Using Light to Your Advantage

 General, Home Protection, Home Security  No Responses »
May 172013
 

It is the middle of the night and the sound of something crashing to the floor downstairs wakes you up. Or, perhaps wakes up your wife who then shoves your shoulder, saying she heard something. Either way, you need to check things out.

Rule #1 — Don’t turn on your bedroom light, not even a night-light. Doing so will ruin your night vision as well as possibly alert an intruder that you’re on your way.

Rule #2 — Grab a flashlight when you grab your weapon. Not only will the flashlight allow you to see what’s going on when you get downstairs, you can use it offensively. Shine it right in their face to blind them. Another tip is to hold the lit flashlight away from your body. An armed intruder might instinctively shoot at the light.

Rule #3 — Don’t silhouette yourself. Doing so just provides a really nice target outline. Leave the lights in the house off, at least the ones behind you. Ideally, you should walk from darkness into light, not the other way around.

Remember too that you know, or should know, the layout of the home better than any intruder. Try to use that to your advantage as well.

Watch/Guard Dog Training

 General, Home Protection, Home Security  No Responses »
May 152013
 

Bear in mind that while there are many breeds that historically make great guard dogs, canines are as individual as people. We may know the Mayans were brilliant mathematicians but I’m willing to bet there were at least a few of them who couldn’t count to 21 without dropping their shorts. Likewise, you may find yourself owning a German Shepherd that through some genetic quirk happens to have low intelligence. This is why it is important, if purchasing a purebred dog, to visit the breeder’s facilities and see the parents of the puppy you are selecting. However, if you still end up with a dog that doesn’t quite meet your expectations, I am of the strong opinion that owning a dog is a lifetime commitment. Unless there is a genuine safety issue, the dog deserves to have a home where it is welcome, regardless of capabilities. Just like people, dogs can surprise you by performing admirably when it would be least expected.

rottweiller

Whether you are considering a guard dog, a watch dog, or just a canine companion, they all need at least a modicum of training. Your dog should know, at a minimum, basic commands like sit, stay, come, and heel. As you progress through the training, you’ll also want to teach your dog to stop barking once you are alerted to a problem. Doing so will allow you to concentrate on the problem at hand without being distracted by continued barking. Further, there might very well be a time when it will be imperative your dog remains quiet.

One way to teach the “quiet” command is the following. Every time your dog barks, tell it to be quiet, then call the dog over to you. Reward it immediately with praise and a small treat. Keep at it and soon the dog will develop a habit or even a reflex of barking, then going directly to a family member. This, like any other command training, may take time to develop. In the beginning, it may be difficult to get the dog to cease barking long enough to hear and recognize a command to be quiet. If that’s the case, use what trainers call an interrupter. This is a device you can make yourself that will create noise and momentarily distract the dog. It can be as simple as a soda can with a few pebbles in it. If your dog is barking incessantly and won’t respond to you, shake the can briefly.

With the “quiet” command in particular, it is important the command is given in an even and firm tone of voice. Trying to shout over the dog’s noise may cause it to think you are “barking” right along with it. The end result is just more noise from both of you, with nothing accomplished.

Don’t forget to teach your dog a release word. This is the command you’ll give when the dog has completed the tasks you’ve instructed it to do. For example, if you tell your dog to sit and stay, obviously at some point the dog should be released from those commands. When choosing a release word, use something that makes sense to you but is not something that would likely come up in every day conversation, such as “ok.” The reason I mention this is, let’s say you put your dog in the sit/stay command while you’re talking to your spouse. He asks you how work was today and you reply, “It was ok.” The dog hears that and figures it has been released from the sit/stay, even though you weren’t even looking at it.

I highly discourage people from trying to teach their dogs to attack. It can be very difficult to do this effectively without having first received proper training in it yourself. Going it alone on something like that is running a big risk that your dog will bite a family member or innocent visitor to your home. Given that such occurrences can bring criminal charges to the dog owner in many areas of the country, it is something you should work hard to avoid.

Jim is the author of Prepper’s Home Defense. The above article is taken from the book. Prepper’s Home Defense may be found or ordered from anywhere books are sold.

Layers of Security

 General, Home Protection, Home Security  No Responses »
May 132013
 

An effective plan for physical security is like an onion. Layers on top of layers.

onion

For example, let’s say we want to protect a valuable heirloom necklace that has been handed down through several generations. Rather than just rely on any one single method of protecting it, we instead utilize this system of layers.

