Prepared Not Scared: Your Go-To Guide for Staying Safe in an Unsafe World

by Bill Stanton

Overview

The ultimate guidebook for protecting yourself and your family from the terrifying dangers surrounding us all written by Bill Stanton, arguably the nation’s most recognized and respected expert in personal security and protection.

What do a CIA spy, FBI cyber-security expert, EMT, firefighter, thoracic surgeon, NYPD police chief, pastor, attorney, Secret Service psychologist, and a Special Forces Green Beret have in common? Two things: Like you, they all care about the safety and security of their families. And they all look to Bill Stanton for the practical, life-saving tips and advice that can help them prepare for the worst.

In Prepared Not Scared, author Bill Stanton has amassed more than 500 years of combined security experience and advice through his connections with world-class experts in criminology, psychology, military science, self-defense, technology, and emergency preparedness. But Prepared Not Scared is no dense, plodding textbook. It moves rapidly, with dramatic storytelling, fascinating expert interviews, practical street-smart advice, and Stanton’s own brand of no-hold’s-barred humor.

Peppered with useful tips, actionable bullet points, and factoids, the book is both an entertaining read and an easy-to-use reference manual that will help you understand and incorporate the advice into your daily life. With each chapter you read, you will increase your chances of protecting yourself from ever becoming a victim of:

• Child abduction
• Home invasion
• Active shooter situations
• Identity theft
• Terrorism
• Sexual assault
• Pet injury or abduction
• Con jobs
• School violence
• Workplace harassment
• Opioid abuse
• Drug addition
• Auto safety and security
• Cyber crime
• Personal security breaches
• Deception
• Muggings

With Stanton’s help, you’ll also learn how to quickly identify the bad guys and know exactly how to react in potentially dangerous situations. In all, Prepared Not Scared will give you peace of mind and the confidence of knowing that you have all the tools and knowledge you need to survive and thrive in these trying, sometimes, terrifying times.

Praise for Prepared Not Scared

"The second best thing to having Bill Stanton personally watch your back is to buy his fantastic new book, Prepared Not Scared." —Sylvester Stallone

"Prepared Not Scared brings attention, clarity, and empowerment in the uncertain times of fear, distress, and danger. A must-have book in today's world." —Bill Bratton, former NYPD commissioner and LAPD police chief

"Prepared Not Scared—the title speaks for itself. Bill brings awareness and an important understanding of how to make changes that can significantly improve our chances in a life-threatening situation." —Dr. Drew Pinsky, board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist, and media personality

"In my career I've reported on shocking crimes—from terrorism to murder cases, kidnappings and beyond—many of which dominated headlines around the world. I've interviewed both perpetrators and victims, and it has always left me with the same question: How could crimes like these have been avoided? Prepared Not Scared provides real answers, giving practical advice on how to stay safe while helping us better understand the way bad guys think. MUST READ." —Megyn Kelly, TV broadcaster

"No one wants to be a victim and the best way to keep from becoming one is to know what to do in advance. At Inside Edition, we often rely on Bill Stanton to show our viewers ways to stay safe in all kinds of potentially dangerous situations. Now his readers have a resource to time-tested advice to protect themselves and their loved ones." —Deborah Norville, anchor, Inside Edition

"Working and training with friends and Martial Arts icons like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, I've spent my life teaching karate and how to best protect oneself. Bill's book does the same. It's like getting a Black Belt for your mind." —Bob Wall, legendary martial arts master, actor, author of Who's Who in Martial Arts

For more than 20 years, Bill Stanton has been one of the best known security analysts in the nation, offering practical and easy to execute tips. Now with Prepared Not Scared he uses that expertise to show how some basic planning and strategy, not fear, can keep you and your family safer. Who wouldn't want that? " —Dan Abrams Esq., founder, Law and Crime Network

"We all seem to daily face the looming threats of terrorism, gun violence, and personal attack—and as a doctor, I can confidently say that basic first aid education has woefully failed to keep up with our current challenges. Prepared Not Scared tackles medical emergencies head-on in a realistic, actionable way. Read this cover to cover to boost your confidence and know-how in any medical crisis." —Dr. John Spears, D.O., special forces veteran, counter-insurgency expert, and spinal surgeon

"Prepared Not Scared should be in every home. From protecting your online identity to detecting deception, this book tackles new, modern, and current quandaries in American security. This is not your mother's safety guide. Read it yourself, then share it with your loved ones." —Phil Houston, CEO, QVerity and a 25-year CIA veteran, and co-author of The New York Times bestsellers Spy the Lie and Get the Truth

