Safety tips: How joggers can protect themselves from potential robbers
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The attack on a jogger in southwest Houston has us looking at different ways you can protect yourself while out and about alone.
Nowadays, there are all kinds of tools that not only are discreet, but affordable.
"I think there are things I can do to step up my vigilance. I'm careful about watching. I don't ever run with headphones or any of that," victim Marie Wehrung said.
RELATED: Woman shares chilling encounter with armed robbers while jogging in SW Houston
We went by Central Spy Shop to see how joggers like Wehrung could improve their security while jogging.
"Probably the easiest thing to go to first would be your pepper sprays and pepper gels. We have lots of different options and kinds," Keely Parrish explained.
The gels are highly recommended because you don't have to worry about a spray-back if it's windy.
"Most of them will go about 10 to 16 feet with their spray. They all have UV dye in them, so under black light, you can see who got sprayed," Parrish said.
Stun guns were also highly recommended, but you have to have skin contact for them to actually work.
The stun guns are lightweight and come in inconspicuous designs, like an iPhone or flashlight.
"Then we have the actual Tasers. So these are the ones you put the cartridges in. It releases the prongs that go into someone," Parrish said.
There are also batons and belts with hidden blades, among other things. No matter what you choose to arm yourself with, experts believe something is better than nothing.
"I think even if you don't feel vulnerable or small, you should definitely have something on you at all times. You never know in situations like that. If it's your normal routine, your normal jog, your normal walk, your senses aren't always up quite as much. You kind of get used it and may not pay as much attention," Parrish said.
