Keeping your home safe and secure with an electronic watchdog may not be the best choice overall, but it could be a great addition when used in connection with other security devices.

How Electronic Watchdogs Work
For maximum use, an electronic watchdog must be plugged in to the electrical socket nearest to the points of entry in your home and which may be used by would-be thieves and trespassers. These devices have sensors that are able to scan not just doors or windows but walls as well. They work in a range of fifteen to twenty-five feet and, upon detecting any sign of movement, they’d emit a certain sound, depending on your configurations.

Barking
Electronic watchdogs will start barking the moment someone attempts to get closer to your home. The closer the intruder is, the louder the barking gets. The sounds are very much realistic and you could thwart many a burglar attempt by fooling them into thinking you’ve got guard dogs watching over your home.

Sirens
Electronic watchdogs are not only capable of emitting barking sounds. It’s also capable of imitating sirens, certainly a threatening sound for any wrongdoer. It depends on your configurations whether the device would emit barking or siren sounds upon sensing movement.

Other Sounds
Its motion-sensing function can also be used to alert you on the presence of welcomed visitors – expected or otherwise. They can program it to sound out the chiming of bells or maybe the soothing sounds of the rainforest as a guest approaches your house.

This would work extremely well if you want to be informed about incoming VIPs and you want to be on hand and greet them at the front door. Then again, if you’re holding a surprise party for a loved one, your electronic watchdog would let you know when it’s the right time to go lights off and hide.

Drawbacks of Using an Electronic Watchdog Alone
Electronic watchdogs are effective at deterring and thwarting attempts of burglary and trespassing at best, but they are not capable of protecting you outright.

Fooled Once, But Not Twice
Burglars may be fooled the first time around but if they decide to stake your house and realize you don’t own any pet, they may realize you’re simply using an electronic watchdog and make a second attempt at breaking into your home.

It’s Not a Self-Defense Weapon
Stubborn wrongdoers may still try to break into your home, never mind dogs barking, and then they’d realize you’ve no pets to speak of. When this happens, you’ll have to use other security devices or self-defense weapons to protect your loved ones at home.

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Two robberies took place in Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, respectively and almost simultaneously. One of them, however, caused bewilderment. It was an unusual robbery to say the very least as a masked bank robber came and went quickly after robbing the customers and not the bank itself.

The second robbery incident that took place was nothing out of the ordinary, although this does not make the crime less harrowing in any way for the victims. Suntrust Bank, located at North Glebe Road in Arlington, was targeted by robbers. Everyone, however, came out unscathed although investigators still hadn’t revealed the extent, if any, of the loss resulting from the robbery.

The first robbery, on the other hand, and which only took place minutes earlier, continued to puzzle authorities. At approximately 10:45 in the morning, a masked man entered the Suntrust Bank along Kenmore Avenue.
The man carried a shotgun with him and ordered everyone to the ground. He took five purses from bank customers before leaving on foot. The bank hadn’t lost even a single penny in the incident.

The crime did not fail in arousing the people’s anger. One bank customer, Marcia Fox, said, “I know we’re having tough times, but that doesn’t excuse going and robbing people.”

Evidence obtained for the investigation was limited, with customers submitting to fingerprint analyses and surveillance photos taken within the area. The Alexandria Police also used their canine unit in hopes of quickly establishing leads for the case.

Know Who You’re Up Against with Video Surveillance
As proven earlier, having video surveillance equipment installed in your home or office is simply not enough to properly identify a would-be assailant or thief. Here are a number of tips to help you enjoy maximum protection from video surveillance.

Look for an ideal location
The best angle will give you a bird’s eye view of what’s happening in a given area. Video surveillance cameras are best mounted on the wall or ceiling, preferably in a corner.

Use an infrared-capable video surveillance camera
It will allow you to capture sharp and accurate video footage and photos even at night.