"Prepared Not Scared is a much-needed addition to American bookshelves everywhere. Just as threats change, our reactions need to adapt, too. The book you hold in your hands is the update we all desperately need to correct what we were taught in school and by our parents. Prepared Not Scared is modernized common sense, filled with smart, quick tips for staying safe and secure, whatever the day brings." —Dan O'Connor, founder of The O'Connor Group, 26-year CIA veteran and former CIA chief administrator of U.S. facilities in Europe, and Central and South America

"In my professional life as an attorney handling many headline cases that play out on the nightly news and front pages of America, I can't think of having a better investigator than Bill Stanton by my side. In my personal life handling the safety and security of my family, it's his book, Prepared Not Scared." —Joe Tacopina Esq.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940358369
Publisher:	Galvanized Media
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	432,396
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Bill Stanton, "AMERICA'S BODYGUARD," is a world-renowned authority on personal security, a private detective, and an executive protection expert. He has appeared as a safety and security contributor to NBC's Today show and ABC's Good Morning America. Mr. Stanton is a former New York City Police Officer. He lives and works in New York, New York.

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

This book may save your life.
Or the lives of those you care most about – your children, your parents, your spouse, an aunt or uncle.
Or even the lives of complete and utter strangers—fellow passengers on a plane, happenstance commuters on a train, a passing pedestrian, or other guests at a restaurant or—if you’re a born-and-raised New Yorker like me – the local neighborhood bodega.

The point is not to scare you—If you’ve picked up this book, chances are you are all too aware of just how unsafe our world has become. Whether you are at home checking your social media accounts or abroad traveling for work or vacation, you quite simply are neither safe nor secure. Many of you reading this may have already experienced an attack on your own safety—from petty theft to sexual assault. Or, just by watching the nightly news, you’ve realized the routine you take for granted could be gone in an instant.

Let’s review a few sobering factoids. A person is robbed in America every 2 seconds. An aggravated assault takes place every 41 seconds. An innocent person is murdered every 34 minutes. There’s a rape every 4 minutes. A home is burglarized every 15 seconds. Violent crime is showing signs of RISING. And those are just crimes of malicious intent—what about building safety, street safety, car safety? What about broad based attacks? And what about simple accidents?

From tragedies as shocking as mass, unpredictable shootings, to the common threat of our everyday internet use facilitating identity theft at never-before-seen rates, let’s face it: You are under threat of attack every single day. I wrote this book to help you mitigate what I see as ever-growing threats.

Every victim, when they walked out their door on the morning that changed their life and brought them pain, never anticipated what would happen to them that day—and just maybe, they didn’t know how to react or what to do at the moment their lives changed forever.

The fact is that in this day and age, you need to walk around prepared. You need to get into your car prepared. You need to enter your workplace prepared. You can’t afford NOT to be prepared. We need a guidebook, a user’s manual for making it through another day in this modern world— a world that can be terrifying.

For some of you, putting the basics of this book into practice will mean that moment will never come for you. For others, you can follow every rule to the letter and malicious intent or a tragic accident will still befall you. The question is: will you be able to rise to the challenge and do everything you possibly can when danger strikes?

After you read this guide, you will walk through life prepared, not scared. This book identifies where you’re at risk—and then tells you how to best mitigate those risks with advice from the top experts in the field. I know of no other effort to bring together the insights and tips of so many experts. The book you hold in your hands today provides you with cutting-edge advice for a broad range of scenarios—as a reference you can use over and over again.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Why This Book, Why Now 16

Chapter 1 Home Sweet Home Security: The Importance of Preventive Security 25

Stanton Story 27

Home Security Questions 29

Know Your Burglar Types 32

Season, Time, and Duration 33

High-Risk Entry Points 34

Moderate-Risk Entry Points 39

Stanton Story 40

Worst-Case Scenario: You're Home, and So Are the Bad Guys 41

Expert Interview Dan O'Connor 51

Ninja Tips: Easy Actions fora More Secure Home 59

Street Smarts: Cars and Gates 60

Cop Crib Notes: What Do Law Enforcement Professionals Do To Take Home Security to the Next Level? 61

