Some New Yorkers turning to personal protection devices for peace of mind amid surge in violent crime

By Jessica Moore

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — With a surge in violent crime, many people are concerned about their safety, and for some, having a personal protection device is offering peace of mind.

“I actually got followed by someone for three to five blocks,” 29-year-old Cathryn Mulvey said. “It definitely made me question my safety in the city.”

Now, she carries a personal alarm.

“If I even sense someone coming near me, I will not hesitate to pull this,” she told CBS2’s Jessica Moore.

Pepper spray tops many lists for effective protection devices. In March, more than 500 people lined up for a giveaway in Chinatown to combat anti-Asian violence.

Martial arts expert Dan Anderson agrees it can do the job.

“You don’t have to be a master to use pepper spray. You just have to be able to point it and spray it in that vicinity,” he said.

But Anderson, a nationally recognized self-defense expert, says most valuable is the confidence and expertise that comes from training.

“Someone will walk up to me and tell me that they feel a lot more confident after training,” he said.

He also demonstrated a few other tactics to help keep you safe.

“I would just reach down my pocket and I would grab a handful a change in my hand … and throw the change at their face. And then, of course, I would try to run and get out of the situation,” Anderson said.

But some situations require a more unconventional call for help.

“He came in and he struck me in the mouth,” Christin Wein told CBS2.

Wein says she was being assaulted by her ex and explained she feared an alarm or 911 call would further enflame an already dangerous situation, so all she did was press a button on her bracelet.

Her brother-in-law and others were automatically notified that she was in trouble, along with the police.

The bracelet is called Flare. It’s designed so a small button can alert up to five contacts and 911, and also shows a person’s location.

It was developed by Quinn Fitzgerald and Sara de Zarraga.

“When you’re in trouble, when you’re in an unsafe situation or when you’re in a questionable situation, you can really discreetly get help,” de Zarraga said.

It was their unique perspective that led to the creation of the device. Fitzgerald and de Zarraga are both survivors of sexual assault.

They say there are a multitude of situations that can be handled with a quiet call for assistance.

“College students who are commuting around their campus … Real estate agents who have to go into other people’s homes … Nurses, as well, who interact with patients … Women using online dating for the first time,” de Zarraga said.

It’s Bluetooth-operated. One press of the button can initiate a fake phone call to ease the user out of an uncomfortable situation. Users can select what the call recording will say, from a boyfriend or girlfriend checking in to a friend saying you forgot your wallet.

But a longer press initiates a call for help, notifying a pre-selected group of people, including law enforcement, that there’s a problem.

Fitzgerald and de Zarraga demonstrated with de Zarraga pressing the button on her bracelet.

“I just got a text message from Flare saying that Sarah is in an iffy situation, and it gives me her phone number and it shares her exact location with me,” Fitzgerald explained.

“And this is a call from 911 coming in,” de Zarraga said.

It’s another way to take action to try to recapture some peace of mind.

“We want you to feel confident and comfortable taking action at the first sign of something being off because that’s what is safer for you,” Fitzgerald said.

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