NBC’s "Today" assured Americans that all they needed in the life-threatening circumstances of a home invasion were two crucial items: car keys and wasp spray— and really good manners.
On a recent segment on home safety, NBC News' Jeff Rossen interviewed home defense expert, former NYPD detective and hostage negotiator Wallace Zeins, asking him to explain how easy it is to defend yourself in the event of a home invasion. The conspicuous missing element in the segment: a gun, which was never even acknowledged as a possibility for self-defense.
Rossen introduced the segment by underscoring that the worst the thing to do was something "heroic" by attempting to confront the intruders. Instead, Americans should follow the expert tips provided by Zeins.
According to Zeins, if you hear someone breaking in, grab your keys and hit the alarm button.
If that doesn’t work—as would be the case for many people whose cars are out of range for their key fobs and/or in locations like parking garages that likely wouldn’t have any impact on the crime—grab the wasp spray, Zeins' higher-range Mace alternative.
Another tip: sleep with all your bedroom doors open so you can hear everything better.
And finally, in the worst-case scenario, explained Zeins, the best thing to do is treat your invaders “like royalty”:
“You tell them exactly where it is. You want to get them out of there as quickly as you can,” he said. “Remember, treat them like royalty. On top of that, you don’t want to lie to them.”
