A woman who intends to survive a criminal attack should think about and practice actions for protecting herself, according to Escambia County Sheriff Grover Smith.

Smith, speaking to the Canoe Study Club in the home of club member Judy Branum in Atmore on Tuesday, Oct. 18, said knowledge is important in staying safe because “knowledge is power.”

A woman should put her knowledge about protecting herself into practice so it becomes second nature, Smith said. He told the clubwomen, “you will not handle well what I tell you unless you think about it beyond this afternoon.”

The sheriff suggested some specific self-protection actions to the clubwomen.

“The number one thing that women are taught from an early age is to kick a man in his groin. The number one thing every young man is taught is to protect his groin,” Smith said.

As an alternative, Smith suggested targeting an attacker’s throat. He demonstrated with one club member how a woman, no matter how much weaker she is than her attacker, can forcefully stick her finger into the front of a person’s neck.

“If you can crush the guy’s larynx, he’ll be flopping around, not worrying about you,” Smith said.

As a second alternative, Smith and a club member demonstrated how a woman can forcefully use her thumbs to pop out an attacker’s eyeballs.

Smith said, “How much do you want to live? If you want to live, you’ve got to be willing to do what’s necessary.”

He said, “You carry your own concealed weapons — the fingers and thumbs and their nails.”

Also, a woman likely has her “already paid-for, personal alarm system,” the sheriff said. That alarm is her cell phone.

When walking to her car, a woman might dial 911 and put her finger on the “send” button without pressing it.

“If some big guy walks out from behind your car toward you, hit ‘send.’ He’s going to hear someone say, ‘911. What’s your emergency?'” Smith said.

The woman should try to give her location to the 911 operator and ask for help.

“Even if a woman is only in her yard, she should carry her cell phone,” Smith said.

Discussing other protection tactics, Smith said if a woman can vomit on herself and her attacker, or if she wets her pants, she is providing a deterrent.

He said, “Which would I rather have? I’d rather subject myself to these indignities than suffer the indignity the attacker will impose upon me.

“If a woman chooses to beg for mercy, she simply is fueling an attacker’s intent to rape or kill her,” Smith said. “Begging is not a plan.”

Smith said resistance is always a good option. He used the example of an attacker attempting to force the victim into a vehicle.

“I strongly believe you never should go with him,” Smith said. “If you’re in a parking lot, you just collapse, scream or whatever you’ve got to do. It’s going to be tough for him to load you in the car with you completely limp. Get in the car with him, and he’ll take you somewhere he can do what he wants with you at his leisure.”

Presenting another tactic, Smith said a woman who is fearful of a man approaching her can use her belongings as a deterrent. If the attacker actually grabs for her or her purse, the woman can be prepared by grabbing the bottom of her purse and scattering the contents as widely as she can and then running Smith said.

“If he’s after your billfold, he’ll have to make a choice.”

Smith was candid about the importance of self-protection.

“Let me be honest with you. There are 22 deputies, including me. There are 39,000 people in this county,” he said. “Escambia County does not have enough deputies to prevent crime against every person. Too often law enforcement officials have the task of trying to catch criminals after a crime. That’s not going to do you any good. We don’t want the crime to happen to begin with. Take responsibility. Save your own life.”