Using Your Car Alarm as a Protection Device and other Tips

We tend to be a very busy society, but it only takes one lapse in judgment to become another victim of crime

What will you do?

Here are a few car safety tips

• You should always have your car keys ready before you get to your car. It is not safe to stand by your car looking for, or fumbling  with your keys.
• Never ever leave valuables such as your wallet, MP3 Player, GPS System, or packages in plain sight in your car.
• Please keep your car locked at all times. This includes when you are home, or just going to the store to get gas. You should take a second or tow to quickly scan the interior before you get in the car.
• Keep your car in good running condition and avoid running out of gas. This not only saves you money in the long run, but also may save your life.  If you do have car trouble please consider getting an AAA Membership or have a cell phone handy where you can call someone.  Be very cautious of strangers.
• If you are traveling and get lost do not ask a stranger for directions.  Pull into a business such as a gas station or even a fire station if necessary to seek directions.

Using the Car Alarm  Remote

If your car came equipped with a car alarm and a remote, did you know that you can use it as a personal protection device.  If your remote comes equipped with a panic button, always keep your finger on it while you are approaching your car so you can use it instantly to draw attention to urgent situation. One of the Senior Citizens in my church says she uses this feature when she can’t remember where she parked her car. (I’ve done that myself).  This keeps you for wondering around the parking lot, and becoming a potential target.

When you go to bed at night, place your car keys next to your bed.  If you hear a strange noise outside your home or hear someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car alarm. The alarm will be set off and the horn will probably scare of the person, and at least make the neighbors look to see what is happening.

This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or further criminal activity.

By Victor Swindell, owner of PepperEyes.com, a division of Swindell Enterprises. PepperEyes.com is dedicated to assist those people who are unwilling to become a victim and are taking responsibility to protect themselves, their cars, or their possessions with our pepper spray, stun guns, and other personal protection products.

Summer Time and Summer Crime

Looking for something ‘fun’ to do

Summer is almost here and soon school will be out, and families will be going on vacations and then things will become interesting.  If you’ve been following my blog on preventing home break-in and you’ve been doing something to make yourself less a target then you’re a head of the game.

However, while you are planning your vacation, criminals are preparing to go to work in your neighborhood.

According to the FBI crime statistics the crime rates increase between six and sixteen percent, depending on the crime, during the summer. So what makes these months so different from the rest of the year for criminals?  The FBI reports that all crimes rise about 10% during these months, with murder raising about 16% and rape and other violent crimes increase by about 13%. In other words, almost all crimes increase during June, July and August. This includes Home break-ins, vandalisms, and robberies

The not so nice and bored school kids and young adults s get into more trouble with drugs and alcohol, as well as become involved with more incidents of theft and assault. There are many factors that contribute to this.  Summer break means that schools are out and kids have nothing constructive to do. We are no longer the agriculture society we used to be where the youth would work on farms.  For those that live in the city, the odd factory jobs went overseas with the factories. Others believe that the hot days of summer makes some people get agitated more easily and over-react. Tourists are not the only ones becoming victims, but residents like you as well. The heat, the excitement, and perhaps the view of young girls and guys causes some people to forget about common sense safety and precautions such as locking doors and windows of homes and cars. While vacationers have a one-track mind of the beach, criminals have a one-track mind of getting into your house or getting your money.

 So what can you do to protect yourself and your family?  Here are a few tips.

To protect young people (from themselves):

• Have your children observe the curfew hours (if any) or you should set times for them to be home. In my day you had to be in the house before sundown
• Work with other parents to watch the children  in your neighborhood.

To prevent bicycle theft:

• Be sure to secure or lock your bicycle to a stationary object like a tree. The best locking device is a hardened steel u-shaped lock. (It’s best to avoid locks, chains or cables that can easily be cut or broken.)
• Make sure both wheels are locked and remove any accessories that can easily be removed.
• You can Opt to remove the front tire (if it’s easy to do), to make the bike less attrictive

To prevent lawn mower theft:

• Keep the lawn mower in a locked garage or shed. (chained if you have to)

 Yard security:

• Read my previous blogs on Home invasions (for additional information)
• If you’re working in the front yard, lock the back door and garage. If you’re working in the back yard, lock the front door and garage. (yes you can get robbed even when your home)
•  Having a solid fences can prevent neighbors from watching out for each other. Consider chain link or picket type fencing.
  • If you have to have a solid fence. Get a Dog (or Dog sign)
•  Residential lighting should be used to light up home entry points. Motion detector lights are an inexpensive deterrent for areas where continuous lighting is unnecessary.