We first place it in a good, strong safe.

Then, we put that safe in a closet, hidden on the floor behind boxes of old clothes..

The closet is in the basement of the home. We lock the doors and windows of the home when we’re away. We also have two dogs who are left loose in the home, neither of which particularly like strangers.

The home has several motion-sensitive lights on the exterior walls. We have removed concealing bushes and shrubs that were near the windows.

In order for a burglar to steal that necklace, he’ll have to:

1) Get close to the house without being detected.
2) Defeat the locks on a door or window to gain access to the home.
3) Make his way to the basement without being seen or heard by the dogs or in some way mitigate the threat.
4) Find the closet down there and know there’s something valuable inside.
5) Get the safe open and grab the necklace.

We have also taken the steps to document the necklace by several photos in the event it is taken. That way, the police can positively identify it should the necklace turn up during the investigation, whether in someone’s pocket or at a pawn shop.

Layers are important. They should complement one another and work together to create a tight net of protection.

Jim is the author of Prepper’s Home Defense, in which these elements are discussed in great detail. Prepper’s Home Defense may be found or ordered from anywhere books are sold.

Three Stages to any Security Plan

 General, Home Protection, Home Security  No Responses »
May 102013
 

When it comes to home security, whether we’re talking about some sort of post-collapse world or just dealing with run of the mill burglars, there are three distinct stages or parts to an effective security plan.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing the security plan for a Fortune 500 company or just your own home, these three elements must be present in some way for the overall plan to be effective.

Deter

This is the first line of defense, so to speak. You want to at least give the illusion that you don’t have anything that is worth the trouble it will take to get inside. Human beings operate on a risk vs. reward basis for many decisions. If the perceived risk outweighs the anticipated reward, they’ll move on to an easier target. You accomplish this by not looking like a target and keeping your mouth shut about what you may have.

Delay

Anything you can do to increase the length of time it would take for a bad guy to reach their goal, the more time you’ll have to find out they are there and do something about it. Locks and alarms help in this regard as the criminal has to either defeat them somehow or believe they will be faster than your response.

Defend

This stage is last for a reason. If you reach the point where you need to actively and physically defend your home, it means some other portion of your security plan failed in some way. A confrontation (possibly while armed) should not be the goal of a security plan but the option to take when all else has failed.

As you go about devising your home security plan, keep these three elements in mind and make sure you have them each covered.

Jim is the author of Prepper’s Home Defense, in which these elements are discussed in great detail. Prepper’s Home Defense may be found or ordered from anywhere books are sold.

Bait and Switch

 Apartment Security, General, Home Security  No Responses »
May 082013
 

Burglars work on something of a tight schedule, so to speak. They want to get in, grab the goodies, and get out as quickly as possible. In their minds, they want to be in and out within about ten minutes or less. You can take advantage of this by leaving bait for them to snatch, rather than your good stuff.

Thieves want the easy score so give it to them!

One of the first places a burglar will go in the home is the master bedroom. It is a natural tendency for people to store many of their most precious possessions there. This is usually where the good jewelry is found, as well as gun safes. Pick up a decent looking jewelry box at a thrift store, clean it up, and put inside it several pieces of good looking yet totally fake costume jewelry. Don’t overdo it and cram it full. Just a few rings, some bracelets, maybe a necklace or three.

burglar

Better yet, if you happen to come across a small fire safe, the kind that look sort of like a briefcase, leave it unlocked and under your bed. That’s one of the first places they’ll look, of course. They’ll pull it out and open the lid, finding inside a few random coins that you’ve put in protective sleeves as though they are valuable. Maybe some old looking ball cards that are also sealed in plastic? The idea is to put into this safe a few things that look like they’d be valuable but are really just junk.

If you have a large DVD collection, store the disks in a binder. Let the thief run off with a few dozen empty cases. You could do the same with CDs, though I wonder if a thief would even bother with those these days.

Ask friends and family if they have any inoperable iPods or the like around the house they could give you. If so, leave them out to catch a burglar’s eye.

If you leave easily grabbed “valuables” lying around, they are less likely to go searching for the real stuff.

Considerations for a self-defense knife

 General, Self Defense Discussion  No Responses »
May 062013
 

As the saying goes, “Never bring a knife to a gun fight.” While that is certainly true enough, there are times when you might want or need a blade for self defense. A knife is a poor substitute for a firearm but it may be you cannot for some reason carry a handgun and, well, a blade is better than nothing, right? In fact, in the right hands with the right motivation, a knife can be an extremely potent weapon.

