Stay Alert and Avoid Being Lulled Into a False Sense of Security: So many things bother me about the attempted murder of Vernon Holbrook, the 78-year-old real estate agent in Yakima who was stalked and lured to a vacant property where his “clients” savagely attacked him. But the one thing that bothers me most is the fact that Holbrook’s attackers brought 3 children with them to view the listing. According to news accounts, the children were in the car when one of the attackers beat Holbrook and slit his throat in a bedroom of the vacant property. There’s a relief. The attackers had enough sense, decency, whatever, to not subject children to such a horrific spectacle. The issue that sticks in my mind, however, is not one of parenting…..It’s the methodical planning these “people” engaged in to lull Holbrook into a false sense of security. After all, who among us would expect a vicious attack from someone who arrived at the scene with his kids? That kind of set up is as brilliant as it is evil. When I teach my safety and awareness class, I advise my students to think like criminals would. I warn them, for example, that just because a couple presents themselves as “husband and wife” doesn’t mean they are not capable of causing an agent harm. There are prisons full of female criminals, after all. I also caution that criminals can go to great lengths to establish trust, create a false sense of security and set the stage before attacking an unsuspecting agent. An attack does not necessarily have to happen on the first meeting with a client. In fact, some criminals establish rapport with an agent to determine if that person is worth victimizing later—using conversation and house hunting as a tool to gather information about their potential target, scope out their jewelry, cash, etc…. So, each of us is responsible to stay vigilant and always keep our guard up. And that’s why the use of children is so effective and ingenious. It is SO disarming. Every single person with whom I’ve discussed this story said they would have never suspected anyone would commit a violent crime with their children around. People told me straight out: as soon as they saw children in the car, they would have eliminated all suspicion of the client and considered themselves completely safe. It is really troubling on so many levels. I often say that criminals go to work—just like the rest of us. They hone their craft. They implement techniques to give themselves a competitive advantage. They plan their work day. They perform certain tasks and expect certain outcomes. They evolve. It is our job to be aware of this and to expect the unexpected. The best way to do that is to prepare in advance of any client meeting--and especially before meeting new clients. 1.Research your clients by getting them preapproved with a mortgage lender and discussing their file / situation with your mortgage partner. Look for inconsistencies in their story. This is not only important for safety, but also to avoid wasting time. 2.Introduce your clients to people at your office. 3.Take copies of driver’s licenses for a file you keep on all new clients. 4.Inform your family or colleagues of where you’re going, with whom, and when you’ll be back. 5.Let your clients know that you take these and other measures because safety is a priority for you and your office. Use these measures to demonstrate that you will not be an easy target. None of us can prepare for every eventuality. And no one would want to live like that anyway. But it is easy to create a routine consisting of a few simple safety procedures. That routine will eventually become ingrained in muscle memory. In short order, those behaviors will become natural and will integrate into our life gracefully and effortlessly. As we endeavor to balance our personal safety with our professional productivity, I urge everyone to embrace the old adage: An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Until next time, Stay Safe!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:28:32 +0000
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