One of the more famous accounts of basement-apartment living occurs in a series of stories by author Ruth McKenney, collectively known as My Sister Eileen, in which she tells her experiences living in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village, NYC for a mere $45 a month.  Sure, the story takes place in the 1940′s, but believe it or not  the price is staggering even for that time.  So why then is it that basement apartments come to be so damn cheap if the only difference between these and their above street level counterparts is merely they’re location in the building? And why don’t more people take advantage of them?

Well, as it turns out the first answer to these questions is simply that these apartments are nearly always illegal.  It’s true, and it mostly has to do with just how unsuitable these locations tend to be as livable spaces.  The Department of Housing Preservation & Development offer the following stern warning on their website:

Basements in private dwellings can NEVER be lawfully rented or occupied unless the conditions meet the minimum requirements for light, air, sanitation and egress, and have received approval by the Department of Buildings. […] Owners with illegally converted basements and cellars may face civil and criminal penalties.

Needless to say, most apartment landlords ignore these standards in order to turn over a quick buck, and eager tenants willing to make what they assume to be small sacrifices for an unbeatable price-tag are not scarce—especially, of course, during these tough economic times.  Indeed, if you’ve read Ruth McKenney’s book you’ll find that although she might appear  to have found an impressive bargain in her quaint bohemian abode, you’ll also be irked to realize she and her sister are cramped in a single small bedroom, the place is completely infested with mold, and they become the victims of a burglary during only their first week as tenants.   This happens just as frequently today within basement apartments as they did then, with burglaries being perhaps the most frequent occurrence due to how low their windows—if indeed they even have any—are to the ground.

The DHPD website continues with the following warning to prospective and current basement apartment tenants:

Occupants of illegal basement and cellar apartments face potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation and inadequate egress in the event of a fire.

The limited doors and windows within basement apartments make them not only extremely difficult to exit in case of a fire, but it sometimes makes it impossible for rescue personnel to enter.  Additionally, the confined space would make the accumulation of smoke rapid and unavoidable.  Flooding too can be a major problem for those living in rainy areas as water will inevitably seep through the street-level windows.  And, lastly, an invisible predator known only as radon has also been known to make basement apartment tenants their unsuspecting prey.  Defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as radioactive material found within the ground, basement apartment tenants are likely to have more exposure to this gas, potentially accumulating various forms of cancer along the way.

This is not to say that all basement apartments should be avoided.  I’m certain there are various spacious and nicely accommodating basement apartments on the market today (I wouldn’t mind finding a nice one, myself!).  But before you go hunting for one, there’s a few tips (courtesy of eHow.com) you can do to ensure that you aren’t moving into a moldy, flood-proned, fire-hazardous, burglar-targeted nightmare.

1.Avoid basement apartments that are located in coastal areas and flood plains.

2.Local government provides information pertaining to construction permits and building codes that are applicable to every apartment for your reference.  Check them out!

3.Radon testing kits are available at hardware and general merchandising stores. Use these kits to check the building grounds for toxic radon gas levels.

4.You should also contact your local police department for crime reports before you decide whether to move into a particular apartment. Preferably, your basement apartment will feature window bars; solid doors and heavy-duty locks to deter criminals.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: basement, basement apartment, burglary, landlord, mold, safety, tenant, tips, tricks

• 31% of the female workers reported they had been harassed at work
• 62% of targets took no action
• 100% of women reported the harasser was a man

Of the women who had been harassed:

• 43% were harassed by a supervisor
• 27% were harassed by an employee senior to them
• 19% were harassed by a coworker at their level
• 8% were harassed by a junior employee

The numbers are indeed staggering, but it would not be inaccurate to say that it is not entirely surprising to think that women are being harassed so frequently at work these days, especially considering how high-profile some cases have become, with many having been turned into feature films.  Hollywood actress Charlize Theron, for example, portrays real-life Lois Jenson in 2005′s  “North Country” in which a sexually-harassed woman working for the Eveleth Taconite Co. mine in Minnesota brings various lawsuits against the company that lasted into the 1990′s and led to her being awarded her 3.5 million in damages.

What most people fail to acknowledge, however, is how frequently acts of sexual-harassment occur against men within the workplace.  Indeed, social structures have made it so that we could hardly expect a man to either reject or react negatively to sexual advancements, and any idea of them doing so can seem humorous to a majority of the public.  For this reason fewer cases involving victimized men have been reported, with most men expressing they would fear being ridiculed as a consequence.  Nevertheless, the same Harris & Associates survey shows that of those persons called nearly 7% of the male workers reported they had been harassed, showing that while the number is significantly lower than women, it should not be taken any less seriously.

Sexual harassment cases have not gone unnoticed in the public eye, and some have not only been extremely high-profile, but have led to groundbreaking decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.  One such case known as Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services involved an oil-rigger named Joseph Oncale who spent considerable time on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.  Oncale claims to have been repeatedly sodomized, humiliated and abused by other members of his crew and was ignored by company officials after he reported the incidents.  Oncale eventually quit and sued the company, but the District Court of Eastern Louisiana ruled that because he was a man, he was not protected under the 1964 legislation that prohibits sexual harassment.  After an appeal, however, the Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that sexual harassment also “applied to harassment in the workplace between members of the same sex” (hrworld.com).

