Texas Crime Victims Clearing House Victim's Informer Newsletter

A Sense of Safety - Vital Information

09/07/2012

A Sense of Safety
by Angie McCown, Director
September/October 2012
TDCJ Victim Services Division

As we wind down the summer and look toward the fall, I am struck by the mass shootings that have occurred in the last few months. Each of you reading the Victims' Informer have been impacted by violent crime either directly or indirectly, and although a single act of violent crime is devastating to those impacted by it, a mass shooting sends ripples across the world. The media takes us to those scenes, and places us in the midst of the loss, fear, anguish, and horror that the victims, their families, and communities are experiencing. I know that although I was not directly impacted by the shootings in Aurora, Colorado; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; or College Station, Texas; I felt a deep sense of loss for those communities and a heightened sense of awareness regarding my safety and the safety of my family, friends, and co-workers.

Those of us who work in the criminal justice field or who have been a victim of violent crime understand that a random senseless act of violent crime can happen to anyone at anytime; however, it does not mean that we should not seek ways to increase our sense of safety. I was recently introduced to an active shooter awareness video created by the City of Houston Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security that provides important steps individuals can take if they encounter an active shooter.

The video is titled, Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving an Active Shooter Event, and it can be found on the City of Houston Mayor's website at www. houstontx.gov/mayor or on YouTube at http://youtu.be/5VcSwejU2D0. The video depicts a shooter in the work place and offers information on how to evaluate the situation and consider options that may increase the chance of safety and survival. I hope you will find it to be helpful.

On another note, I mentioned in the last issue of the Victims' Informer that TDCJ Victim Services had planned to dedicate this issue to Remembering Suzanne McDaniel and her endless contributions to the Victim Services field. We have decided that it would be more fitting to do this Victims' Informer issue in April during National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

Please submit stories, comments, and/or photos for consideration to [email protected]. tx.us or mail copies to the Texas Crime Victim Clearinghouse, 8712 Shoal Creek Blvd. Suite 265, Austin, TX 78757.

September 25 is the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims

Link to entire newsletter:
http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/documents/Victims_Informer_Current.pdf




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