. So my idea of hiding stuff in my shoes is now obsolete.

Money belt should also be good. I need to get one of those.

[Travel Addict]

SOME OLD SMUGGLER'S TRICKS

1. Go get a pair of nylon running shorts, with pockets, at Walmart or similar, $5.99 Put your passport and big bills in the pocket of the shorts.
Put on a pair of loose pants, like cargo pants, over the shorts.
Put a few dollars and a comb in the pants pockets.
Now they aren't gonna get the good stuff unless they pull your pants off.
And hell you are going to have to take your pants off pretty soon to get to your dick.

2. Get a pair of athletic jock type underwear, with the snapfront pocket for the hard cup. throw away the cup, and keep your prize jewels in the cup pocket.

You now have your money and your dick in the same handy container, and if you reach for either one, you will get both!!!

99% of muggers, customs guys and cops will not grab your crotch when they frisk you.... Plus you look like you have a really big package...


3. Get a soft eyeglass case or pouch, with the clip. Put your good stuff inside, and clip them into your underwear. Makes your junk look HUGE, women will fear you and men will want to BE you. Also works with a sock and a safety pin, etc., the point is to put them where your dick is because most robbers are male, and don't really want to grab your package. YMMV if you are really pretty and the robber is gay.....

4. Put your money in a lubricated condom and....
Swallow your money 23 hours before arrival, it will magically reappear just in time when you need to spend it, and meanwhile ain't nobody gonna find it without a chainsaw..... However do not try this with your video camera....

[Netman05]

I think you can generally be pretty safe in TJ if you stick to the gameplan. If you are really nervous just go into AB and never go farther than HK. You don't even need to walk in the Alley. You will have selection from 20-50 girls at AB and probably 50-75 in HK most of the time.

If you move to stage 2 you can walk over to CC, Tropical, and the alley. This is only another one block in each direction that you need to walk (CC is across 2 streets but close). I have been to the Zona Norte maybe 40 times in the last 5 years without any problems.

Next if you are more of a adventurous type you can walk all around the Zone, check out local clubs, more street walkers, even walk up to the pharmacy.

I tend to go to the pharmacy right across the border and cab it to AB. I have been in all of the Zona clubs a few times. I have used escort services 3 times (Mexicolindobar) and have tried clubs on Revo (they suck generally though I like Peanuts n Beer though I haven't been in a year or more.

[Phordphan]

How about a link to that posting?

I think Ninguno Especial posted it in the Tijuana thread. I posted the Babelfish rough translation of the article.

[Efjayel]

Your point is well taken. However, this latest spate of muggings, of which I am intimately familiar, is taking place in broad daylight. High f*cking noon, literally. In front of dozens of street girls and others. Not at 3am on a dark street. Huge difference.

TJA has a posting from a Mexican newspaper (El Mexicano?) showing a guy talking to a SG, then, the next second, being choked out by a mugger. It's gonna be a little difficult to negotiate with the girls AND keep watching your back.

How about a link to that posting?

[Sgt Perv]

Like an old perv was saying, that he's never afraid of the bears in the woods, because he always takes his wife camping, and he knows for sure he can run faster than his wife.

Next time, take your overweight, dim-witted brother-in-law along to TJ, buy him a few beers, and let him follow you everywhere you walk.

There you go again Penis Panderer talking your talk. Jokingly Buddy-fucking a friend is not funny in a crime and safety thread.

I am sure that I passed out in a few seconds and 1 or 2 of them were spent figuring out what was happening and, at least for me, reaching up to remove the arm around my neck. When you can't breath and blood is not reaching the brain your first reaction would be to fix/change/remove whatever is causing it, the arm on your neck.

Now maybe if you'd spent a lifetime in defense training, police, karate, military, CIA/FBI, then maybe you would have the presence of mind to react in that short of time in a defensive mode

Your reaction is normal (shock, disbelief and body freezes up) and what the bad guy expects. Once he gets that arm around your neck tight , you are out in three to five seconds, your basically done (regardless of martial or military training). Luckily Phordphan heard it coming to reduce the shock and reacted before the guy got his arm in tight.

Your odds are always better if you see it/hear it coming and I am not promoting fighting off an attack but instead keeping situational awareness and avoiding being the "chosen one".

If he has a weapon do not be an idiot, just give it up. Health comes before your wealth.

[ReallyaNiceGuy]

I've given the incident some thought and read that some of you guys would have done this or that if this happened to you but I don't think you could do anything.
I am sure that I passed out in a few seconds and 1 or 2 of them were spent figuring out what was happening and, at least for me, reaching up to remove the arm around my neck. When you can't breath and blood is not reaching the brain your first reaction would be to fix/change/remove whatever is causing it, the arm on your neck.
Now maybe if you'd spent a lifetime in defense training, police, karate, military, CIA/FBI, then maybe you would have the presence of mind to react in that short of time in a defensive mode. Well have you?