Other things

• Join your neighborhood watch program and inform your neighbors when you are leaving town and when you are coming back. Ask them to collect your mail and newspapers or have the postal service hold your mail until you return. Old newspapers and piled up mail in the mailbox is the number one sign for burglars that no one is home.
• You can also contact the local police department and let them know you are leaving, and ask for them to keep an eye out around your house.
•  Make sure all of your house doors and windows are locked before leaving and double check them.
• When you’re parked on vacation or just at the grocery store, roll your car windows all the way up and lock you doors. DOUBLE CHECK!
• Don’t have your valuables visible. Lock your cell phones, GPS systems, etc in your glove compartment or truck
• If your out and about as a tourist  in a strange town have your pepper spray.

Take the time to learn what you need to know to help protect yourself, your family and your valuables!

 

SEE ALSO

http://peppereyes.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/the-three-ds-of-home-burglary-prevention/

 

PepperEyes.com is dedicated to providing you with the best and most affordable personal protection products on the market to meet the security needs of you, your family members or your business, by assisting anyone who is unwilling to become a victim of crime.  If you want to take personal responsibility for yourself, your home or your business, purchase our high quality discount personal protection products and arm yourself with the knowledge of the best way to stay secure in an ever-increasing violent world. In today’s society being equipped mentally and physically is no longer an option.

What are you going to do?

 

Only a complete idiot would claim that having a weapon or device for their protection such as a gun, knife, stun gun or pepper spray – is THE solution to all your protective needs. There are many gun owners who are robbed or killed each year. On the other hand it would be just as dumb to think that personal protection devices are of very little value. There are thousands of people who are not victims because they had the right tools at the right time along with the right knowledge to prevent themselves from being victims.

There are a number of variables that come into play such as

• Will you know how to use it properly under stress?
•  Will you have it when you need it?
•  Can you access it quickly?
•  Do you know how to use it effectively?
•  Do you have other self defense knowledge?
•  Are you prepared to do what it takes to save your life or your family’s life?

 The real question is, if you do not do something to prepare NOW, what will you do and when are you going to do it…? Start to protect yourself and your loved ones now!

Lots of my customers have asked me which the best protection product is for them. What are the advantages getting pepper spray?  How  do you use Pepper Spray? Which Stun Gun is best for me? What other things should I be doing? I’m not going to discuss any of it in this blog article, but I would invite you to subscribe to my blog and read and share my posts with your friends.

Are you prepared?

By Victor Swindell, owner of PepperEyes.com, a division of Swindell Enterprises. PepperEyes.com is dedicated to assist those people who are unwilling to become a victim and are taking responsibility to protect themselves, their cars, or their possessions .In today’s society being equipped mentally and physically is no longer an option.

Use what you can to keep yourself safe

You gotta do what you gotta do

“…In a survival conflict s everything at hand should be used including things that are around you, on or with you. Wherever you are everything has the potential to be a defensive weapon. A life threatening situation is a matter of survival and the person being attacked should aim to win by using anything that comes to hand…”

HOME INVASIONS – Part 3 – Defensive strategies – Securing YOUR House (i)

If you Google “Recent Home invasions” You’ll see headlines like

•  Two early morning home invasions may be linked
• Two men are charged in three home invasions
• Gainesville man charged with home invasion robbery
• Home invasion leaves several wounded
• 2 Injured In Groton Home Invasion
• 3-year-old kidnapped in home invasion
• N. Knox Co. Home invasion shooting victim dies

 I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but 1 of every 5 homes will experience a break-in or home invasion this year. This is based on current US Crime Statistics.  That’s over 2,000,000 homes!  Count the number of homes on your street, one of them WILL BE A TARGET. Most people only begin about making their home secure after a burglary has occurred in their neighborhood.  This will include your home, UNLESS you decide to act.

The goal of a series is to introduce you to residential security system countermeasures to reduce your chances of being a criminals  next victim. We gave have been using progressive layers of protection to accomplish this goal. Imagine four concentric circles around your house, with your family and your most valuable possessions at the center. The interior of your home is the second layer, the exterior shell of your home is the third, and the property around your home is the fourth.  In this article, we are going to examine the third layer of your home and things you can do to make it less appealing to a burglar.

 It has been declared that burglars only need about 60 seconds to break into most homes. Recent FBI statistics claim that only one out of every four burglaries involve forced entry. The easiest way for a criminal to get into your house is just to kick-in your door! The FBI says every 12 seconds a home is invaded by going right through the front or back door. Most burglars enter homes through an open or unlocked window or door. By making it more difficult for intruders to get into your residence, you can greatly reduce your chances of being a robbery victim. The more a burglar has to work to get into your home, or the more likely the burglar thinks he may get caught the less chance you have of becoming his victim.

 To establish how secure your home is, think like a burglar. This past weekend I had the chance to just ride around several middle class and upper middle class subdivisions looking at all the things that people do wrong.  If you get a chance just go in your yard and take a good look at your house. From the outside of your home, consider how difficult it would be to break in. If you locked yourself out, could you easily break in or climb in through an unlocked window? If you answered yes, then a burglar could answer yes also. Carefully observe any items or objects in your yard that could offer assistance to a would-be thief. Are there any items lying around your home that could actually entice a burglar? A ladder propped up beside your garage could offer easy access to a second floor window. A tool such as a screwdriver or hammer left outside could be used to break a window or pry open a window or door. A privacy fence or large trees and shrubs could provide cover for a burglar while he attempts to break in.

