National media has recently cast a spotlight on a troubling trend - groups of teenagers assaulting bystanders as a violent game of one-upmanship. But how much of this reporting is real, and how much is just media hype?
East Haven, CT -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/05/2013 -- LJB Security Training is a Connecticut-based security school where candidates of various proficiency levels can take a range of security courses: correctional officer skill improvement, Management of Aggressive Behavior, and the most popular course - CT security license training.
LJB also writes on various topics that pertain to security and crime, mostly centered around Connecticut. Our latest article talks about the so-called "knockout game" - a crime trend that has caused much consternation in media and law enforcement. The game consists of groups of thrill-seeking teenagers competing to see who can knock out an innocent bystander with one punch; hence, the name.
This is a twist on "wilding" attacks, where bystanders would be accosted and simply assaulted, without the score-keeping that goes with the "knockout game."
New Haven, no stranger to wilding incidents in previous years, has seen a spate of assaults on passersby in 2013 that media was quick to ascribe to the new antisocial game. Notably, an incident where an auto mechanic out to test-drive a scooter on a busy street ended up suffering a blow from behind, crashing and sustaining non-trivial injuries.
However, a closer look casts doubt on many such incidents. The scooter attack, for instance, was witnessed by neither the victim nor bystanders, and there is still doubt as to what exactly happened.
Other incidents are easier to classify - our article mentions a 30-something medical researcher who was struck in the face by a teen, while the latter's friends watched; the group then ran away, laughing. The attack, as many like it, was so abrupt that even the victim's martial arts training failed to help him.
Even this was relatively mild compared to a rash of assaults that were committed within a couple of days, with some separated by mere hours; police believe that this was the work of a single group, perhaps with members taking turns in the "competition."
Not all towns have reported similar incidents. Our article takes an overview of the experience of other cities around the U.S., with many cops only hearing of the "knockout game" from reporters' queries. While some police departments do report incidents that are unquestionably tied to the "knockout game" (in some instances, from the words of the suspects themselves), others scoff at the idea. It remains to be seen if this is a genuine public safety hazard that will show itself in more parts of the country, or just a reprehensible fad among a small number of individuals that will peter out as they get bored or arrested.
You can read more at our original article; if you are interested in a career in private security, click through to the LJB site and reserve your CT state guard card class today.
Contact info:
Louis Bonito
LJB Security Training, 58 Renshaw Dr.,
East Haven, CT-06512, (203) 907-6594
http://www.ljbsecuritytraining.com