And thanks to everyone for your concern and words of wisdom.
I'm not a big poster here, only do it when I have something worthwhile to contribute, so I'm sure none on you "know" me but when it comes to international mongering this is home for me.

Oh yea, I was in TJ yesterday! Felt a little odd but it didn't stop me from enjoying myself. 3 different girls! I love this place.

Mike

[ReallyaNiceGuy]

He miss pronounced street names. If I translated correctly he was mugged on Articulo 123 and Constitucion. Where I marked on this map;
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8233/muggedmap.gif

That street is an area that sees a moderate amount of foot traffic on a busy day. You should see see people walking around at least every half-minute or so. So it's not exactly a deserted street. There should also be the occasional paraditas around that area as well.

Cj, 1:45PM isn't late. If anything that's early. Good time for the tourists and towns people running around doing errands.

You are correct, that is the spot and your description of the area is also correct. It's a mix of people that work along the street and others doing business there as well as walking through the area.

The guy said he had both a digital camera and digital video recorder so I'm guessing both where not concealed but in plain view. That would be a major factor as to why they got jumped. Being two of them didn't help obviously. Maybe they could have avoided it if they had walked separately. One watching the other's back.

Yea I had both but they were not in plain sight! I was wearing baggy cargo shorts with one in each of the front pockets and they are both small and thin so there's not even a bulge in the pockets.
Yea "maybe" walking separately "could" have avoided it but the truth is you'll never know if it was this or that. Could'a Should'a Would'a And live goes on!

Mike

[Midwest33]

Leave everything else in your car. When you need more cash, go through the border, back to your car, and get money. Simple. They don't want your passport (I don't think.)

However, this does not solve every problem. There is no guarantee that muggers will stop at muggings if it doesn't pay enough; there is no guarantee that they haven't moved on to more serious crimes. We've all read about them kiddnapping the rich, and then the middle class occasionally too. And most of us make more than the mexican middle class.

To which people would respond. Why would they want to take you, midwest33--they got better targets than an American tourist. And I would say. Do I want to be in that situation when they discover that I wasn't worth trouble?

I'd go to Tijuana a lot more if someone could give me an iron-clad guarantee that I'd ONLY be mugged infrequently. A lot of you with your "wits about you", "scanning right to left" probably look nervous. That is something that locals could interpret as "hey look at me, I'm worth something" even if, like me, you're really not worth that much. It could also be interpreted as "I'm racist, I don't trust you or like you, but I'm here for some p****." That attitude isn't going to encourage bad guys to be honest if they, themselves, can't afford any. I think appearing overly cautious is as bad, or worse, than appearing not worried at all.

I'll go to Tijuana when people are willing to go there for cheap food and trinkets. If ***** is the only thing "worth the risk", it's probably not worth the risk.

[One Wing Low]

Like an old perv was saying, that he's never afraid of the bears in the woods, because he always takes his wife camping, and he knows for sure he can run faster than his wife.

Next time, take your overweight, dim-witted brother-in-law along to TJ, buy him a few beers, and let him follow you everywhere you walk.

As a guy who got mugged in Tijuana--at knifepoint--I have a few thoughts on what happened and the descussion going on here.

However avoiding a mugging isn't like staying dry in the rain. It's more like winning a game of musical chairs. Someone (probably the most careless) IS getting mugged, because the bad guys have to make a living. Your precautions are simply useful for ensuring that you're not them. If the most street-unwise Americans simply aren't coming to Tijuana anymore, then you may be targeted simply for being AN American.

[Sgt Perv]

However avoiding a mugging isn't like staying dry in the rain. It's more like winning a game of musical chairs. Someone (probably the most careless) IS getting mugged, because the bad guys have to make a living. Your precautions are simply useful for ensuring that you're not them. If the most street-unwise Americans simply aren't coming to Tijuana anymore, then you may be targeted simply for being AN American.

I agree with you 100% and that is why I suggest a hidden money stash. All we can do is reduce our chances of being the one they choose to mug and be prepared for the aftermath if it does happen. This is true in any urban environment.

I remember your story. I never share rides with strangers because of the possibilities that could happen. You, my friend, was truly lucky. Experiences like that stick with you for a long time and not always in a good way.

[Spartan94]

Howdy. Would anyone know of a place where one could store ones stuff (passport, ID, mobile, extra cash...) while going down to the zone? Something like the lockers that Greyhound has where it is an electronic code or for that matter where one can bring ones own lock & key. The objective here is a safe and trustworthy place located by U.S. entrance where I could leave my identification, mobile, and some extra cash.