There are several considerations to bear in mind when purchasing a knife for self-defense. Many of them are similar to those that apply to a survival knife.

Survival Knife Features

The materials making up the knife should be of high quality. It will be bad enough that you need to deploy the knife in a fight, but much worse if the blade snaps in half when you use it. A high carbon blade will keep an edge and be very strong and durable. The handle should be made of a material like micarta so you can retain a good grip even if it gets wet.

The blade should run all the way through the handle. This is called full tang construction. The blades on cheaper knives just end in a little tab that is glued or riveted to the handle. That type of construction will likely fall apart quickly under heavy or even moderate use.

The thicker a blade is, the stronger it will be. If it is too thin, it may be susceptible to bending or snapping. Look for something around 1/4″ thick, perhaps a hair thinner.

Blade length is also a factor. A folding knife with a 3″ blade isn’t going to do you much good. If the person is wearing a thick jacket, you’ll be lucky to give them a good scratch. However, few people want to carry around a foot long Rambo knife. Shoot for a compromise and look for a blade around 5″ long. That should be plenty of length to hit something vital while also being reasonably concealable should that be a concern.

Personally, I like a little bit of a guard on my knives. This is the part of the knife that sort of separates the handle from the blade. It could be just a little nub or instead be a flat piece of metal. The purpose, as far as I’m concerned, is to prevent my fingers from sliding from the handle and up across the blade edge.

The knife should have a solid sheath. The sheath should protect the knife and hold it securely. Look for a sheath that gives you different carry options, such as a belt clip as well as a way to secure it under your arm.

Carrying a knife to defend yourself is not a decision to make lightly. However, if you are going to do it, be sure to do it right and spend the money to get something of decent quality.

Computer Security 101 – Best Practices

 General  No Responses »
May 032013
 

We tend to use computers for almost everything these days. Banking, paying bills, keeping in touch with friends, even sometimes at work if we can fit that in between hours spent on Facebook and playing Angry Birds. The result of doing more and more things online is we are ever more exposed to risks. These include hackers, viruses, and scammers.

Follow these rules to reduce your risk of becoming a target.

1. Install a good anti-virus program, keep it updated, and use it regularly. There are a few really good ones that are free, such as AVG and Malwarebytes. I cannot stress enough the importance of doing regular scans of your system. Most AV programs have the option of scheduling scans. If you are one of those who leaves their computer turned on 24/7, schedule a daily scan in the wee hours of the morning. At the absolute bare minimum, do a scan every week.

2. Don’t open attachments or click on links you receive via email. The only exception to this rule would be if someone you know has told you they are sending over a document or something for you to look at ahead of time. Don’t fall for the scam emails that say things like, “Dude, check out this wild pic I found of you!” Especially if it is coming from your Grandmother, someone who, to the best of your knowledge, has never uttered the word “dude” in her life.

If you receive an email purporting to come from Paypal or maybe your bank and it tells you to click a link in the email to access your account, do not do so. Instead, open your browser and go to the site you know is safe and log in from there.

3. Nobody is really looking to split millions with you if you help smuggle the money out of Nigeria or elsewhere. Nor is anyone seeking you out to bequeath you with untold riches from some heretofore unknown rich uncle. As a general rule of thumb, if anyone online says they want to give you money, consider it to be nothing more than a scam and move on.

4. Don’t use public computers for private business. It is entirely too easy for bad guys to install things like keyloggers or other programs that will give them the log in information for your bank account and such.

If for any reason you do end up believing you were the victim of an online scam, report it to your bank and the authorities. Hopefully you can move quickly enough to limit the damage.

Computer Security 101 – Passwords

 General  No Responses »
May 022013
 

One aspect of home security that is sometimes overlooked is keeping your computer safe. There are many threats out there, from viruses to hackers, that you need to protect against.

Fortunately, decent computer security can be had for very little cost.

Today, let’s look at passwords. Many people are just too lazy to come up with decent passwords. Sure, it can be difficult to remember a password like AKETKIMITMOYE7991. I mean, that’s just ridiculous, right? But, a password like that is all but 100% uncrackable.

computer security

Here’s the trick to how it works. Pick a book that you always have near your computer. In this case, I’m using Prepper’s Home Defense. If I open this book to the first chapter and move down to the second paragraph, I see the first sentence is:

“Another key element to keep in mind is the motivation of your enemy.”

