Sexual Predator(s) on Arlington Trails

I realize that headline sounds alarmist, but I don't know how else to put it, that's exactly what's been happening lately. It's unclear if the three recent attacks have been by the same person, you can draw your own conclusions.  First this article from March 12th

[Two attacks were by] a man on a bicycle who rides past his victim and gropes women on the [W&OD and Custis] trails.

Police said, although both attacks are alarming, they indicate what can become of a busy time on local paths. They said, with longer days and warmer nights again, foot traffic will increase and so will crime.Police said the assailant poses a threat, but women can help minimize their risk.With stepped up patrols planned for the Ballston area, police said trails are safe and caution shouldn't turn to concern

Then on the 17th

Police are investigating after a woman was abducted and sexually assaulted on a bike trail in Arlington Sunday.Police said the 37-year-old woman was walking on the bike trail behind Barcroft Park in the 4100 block of South Four Mile Run Drive at about 1:30 p.m.

The weird thing is I was on that trail at the time (but not that section). It was a bright sunny (though windy) day. It gives me the creeps. As the article points out that is the third serious assault on that trail in 2 years. All I can say is be careful out there.

More

Police are calling a recent sexual assault in an Arlington Park an isolated incident, but are still advising women not to exercise alone.

Comments

[Ren]

Wow, thanks for making me aware of this. My personal view is that I get a little tired of the admonition that women not exercise alone. How realistic is that? Further, not that it would have prevented the assault, and really, not even sure I want it, but I have never seen police in Arlington patrolling on bicycle.

[gwadzilla]

the police advice is flawed...

if there were more people exercising alone
then there would be less vacant stretches of trail
which would allow for less opportunity

not using the trail is not the resolve

stop the criminal
not the person trying to get a work out

[Melissa Esposito]

Yet another lovely example of a variation of blaming the victim. How about fostering an anti-rape culture so all people can use public areas without feeling vulnerable?

A friend of mine has also been groped on the trail, and it's definitely an attack that isn't taken seriously enough.

[MB]

This pisses me off so much. I look at these trails with the same possessiveness that, well, probably a lot of you feel, also. They're something I want everyone to enjoy, whether on a group ride or in the solitary circumstances of the early AM. And when I hear that some asshole is ruining it for everyone . . . gah. I suppose violence is not the answer, but it sure inspires that feeling.

[LDR]

I, too, believe it is highly unrealistic to expect us to buddy up for all training sessions on the trail! Running, especially for the more long distance oriented (marathoners, ultra runners, triaths) is a lonely thing. I run and bike alone about 80% of the time. And I actually prefer to train alone most of the time. It's hard to schedule with others and my running time is my private time.

Being aware to one's surroundings is necessary for all of us. The criminals are very good at sneaking up on the law abiding - and the police are not able to be in all places at all times. I never listen to music when I run (I'm used to Army bases that don't allow headphones while running on roads anyway), I pre-program the police non-emergency numbers and the trail office numbers where I frequently run into my cell phone and I carry it, and when I hear a bicyclist or runner coming up behind me, I make sure that I my head turn around and get a look at who is coming up on me. Criminals are evil but most are not stupid and they prefer an easy mark.

The authorities have to take gropers seriously. I think they do. They know that if the gropers get away with it, some of them may escalate their activities. The Arlington police did a great job notifying women around Ballston when there was a groper several years ago. However, I was bike commuting one day and encountered a slow moving woman pushing a stroller with headphones in. Her music was loud, I could hear it. I tried to ring my bell, to call out to her, so I could pass without startling her. She was frustratingly (to me) oblivious. Finally, I decided to stop and talk to her about safety. She didn't know about the groping man. This, despite a sketch poster of him on every other pole and tree and at the metro and in the coffee shops and yadda yadda yadda. People don't always like when you point out that they are doing something unsafe, but at least she was grateful. Stressed out new mom. Too busy to watch the news at night, so she missed the local news coverage. But hey, if I could get up to her, on a bike, ringing a bell, hollering my presence to all the world, and she could not hear me, then she was unwittingly making herself a target.

We should do our best, but we should all get mad when these crimes happen and demand more attention to them. A lot of the time, despite your best efforts at doing everything right, a bad guy manages to surprise you anyway. It's awful and it's unfair and it should p*ss us all off.

One helpful and totally nonviolent thing you can do is to volunteer to join a local trail patrol. Many trails have them. Most of them are willing to take whatever amount of time you want to donate. Even doing things like notifying trail management about graffiti or piles of beer bottles or people that seem to have taken to loitering around a particular place helps reduce the potential for crimes against fellow trail users. Creeps and criminals don't usually go back to a place where they know they've been observed.

[RC at bArlington]

Any indicate of WHERE these allegedly happed. W&OD to Curtis Trail is a lot of territory.