 Here are some additional tips

• Always lock your doors and gates, even if you have to go just around the corner. Keep your garage closes and locked and also the door that goes from the garage to the house. Secure your sliding glass doors to prevent them from being lifted out of their track.  You may want to have an additional lock on the garage door. A locksmith told me that the standard garage door lock is easy to pick.
  • Be mindful of the types of , locks and padlocks used in securing your doors, garage doors and fence gates. These should be of the best quality. Solid core doors, dead bolts and hardened shackle padlocks should be considered. Depending on the level of threat and on location (e.g., isolated homes), consideration should also be given to installing burglar proofing and security doors/garage doors and reinforced glass where needed. (look at our blog on Lock Bumping)
• Speaking of secure Doors
  •  Choose metal exterior doors. If this is not possible, you should choose a solid wood door instead of a composite one. · Make sure your door hinges are located inside so doors can’t be removed from the outside. · If your mail slot is in your door, make sure a hand can’t reach through the slot to the doorknob or locks.
  • For sliding glass doors, install a device that secures both the sliding and stationary panels of the door by pinning them together where the frames overlap.
  • Most realtors will tell you to change your locks when you move into a new or existing home. You never know who had access to the home or who may still have keys to it.
  • Consider reinforcing your door frames.
• Speaking of secure Windows
  • Don’t use crescent or “butterfly” latches to secure double-hung windows. They can be pried open easily with a knife. Use a do-it-yourself nail or bolt window stop instead. Drill the hole for the stop at a slight downward angle to prevent a burglar from jiggling the pin out of the hole under pressure.
  • Laminated-glass windows, which can only be cut from one side, foil another burglary method: Quietly cutting glass to gain entry. Laminated security glass products may be specified for virtually any application, regardless of concurrent requirements for heat-transfer, visibility, or aesthetics. They are especially appropriate for front-door windows and sidelights.
  • One ill-advised “security” treatment is the application of film to windows. Window films have never passed tests necessary to certify them as resistant to forced entry, and windows with a daylight application of film—one that is unanchored and adhered to the glass surface only—are actually easier to break than their unfilmed counterparts.
  • Windows that are never used—unless they are a means of escape during a fire—should be fastened permanently shut.
  • Consider installing window alarms.
•  Keep skylights closed and locked. This is a common access point for criminals.
• Do not leave ladders or tools lying around your house as these may be used to gain access to your house or apartment.
• Be sure that there are no large trees with branches overhanging your house that could be used by criminals to climb onto the roof or balcony.
• Surveillance is a weapon that may be used against criminals who are less likely to act if their actions can be witnessed. Shrubberies should be trimmed away and large plants and trees avoided (as they provide a hiding place for criminals).  
• Consider fencing your property in such a way that it is possible to see through. Walls or solid fencing provide unlimited cover for criminals once they are in your yard. Don’t forget to add a “Beware of Dog” sign.
• Close your blinds when you are home in order to avoid being observed by potential criminals.
• Avoid putting your name next to street numbers. This will prevent a would-be burglar of looking up your name in the telephone book and using his/her telephone number to check if someone is home. However, the house numbers should be clearly visible for Emergency personal such as police, firemen and paramedics to easily identify your home in an emergency
• Lighting is an important crime deterrent. Your home should be well lit. Consider a combination of photoelectric lighting (which automatically switches itself on at dusk and off at dawn) and motion-sensitive lighting (which switches itself on the instant an intruder steps into its range) to cover strategic areas. Make sure the lights are positioned at a height that intruders cannot easily disable them. Electronic timers that turn internal lights on and off at different times are also a useful crime deterrent. 12·
• Don’t try hide your house key outside under plants or under rugs. If a family member habitually loses or forgets his or her key, develop a better strategy—perhaps giving a set of keys to a trustworthy neighbor, or hanging the key on a long chain that a teen can wear around the neck. There are key hiders, but some are more obvious than others unless you put them where you have the real things.

A home invasions can have extremely serious consequences for the victims. As we cannot expect the police or security to be constantly guarding our properties and us, it becomes necessary for us to take the initiative and adopt defensive strategies to minimize the risk of violent victimization.  

Our Next series will look at what steps to do just in case robbers do make it inside your home.

By Victor Swindell, owner of PepperEyes.com, a division of Swindell Enterprises. PepperEyes.com is dedicated to assist those people who are unwilling to become a victim and are taking responsibility to protect themselves, their cars, or their possessions with our pepper spray, stun guns, and other personal protection products.