Steps You Can Take to Protect Yourself and Encourage Safety in Midtown Houston

You can’t control what a stranger may do that could threaten your safety, but you can be as prepared as possible.

Take advantage of these tips to stay safe:

Personal Safety in Midtown Houston

How to Avoid a Mugging

What can you do to avoid being mugged? The number one thing you can do is to keep moving when you are traveling from point A to point B on foot or by bike. It’s a simple principle: a moving target is much harder to corner.

Common ploys thieves use are to single out a victim and ask them a general question such as the time. By doing so, they’ve brought you to a more vulnerable position.

Thieves seek the path of least resistance, which often means they choose targets based on age and likelihood to scream. As such, seemingly less vulnerable men may still be at risk because they are less likely to cause a scene.

Protecting Yourself From Thieves

If you’re trapped and can’t avoid the mugging, consider how much resistance is safe. You’re better off giving up your wallet, purse or other belongings and keeping your physical body from harm. If you intend to use mace, have it in your hand at the ready while walking.

Another common prevention tactic is to seem unpredictable. It could help to talk to yourself, gesticulate, wave and generally move or behave strangely.

Muggers prefer to strike when you are distracted, for example when you are thinking about safety while you cross the street. They also favor areas of easy ambush, which is why you may be safer in the middle of a dark street rather than near the walls.

For Emergencies

For emergencies, please dial 911. If you experience issues like street light outage, curbside rubbish or debris, report it on our SeeClickFix app. By sending reports via SeeClickFix, you can share with Midtown Houston exactly what is going on in the neighborhood for future planning.  SeeClickFix is not to be used to report public safety or police concerns.

See our What to Know Where to Go for additional details on how to report concerns.

For more public safety resources in Midtown Houston, click here.