Escondido CA— The North San Diego County Association of Realtors (NSDCAR), a trade group for San Diego-area realtors, will present “Safety Awareness and Self Defense for Realtors,” a class from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Wednesday, March 21, at the NSDCAR Escondido Service Center, 1802 S. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Topics will include danger clues, situational awareness and how to analyze neighborhoods, as well as tools for self-defense and safety techniques.

The class will be taught by retired Lt. Al Owens, Escondido Police Dept. Owens is a past recipient of the Escondido Police Dept.’s Police Officer of the Year award in 2003 and 2009. The former U.S. Marine with more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement has taught safety awareness, self defense and survival tactics to more than 4,000 people in his career. Owens’ “Child Safety Academy” has instructed more than 1,000 children ages 6 to 18 on various topics, including calling 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency, drug awareness, gang avoidance, anti-bullying, gun safety and anti-kidnapping drills.
Owens said real estate professionals can find themselves in personal danger every day as a result of typical, everyday activities, such as meeting new clients, showing properties, hosting open houses and driving strangers in their car. He said realtors are at risk from sexual assault, stalking by predators, robbery and bodily injury.
Among Owens’ safety tips: Never enter foreclosed or vacant homes by yourself; Meet prospective clients at a public location having collected personal information on the prospect ahead of time; Let potential buyers take the lead when walking through homes with the realtor walking behind; Never leave a purse, laptop or wallet on a kitchen counter in plain view during an open house (thieves often will work as a team and distract an agent while their partners steal valuables during an open house).
Admission to the class is free for members and $10 for nonmembers. The class is approved to apply towards Risk Mitigation Specialist certification. To RSVP and for more information, visit www.nsdcar.com/education, or call (760) 734-3971.