Don’t rely on video surveillance alone
While it may serve to deter and help capturing criminals, they are not capable of preventing a crime from taking place. For that, you’ll need extra safety precautions, like an automated alarm system. You may also install sensors to detect and hinder any unnecessary movement.

Traveling in areas where there are few around is always dangerous, but there are instances when it can’t be avoided. Protect yourself and prevent confrontation by having an electronic whistle for personal safety.

Features of an Electronic Whistle
Getting an electronic whistle to blow out an SOS will be more effective than shouting for help. But in order to enjoy maximum use of it, you’ll need to understand how its key features work.

Volume
Electronic whistles don’t work like ordinary whistles because they rely on electricity and not your vocal powers. As such, the volume of its whistle is approximated at 120db, which is loud enough for people to hear over medium range distances.

Do not, however, overestimate its volume and the length of distance it can be heard from. Doing that could compromise your personal safety and help may not arrive as quickly as you expect it to.

Button Activation
As mentioned earlier on, you won’t have to rely on your vocal and respiratory powers to make electronic whistles work. Because of their push-button-activation setup, you just need to keep your finger on the button and the whistle will work as long as you need it to…or until it runs out of battery.

Battery Power
These are battery-powered and as such, you’ll have to be aware at all times of how much power there is still remaining in your electronic whistle. If you don’t replace or recharge them regularly, you could end up with a dead whistle at your time of need.

Keychain
Most electronic models will come with keychains. Use them to keep them securely in place, such as inside your pockets or attached to your belt strap. It’s also better to make it part of your daily routine to double-check the presence of your electronic whistle before leaving your home or workplace.

How to Make the Best of Use of Electronic Whistles for Your Personal Safety

Keep it hidden but accessible
Having the element of surprise at your side may be all the difference you need to thwart a robbery attempt or any other move from your attacker. As they are compact in size, it’s quite easy for you to keep them out of view but near enough for you to grab them whenever necessary.

Use it at the right time and place
Be aware of where you are. Avoid activating your electronic whistle if the area seems too isolated or if you believe you’re running low on battery power. Be strategic with its use.

Electronic whistles can be an effective but harmless self-defense weapon, but only when you don’t panic and use it at the right time and place.

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In Penhold, Alberta, parents of a sixteen year old girl were extremely relieved to have their daughter back after several days of harrowing anxiety since they reported their daughter missing. Accounts from the victim as well as information obtained from the investigation led to the successful arrest of the girl’s abductor.

According to the victim’s father, the girl had been abducted at from the back of their home, about 135 kilometers north of Calgary at approximately nine-thirty in the evening last Thursday. Their daughter had left to drive to a nearby store at the gas station to purchase treats.

Later on, the father found his daughter’s truck twenty minutes later, parked behind their home, the headlights still on, and with keys on the passenger seat. Items purchased from the said store as well as her purse was also found in the truck, but her mobile phone and wallet were missing. This prompted the family to report the girl missing.

Using the last signal picked up from the girl’s mobile phone the night before, search and rescue crews together with the RCMP mounted a massive search in a wooded area in Red Deer while volunteers numbering in the hundreds handed out flyers containing the girl’s picture door-to-door in the city.

Finally, almost two days after the girl had been reported missing, the family received a call at approximately 8:30 in the evening. The victim had managed to escape from her abductors and used a pay phone in a mall to contact her father for help. According to the dad, the girl had sounded “very, very scared” and that “she had to beg for her life”.

The victim was taken to the hospital following an interview with the Red Deer RCMP. Video surveillance from the gas station contributed considerable help to the investigation, leading to the arrest of a hereto unnamed suspect.

Stay Recorded, Stay Protected: Safety Tips with the Help of Video Surveillance
If you are travelling alone, it’s best to frequent establishments that you are aware of being equipped with video surveillance equipment.  Do your best to stay within its focus. If anything were to happen to you, authorities could use resulting footage in identifying and capturing your assailant.