Taking the first letter of each word gives me the basic password. Then, add three or four digits that have some meaning to you. In this case, we bought our house in 1997 and I just reversed the year to 7991.

Very simple, very easy. You could do the same thing using, say, a nursery rhyme or a favorite song. For example, the first line of Country Boy by Aaron Lewis is:

“Well I grew up down an old dirt road in a town you wouldn’t know”

The basic password becomes WIGUDAODRIATYWK. Toss on the last four digits of your old phone number, reverse them, and you’re good to go.

Children and Security — Everyday scenarios

 General  No Responses »
Apr 292013
 

[The following is an excerpt from my book, PREPPER'S HOME DEFENSE.]

Prepper's Home Defense cover 400 wide

Your planning should include life before a collapse as well. Discuss with your children what they should do if they are approached by a stranger, when they are home alone and someone comes to the door, and other relatively common dangers. Having the knowledge on how to deal with these types of situations leads to an increase in self-confidence.

Be sure to keep these plans age appropriate. Telling your 4 year old to kick a threatening stranger in the groin, when they themselves are barely tall enough to be eye to eye with the person’s belt buckle, probably isn’t going to work very well. At that age, the child should concentrate on screaming and trying to get away from the abductor rather than physically attacking them. Instruct them to yell things like, “He is not my daddy!” while lying on the ground. The hope is that the abductor will cease his actions and flee, while at the same time people in the area will be able to provide a description of him as well as his vehicle.

In addition to these more run of the mills scenarios, as a prepping family you should also discuss the more major crises. For example, what is the plan if a major event occurs and they are being held at school in a lockdown? Word to the wise with regards to this particular scenario. Spare me the macho crap about how you’d run in and grab your kid from the school, no matter who tries to stop you. You won’t be doing your family, or anyone else, much good when you’re sitting in the back of a squad car, handcuffed and still twitching from the tasing you received when you assaulted an officer.

In a situation where your child is in a school lockdown, unless you have a truly compelling reason to believe otherwise, the child is probably safer right where they are. In this day and age, public school staff members are rather well trained on what to do in emergency situations and that training has often been conducted by members of law enforcement, not just a few bean counters from an insurance company. You won’t like waiting it out but unless society is truly collapsing around your ears, bide your time and try to learn as much as you can about the current situation.

I highly suggest parents get involved with the schools their children attend. Get to know the teachers and staff. Doing so is not just good parenting but it can help when problems crop up. By knowing you by face and name, staff members are usually at least a bit more accommodating if you are asking for something that might be a bit out of the ordinary, such as allowing your child to keep in their classroom a small pack with extra food, water, and such.

Find out what the procedures are for various emergencies, such as lockdowns, fire evacuations, and severe weather. By being well informed, you are in a much better position to make rational and well thought out decisions, rather than acting rash and emotional.

Improving Window Security

 General, Home Protection  No Responses »
Apr 262013
 

Next to doors, windows are of course a burglar’s easiest way to enter a home. Fortunately, there are number of projects the average homeowner can complete that will serve to augment the security of the home’s windows.

The keyword when it comes to security is TIME. The longer it will take to gain entry, the more likely they’ll move on to an easier target.

The first thing to do is remove any large bushes or shrubs that could conceal a burglar as he tries to open a window. This in and of itself will go a long way toward foiling potential break ins. Burglars want to be hidden from prying eyes as they go about their business. For this reason, also consider installing motion-sensitive lighting along each side of the home.

burglar

Next, look at applying security film to the inside of the windows. This is a clear plastic that prevents the glass from shattering. The plastic keeps all the pieces of glass together, rather like we see in modern vehicle windshields. While the glass will break if struck, it stays in one piece, preventing the burglar from reaching in and unlocking the latch.

If you have traditional double-hung windows, use a drill to put two small holes in the lower sash, drilling through and into the upper sash. Drill the holes at an angle downward. Then, slide nails into the holes, being sure to use nails that will slide back out easily with your fingertips. This will prevent the window from sliding open from the outside.

Avoid placing valuables directly in front of windows so as to prevent temptation. What you might put on the sills though are inexpensive knick knacks or vases. This way, if the burglar does get through the window, odds are there will be some noise from those things being knocked to the floor.

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