Chapter 2 Home Safety: The Key to Protecting Your Family Is Planning 67

Stanton Story 68

Home Medical Emergencies Checklist 69

Family Planning 70

Expert Interview Dr. Raja Flores 73

Stanton Story 82

Hmep: Your Home Medical Emergency Plan 83

Fire Safety Checklist 87

Home Pool Safety Checklist 89

Home Poisoning Safety Checklist 90

Stanton Story 91

Extreme Weather Safety Checklist 93

Chapter 3 Your Personal Safety: Self-Defense & When To Use It 97

Stanton Story 101

But First, You Need to Know … 105

Expert Interview Dan O'Connor 105

Ninja Tips From Dan O'Connor: Before You're Attacked, Read These Questions 109

Tips and Tricks 107

Bad Guy Pov: Who are They Looking For 111

Expert Interview Sam Arrowood 111

Expert Interview Dr.John Spears 111

Bad Guy Pov: Why You Need a Flashlight if You Have a Firearm in Your Home 119

Chapter 4 Staying Safe In The Workplace: Avoid Danger on the Job-From Harassment to Terrorism 123

Stanton Story 124

But First, You Need To Know… 126

Bad Guy Pov: Behind the Scenes of Sexual Harassment 129

Expert Interview Jessica Ramirez 130

Street Smarts: Violent Attack at Work 135

Chapter 5 Security In Cyberspace: The Final Frontier … For The High Tech Criminal 139

Stanton Story 140

But First, You Need to Know … 144

Expert Interview Robert Strang 144

Street smarts: Don't Store Info Online 147

Ninja Tips For Social Media Platforms 147

Bad Guy Pov From Robert Strang: The Hackers Who Are Out to Get You 153

Chapter 6 Traveling Safely: Prep for Unique Hazards of Being Away from Home 155

Stanton Story 157

But First, You Need to Know… 159

Expert Interview Conan Bruce 163

Ninja Tips: Don't Let a Vacation Relax Your Security 172

Street Smarts: Keep Trusted Allies in the Loop 174

Cop Crib Notes: Uber, Lyft, and Ride-Sharing Apps 174

Expert Interview Mike Keane 175

Chapter 7 Protecting & Preparing Children: It's Your Most Important Duty as a Parent 183

Stanton Story 184

But First, You Need to Know… 187

Street Smarts: Identifying Suicidal Thoughts In Kids and Teens 189

Expert Interview: Dr. Marisa Randazzo 190

Ninja Tips From Dr. Marisa Randazzo: How to Talk About Terrifying Events in the News-or Scary Events at Home 197

Cop Crib Notes From Pastor Wayne Francis: "A Conflict Delayed Is a Conflict Escalated" 199

Expert Interview Marilyn Chinitz, Esq. 199

Spy Secrets From Marilyn Chinitz: Divorce Proceedings Could "Take the Roof Off of Your Home" 206

Expert Interview Pastor Wayne Francis 207

Stanton Story 210

Expert Interview Darrin Porcher 214

Chapter 8 Countering Terrorism: Be Aware and Safe in Soft Target Areas 219

Stanton Story 220

But First, You Need to Know … 222

Ninja Tips from conan Bruce: Look for What Normal Looks Like, Because Not Normal Could Be a Big Problem 224

Spy secrets from Dr. John Spears: It's Safe to Assume Your Communication Is Being Monitored 225

Expert Interview Dr. John Spears 227

Bad Guy Pov: Who is the Typical Terrorist? 234

Chapter 9 Car Safety: Hot Wheels and Cold Steals 237

Stanton Story 238

But First, You Need to Know… 239

Expert Interview Thomas Ruskin 240

Ninja Tips: Parking and Entering 247

Bad Guy Pov: Preventing Car Theft 248

Cop Crib Notes: See Your Trunk as Your Utility Belt 248

Chapter 10 Detecting Deception: What Lies Ahead … Believing Can Be Quite Deceiving 251

Stanton Story 252

But First, You Need to Know… 255

Street Smarts: Fine-Tuning Your "B.S." Radar 256

Chapter 11 Interacting with Law Enforcement: Lesson One: Put Yourself in the Cop's Shoes 261

Stanton Story 262

But First, You Need to Know… 264

Expert Interview: A High-Ranking Officer in the NYPD 265

Street Smarts: What Not to Say to a Police Officer if You Want to De-escalate 268

Cop Crib Notes: An Officer Approaches Your Car. Here's What to Do… 269

Chapter 12 Illicit Drugs: What to Do When They Enter Your Life 275

Stanton Story 276

But First, You Need to Know… 278

Expert Interview Dr. Dane Fitzgerald 280

Chapter 13 Pets: When the Going Gets Ruff Ruff… Pet Safety and Security 283

Stanton Story 284

But First, You Need to Know… 286

Expert Interview Steve Dilier 287

Expert Interview Officer Ted Dahlin 292

Expert Interview Dr. Richard Jakimer 294

Chapter 14 Looking Forward: The Future of Safety and Security 299

Acknowledgments 301