Not all video surveillance equipment, however, are installed for the public to see. Some operate covertly so you’ll have to know where and how to look for them. On the other hand, some stores simply use dummy video cameras to deter wrongdoers for causing mischief.

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Pepper spray may seem to be a very simple product but it can really save lives! It can be a reliable self defense against bears, dogs and human attackers. Though pepper spray cannot kill anyone, it can stop the attacker through burning their whole face. The active ingredient, oleoresin capsicum or simply termed chile pepper can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and skin. The eyes can swell up and shut thus making the attacker temporarily blind. The irritation on the mucous membrane can make the attacker choke and cough. The irritation can last several minutes thus allowing the victim to get away.

Although using pepper spray does not require permits and it can be as easy as 1, 2, 3, some general tips will come handy especially for those who will acquire it for the first time. This article will give you some practical tips in using pepper sprays.

1.Hold your peeper spray right side up. Similar to a hairspray which will not work if you’re holding it upside down, your pepper spray will not also work on this angle. Practice your aim. On actual usage, make sure that you spray it directly on the assailant’s eyes and dodge away if you can to avoid being sprayed yourself. If you caught some mists, you can use baking soda paste, honey, sour cream or milk as antidotes.

2.It is not recommended to use your pepper spray if it’s windy. It will not advisable particularly when the wind is blowing on your direction since you may get sprayed back.

3.There are many types of pepper sprays and you can choose from gels, aerosols, foggers, and streams. But the best pepper spray to get maybe the Pepper Foam. This spray works best because it is very thick and sticky it can saturate the face of the attacker. Similar to all the pepper sprays, Pepper Foam come with identifying UV dye which can be evidence and identify the attacker.

4.Examine the pepper spray before buying it. Look for one that has a higher can pressure to have an effective spray. The best pressure range is 100psi. The can color is also essential since it can add surprise; choose navy blue, dark green or black. The spray nozzle and valves should also be looked upon. Choose a forced cone nozzle since this can facilitate a forceful spray pattern but what comes out is a fine mist. Last important feature is the shelf life, a common pepper spray will last 3 to 4 years.

5.Since pepper sprays have a lot of shapes and sizes, you may pick one which is unnoticeable. You may acquire pepper sprays with holsters molded into a pen, ring, pager, key chains and even lipsticks!

Presence of mind will always be the best defense on horrifying times where there are attackers. The use of pepper spray only makes it easier to get rid of any assailants. You can effectively use your pepper spray with the practical tips above. Follow these 5 tips and save your life now!

pepper spray walking weights

Personal accounts of victims and witnesses can be incomplete and inaccurate due to the imperfections of people’s memory. Cases can be solved more effectively and efficiently if there is actual video footage to corroborate their accounts, and that’s exactly the case with the recent robbery that took place in New Castle, Delaware.

Based on the investigation made by the Delaware State Police as well as the reviews of video surveillance taken from the scene of the crime, a patrol trooper was able to successfully detain and arrest 44-year-old Robert E. Dixon III. He was convicted for robbery and other related offenses.

At approximately 9:45 in the evening, a 911 call reported a robbery and troopers immediately responded. Their investigation revealed how a black male suspect went inside the Super Lodge, a West Avenue establishment, and proceeded to the back. He used an open door to access the desk area and immediately punched the clerk at work a number of times. Afterwards, he took $170 from the cash drawer and told the clerk not to call the police before departing.

The victim was driven to Christiana Hospital, diagnosed of sustaining significant injuries, and received treatment for multiple facial fractures. Besides the account provided by the victim, police were also able to obtain accounting of the incident from another employee.

The investigation further revealed the frequency in which the suspect was seen in the area. At approximately eleven thirty in the evening, a patrol trooper spotted a subject similar to the description provided in the Bowlerama parking lot. Dixon was successfully detained and whose identity as robber was subsequently confirmed.

Criminal mischief, theft, first-degree assault and robbery were filed against the suspect. He is currently detained at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institute with bail set on $106,000 secured bond.

