FAIRMONT — Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff are simple yet foundational truths that underpin our rights as human beings.

Unfortunately, not everyone likes to abide by these principles, as evidenced by an attempted abduction in Blue Earth on Friday.

According to the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office, a woman from Corpus Christi, Texas, was walking a trail at the eastbound I-90 rest area where she encountered a man who attempted to grab her. Fortunately, she was able to fend off her would-be attacker. But the event begs the question of what people can do to protect themselves while still being able to enjoy some alone time outdoors.

Fairmont Chief of Police Mike Hunter provided some answers.

“We always preach, in any of our trainings, we always talk about situational awareness,” he said. “We always want to talk to people about knowing their surroundings, seeing what’s not normal in a routine.

“Say you’ve been down a path or sidewalk several times, what’s different this time? Whether it’s vehicles, people, sounds or smells, anything that gets you thinking about what is different about those surroundings. It could be going into a local business, or gassing up your car. Another person may not be gassing up their car, but be very interested in what you’re up to.”

Hunter also recommends high levels of communication between family, friends and co-workers.

“If you’re going to be out and about, bring a friend with, make sure your cell phone is charged up and let people know where you’re going to be going,” he said. “Sometimes people go out for a long run, but [for example] if it’s a family member, I know where they’re going, their route, and I know about what time they’re going to be back. Having that communication is always a positive thing.”

Still, confrontations cannot always be avoided. Hunter says the best thing to do for those unavoidable situations is to be prepared.

“We always stress that if confronted, understand and have a plan,” he said. “Plan that if you’re out on a run and if someone is following you, pay attention to if they are on foot, a bike or in a vehicle.

“[Ask yourself] what are my options? Are there open businesses that I can go into, or is there a residence that I know a friend may or may not be home? Have that contingency plan so that if something does happen, you have the options to keep yourself safe.

“It’s not about being paranoid, but being prepared. That’s where the focus should be.”

Hunter notes that such contingency plans should be not be overly complicated, but simple and useful. He also notes that the ubiquitous nature of technology is a benefit with people always having access to a phone, and thus 911. But he notes that it all falls back on looking around and being aware of things.

“We need to have conversations with our kids and significant others,” he said. “We have a thing where if I’m out with my family and I have person approach me who I’ve had recent enforcement contact with, I have a phrase I say to my family and they move away and know that we’ll meet at the car. But again, we’re not paranoid, we’re prepared, and that’s what we need to focus on.

“If people are interested, we used to do security evaluations of people’s residences. For example, do I lock my doors at night, do I have bushes that people can be hiding in, and do I have a clear field of vision when I walk out of my house?

“So those are some of the things we can give suggestions for. We can look at door locks because some out of the box door locks are not the best. We can look at a lot of things for people’s residences, and we’re more than happy to talk to them about it.”

Finally, Hunter reiterates that situational awareness is key, not just at work or out for a walk, but at all places at all times.

“Having the confidence of knowing your surroundings is always a good thing,” he said.