Editor's Note: We’ve spent some time recently exploring the problem of bystander apathy and the battle against the “stop snitching” culture. While we continue to hold community leaders accountable for keeping us safe, we took a moment to talk to two of our safety experts about some of the most basic ways individuals matter.

A 15-year-old girl was gang raped on the campus of Richmond High School in Northern California.

AC360°

AC360°'s Alyssa Caplan asked Phil Messina, President of  Modern Warrior Inc., and Lou Palumbo, Retired Law Enforcement Agent & Director of Elite Intelligence and Protection Agency, for their thoughts on the topic.

We all saw the disturbing story play out this summer of two police officers following their intuition leading to the release of kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard. We’ve also recently seen a catastrophic failure of human behavior in the sickening gang rape that took place a few weekends ago at Richmond High. Everyday, in every corner of the country, people’s worlds collide in big and small ways. What are some simple steps the average citizen can take to be a "Good Samaritan?"

LOU: Be vigilant; be aware or mindful of your environment and those in it. Be prepared with a plan to react to an incident, for example, understanding the need to call 911 immediately, employ the practice of yelling “FIRE”…..it always attracts attention. Remember to use your cell phone to help identify those involved in an incident.

PHIL: SPEAK UP! Be a great observer, notice details. If you’re on the fence about what to do, ask yourself, “If not me, then who; if not now, then when?” Learn how to protect yourself and in doing so, you learn how to protect others and from there on in, the choice is yours. We have a saying at Modern Warrior: “Your Survival Begins And Ends WithYou.” It’s the first thing we tell the students who come to our school. It comes down to making a choice – are you going to put your destiny in the hands of others or are you going to keep it in your own?

How long does it normally take cops to respond to a 911 call? Is there anything else you can do to be an ally to the victim while waiting for the cops to arrive?

LOU: There is no boiler plate response time. Many factors influence the response time. A reasonable response time in my opinion should be a minute or two.

PHIL: It depends on where you live and the frequency and locations of other calls as for response time. In places like New York City, it could be a few minutes; in more rural areas, it could be much longer. Keep in mind, if NO ONE alerts the police, response time doesn’t matter. In that case, you could be an ally by pretending that the police are coming or that help is on the way or by addressing the assailant(s) by what they are wearing. For example, “Hey, you in the yellow shirt…” thereby letting them know you are a potential witness. You can even yell toward a window, if even as a ruse, to “Get the shotgun” or to “Let the dogs out.”

Let's flip this around for a second. If you are the victim of a crime, and there are several people in proximity, is there anything you can do or say to help mobilize assistance?

LOU:You can ask them to call the police, Yell FIRE yourself and also attempt to flee,

PHIL: The trick is to be aggressive and to sound like you’re winning, even if you feel like you are not at the moment. Very often, bystanders will offer assistance if they feel the personal risk is less or if they feel they can turn the tide in the battle.

What are some things people should be asking themselves in those split seconds when their lives collide with someone else’s who is in danger?

LOU: What you should be asking yourself is, "What would I like my expectations to be if I were in trouble?”

PHIL: My colleague and friend Lt. Col. Dave Grossman likes to say that human society consists of three types of people: wolves, sheep and sheepdogs. I believe that as the population grows, each generation brings us a higher percentage of wolves and sheep while the percentage of sheepdogs keeps getting lower. This is because many of our so-called leaders and role models tend to be admired for their lack of character as opposed to their integrity, ethics or courage. People should ask themselves how they would feel if the intended victim was their mother, daughter, wife, a family member or a friend, not a stranger and they should then remember that this IS any of the above to someone else who isn’t there to help in that moment.