How to Prevent Vandals and Assailants from Damaging Your Video Surveillance Camera
One reason why the aforementioned case resulted to the successful arrest of the suspect was due no doubt to the footage produced by the video surveillance equipment used. The results, however, won’t be the same if the suspect was aware of being under surveillance and tried to tamper with the equipment.

Choose an elevated and preferably unreachable location for your video surveillance camera
This way, even if the suspect were aware of being under surveillance, he would not be able to cause damage to your equipment.

Choose the appropriate model
Look for something durable, weatherproof, tamper-resistant, battery-powered, and capable of recording high-resolution images or videos.

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The stun pen is the latest innovation in stun gun development. Now, anyone can own a stun gun that is less bulky but with even greater power. Self defense specialists has made the stun gun smaller, more unnoticeable but with more protective power against attackers. What’s more is that it does not cost much, the price ranging from $30 to $60 .

The stun pen is battery-powered, usually CR123A lithium batteries, that readily releases dozens of shots on assailants. And since it has been designed to look like a pen, its pocket clip will allow you to put it in a place where it can easily be reached. But for those who prefer to carry it in their belts, most stun pens come with holsters. More importantly, anyone can secretly carry this weapon around without being given away. Makers of stun pens have innovatively added built-in LED flashlights into their pens, making them even more discreet.

At a short length of 5-6 inches, approximately the size of a marker, it has a slim design that can surprisingly shoot up electricity of up to 800,000 volts! Now, that’s amazing! A mere shot into the air will send the offender running because of the strong electrical sound it emits. Just the sheer sight and sound of it will drive away anyone who attempts to make an attack. If this does not work, the electrical jolt surely will.

But with this much power, the question is, doesn’t it become too dangerous even to the owner? Though accidents do occur, that is most unlikely to happen with stun pens because it comes with a safety switch and a protective cover. They have also been designed to have several levels of safety. In order to press the trigger, the cover should be removed and switched on.

It is important for those who want to own a stun pen or who already own one to be aware there are certain state laws that warn about the carrying of such protective devices. Each state has its own provisions but all states consider the stun pen as a destructive device that has the ability to stun or to disable a person through the delivery of an electric shock. Because of this, some states would require that anyone who owns one should have a valid registration firearm certificate is necessary.

One ought to know, too, that its tremendous output voltage may be powerful but is not lethal because of its low amperage. What it can actually do is to make the muscles of the attacker painfully contract, like a major cramp, because of the lactic acid released by the body. However, unlike a cramp, the effect is on most part of the body. Although really painful, the effect is temporary and is not lethal. The only after effects evident would be small burn spots or puncture wounds on the contact area.

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An army knife can be a great thing for you to use, whether you are planning out a trip to the wilderness or are simply going to chop up a few things in your hotel room for a quick snack in between meetings. An army knife is also useful as a means of surviving most anywhere, so if you are stuck at work or school and need to stay away from the snow or rain, then you can find a way to stay alive.

There are many different kinds of army knives. The most well known, the Swiss army knife, is probably also the most versatile. It can come in many different colors. For instance, the common red or ruby knives are smaller and can come in different sizes: you can have extra small ones that fit in the smallest pockets but have very few tools, or you can have oodles of tools that are enough for fixing up a house (or even building one!) but that can burn holes in your pocket. There are many knives to buy and choose from, and how you use one depends on what model you get. Moreover, what model you get will depend on what you want to do.

Your army knife will come with a manual, so be sure to read this manual carefully. As you read the manual, explore the different knives and tools in the army knife. The knives will have their own hinges or fingernail digs that will allow you to pull them out, so use these to explore your knives. Be careful, however, and recognize which sides of your knives are sharp. This will allow you to hold the knife expertly and use the tools. It will also keep you from spontaneously chopping your fingers off.

You also need to maintain your army knife. Your tools all work along a hinge, and with no oil, your tools can rust and you will not be able to pull them out quickly. Read about how to maintain your knife and how to clean it. With age, use, and grime, you will make your knife dirty and hard to use, so be sure to maintain it. For this purpose, you will need to get some oils or grease in order to keep your hinges working.

