Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Want to know how to escape handcuffs made of duct tape or zip ties? Or what to do if someone is following you?
A two-day course called Spy Escape and Evasion features dozens of techniques to keep people safe from criminals. The man behind it, Jason Hanson, is a former CIA operative. The course is not for spies, but meant to empower average citizens.
"I was with the agency for six years, learned some amazing things. It was a wonderful place to work," Hanson said.
He shared some basic survival skills. The first one involved duct tape, which is criminals' top tool, Hanson said. Many people will give up once they're bound by it.
"The secret is to put your elbows as close together as possible. Criminals are going to go around your wrist. They don't go behind your back because you can't get your hands close enough together," he explained.
"The reason criminals go around your wrist ... as you see I'm not super strong. I'm not a big guy. I can sit here all day long. I'm not going to pull it apart," he said.
#poll
"What you do is you bring your hands as high as possible, and you want to bring them down past your hips. So I'll raise my hands up, and then go just like that," he demonstrated on the video.
Hanson said the motion creates an angle much like the one used to rip a piece of Duct Tape off the roll. Arms are pulled apart as they're going down past the hips, makes the angle happen.
A second way to escape duct tape takes less strength: use a table, desk, or a set of stairs.
"All you're doing is you're putting this in the middle, and you're using it like a friction saw. So I'll do it right now, and it will take me two seconds," he said. "The duct tape comes right out."
It may be hard to believe, but Hanson said it's possible to escape zip ties in much the same way as duct tape. Not everyone will be able to do this because zip ties take more strength to escape than duct tape. Also, the lock needs to be in the middle for this trick to work. So, if it's not in the middle, Hanson said teeth can be used to shift it there.
Being followed
If you think someone's following you, for example on a trail or in a parking lot, let that person know that you see them, Hanson said.
What you need to do is to turn to the person, and say, 'Can I help you? Do you need something?' They're like, 'whoa, I'm going to find someone else who isn't as assertive, who is going to be an easy victim.' It's socially awkward to do that, but that's the stuff that saves lives.
–Jason Hanson, former CIA operative
"What you need to do is to turn to the person, and say, 'Can I help you? Do you need something?' They're like, 'whoa, I'm going to find someone else who isn't as assertive, who is going to be an easy victim,'" he said. "It's socially awkward to do that, but that's the stuff that saves lives."
Home safety
Hanson also shared ideas to keep property safer than just leaving the lights on. Start by installing security cameras, even if they're fake.
"They cost around $10 and you can put batteries in them. The lights blink red, so they look real," he said. "Criminals case neighborhoods. They take the time to walk up and down the neighborhood. They say, 'hey, that guy has security cameras, that guy doesn't. I'm going to rob him so I don't get caught on that guy's security cameras.'"
Another easy-to-pull-off trick to fool the bad guys: Put a large dog dish by your door or in your backyard, even if you'd don't have a dog.
"They may not know if you have a dog, but if I'm the burglar, I'm going to say, 'OK I don't know if they have a dog. I know those 10 other guys don't. I'm going to hit their houses. I'm not going to take a chance I'll run into a dog,'" Hanson said.