Basically, an army knife will have a bevy of tools, most of them for screwing in screws, opening bottles, pulling corks out of wine bottles, and slicing or cutting. When using your handy screw drivers, maintain a good grip on your army knife, and make sure that the edge of the screw driver is securely fastened onto the grooves in your screw. The same rules apply for nearly all the tools in the army knife: you need to maintain a good grip on your knife, since its lack of torque and the small area in which you can maintain a grip can also limit your movement, not to mention the knife’s functionality. You will want to hold it well, moreover, to avoid it flying out of your grasp and hurting yourself, or anyone close to you.

You’re losing significant amounts of money but profit reports of your business say otherwise. You can’t pinpoint, however, when or where things went wrong. Or at least you can’t until you make use of surveillance cameras for your business.

Cash Theft Proven by Surveillance Camera Videos
Loss Prevention Results, Inc., a company based in Wake Forest, North Carolina, recently announced the success of one of their investigations. Mark Manney of LPR had been called in by a Northeast vending company to determine the reason behind the mysterious losses it was suffering from.

With the help of a covert VendingCam motion-activated surveillance camera, LPR had been able to obtain eight different footages showing one of the company’s route driver stealing low amounts of cash from certain vending machines with the use of keys the company hadn’t been aware he had been in possession of.

Upon the conclusion of the investigation, LPR had been able to obtain a audio-taped confession from the convicted employee, witnessed by a management representative, as well as a comprehensive written statement of the crimes committed.

How to Make Good Use of Surveillance Cameras
Safety for your business, in all aspects, can’t be completely guaranteed just by purchasing any surveillance camera. Among other things, you’ll have to purchase the model most suitable for your needs as well as determine the ideal location for it.

Choose the right surveillance camera
Consider the light levels of the setting. Night vision or infrared is required for video footage taken in the dark.  Besides size and budget, take other important features like motion-activated controls, backup power, and recording capabilities into account.

Choose the right location
If you wish to take covert video footage, it’s best to use tiny surveillance cameras that can be easily concealed behind potted plants or other objects that people normally won’t give a second glance. But if you’re after expansive or complete coverage of the entire room, it’s best to mount your surveillance camera at any top corner of the room, preferably facing entrance and exit doors.

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Answers, solutions, or any simple evidence you need can come from the most unlikely places. You can, however, ensure that you don’t miss out on anything when you have surveillance cameras installed.

Surveillance Camera Footage Shows Arsonist Singing Proof of Her Crime
In Drexel Hill, Philadelphia, a pregnant teenager had been arrested for arson based on surveillance camera evidence. Police believed that the crime had been committed anytime between 3:00AM and 5:45AM. Of the seven fires she had caused, one had damaged the home of a family of four but everyone had been spared without injury. Prior to the incident, she had visited a local convenience store and had been taped singing, “The fire department is going to be mad at me”.  At present, Amanda Gessner is held on bail and believed to exhibit “pyromaniacal tendencies”.  She is expected to undergo mental evaluation soon.

Be Prepared with Surveillance Cameras
Surveillance cameras are not exclusive for use in the workplace. They, too, can be installed in your own home. They are effective in producing substantial evidence if and when an illegal or criminal activity has taken place in your property.

Video and Audio Recording
The best surveillance cameras are capable of recording video and audio footage of excellent quality. In adequate light settings, they may be able to footage in full color. At night, with infrared capabilities, they could produce sharp monochrome images or footage.

Undetectable
If you wish to hide the presence of your surveillance cameras, there are wireless models you can buy and often small enough to remain indistinguishable even in plain sight.  Advanced models are even capable of working without emitting any waves that bug detectors could pick up.  Best of all, they come with built-in recording and storing capabilities, making it unnecessary for you to use other devices to have a copy of the footage.

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