The law, then, is on your side, and men who feel harassed in any professional environment needn’t be afraid that their case will not be taken seriously by authorities.  Additionally, employers should consider all reports of sexual harassment within their work-place to be of the utmost importance and take the necessary steps to fix the situation.

Below are a few tips for both employee and employers alike on dealing with sexual harassment in the work-place:

EMPLOYEE

1.) After you have experienced personally objectionable sexual content, ask yourself if you believe that the sexual content you experienced will lead to future discrimination against you.

2.) Monitor your environment to see if negative or positive workplace events occur because of the sexual situation you experienced. A positive workplace event might occur when you are given a promotion only to find it was due to your supervisor wanting you more available to listen to his or her sexual content.

3.) Document and obtain witnesses, if possible, to the sexual content and discrimination. Document the nature of the sexual content and discrimination, date/time, situation, and witnesses to the event.

4.) File a complaint with your supervisor or human resource (HR) department. Ask for a prompt investigation, to be reassigned during the investigation to a different supervisor if your supervisor will potentially be involved in the investigation. Lastly, ask for an outcome report.

EMPLOYER

1.) Update your sexual harassment policies to include same-sex harassment. Communicate this policy to all the employees.

2.) Educate your supervisors about same-sex harassment.

3.) Educate your employees that sexual harassment means sexual discrimination.

4.) Investigate all forms of sexual harassment quickly and fairly to all participants. Remember, that the sexual orientation of the participants is not necessarily all that important.

(Tips provided by Employer-Employee.com)

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: employee tips, employer tips, men, sexual harassment, supreme court, victimized men

1. making unwanted phone calls
2. sending unsolicited or unwanted letters or e-mails
3. following or spying on the victim
4. showing up at places without a legitimate reason
5. waiting at places for the victim
6. leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers
7. posting information or spreading rumors about the victim

It is important to remember that these actions individually are not necessarily considered crimes, but when they are being performed collectively and repeatedly they can instill fear in the victim and therefore become an issue where the law must intervene.

According to a study performed by The National Center for Victims of Crime,  3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked each year in the United States. 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for 5 years or more.

Other facts include:

1. 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week.
2. Weapons are used to harm or threaten victims in 1 out of 5 cases.
3. 89% of femicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months before their murder.
4. Stalking is a crime under the laws of 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, and the Federal government
5. More than 1/2 of states classify stalking as a felony upon second or subsequent offense or when the crime involves aggravating factors.

Stalking can be a very serious crime, and even famous names have been made victims.  Recently, MTV’s The Hills star Audrina Patridge found out the hard way how difficult it is to get rid of a stalker, even when the law is on your side! After having testified against a man who was repeatedly showing up at her doorstep, making threats and apparently offering her strange drawings, she managed to get a permanent restraining order from an LA judge against him just last year.  It did not, however, seem to deter him, since he was arrested just last week for knocking on the reality starlette’s door and therefore breaking the rules of the order. He is set to be sentenced this week.

Below is a list of precautions provided by Crime-Safety-Security.com in case you find yourself in a situation with a stalker.

1. Never let him know he’s having any effect on you – never give him a “reward.”
2. Never throw away any identifying mail. Shred everything.
3. If you’re being harassed by telephone, leave that line connected to a recorder for gathering evidence, and get a second line (unlisted) that you give only to your most trusted friends.
4. Get Caller ID on your phone.
5. Get a camera cell phone and document every encounter.
6. Have your friends, neighbors, and coworkers help shield you.
7. Change your schedule to make it harder to follow you.
8. Circle your block a few times before going home to see if he’s following you or lurking about your house (if so, go straight to the police station).
9. Plan an escape route in case the stalker enters your home, or which streets to use if someone follows you (whether you’re on foot or driving). Have it clear in your mind before you need to escape so that high anxiety won’t cloud your judgment.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: stalked, stalker, stalking, survival, survive, tips, tricks, victim

The truth is that we ordinary citizens are the easiest to target, and therefore the most frequently targeted. Identity theft is rampant in this country and increasing with each passing year. A Gartner research study in 2006 reported that between 2005 and 2006 alone 15 million Americans fell victim to identity theft, with the average money stolen—and largely unrecovered—hovering around $3,257. Naturally, the advent of the internet and the personal computer has made identity theft much easier to execute and perhaps endlessly more damaging. 56-year-old David Crouse from Chicago knows first hand how destructive identity theft as a result of careless online usage can be, as Market Watch reports that in the last year alone some $900,000 in merchandise, gambling and telephone-services charges were siphoned out of his debit card. His credit is completely shot, his confidential information has been made public and is still being used to open accounts, and his attempts to repair his finances have cost him nearly $100,000 while utterly decimating his complete savings and retirement. Crouse was an avid online-shopper before falling victim to identity theft and frequently inputted his debit card into websites like eBay and song-downloading software like iMesh.com before noticing that strange things started to happen. The first odd charges to his account were merely occasional and ranged between $17 to $30. Eventually escalating, however, his efforts to open new bank accounts didn’t deter them from getting hit as well, and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, he regrets every moment he spent carelessly inputting his private information across the web.

Of course, Crouse’s case is an extreme one, and few of us will have to face such severe circumstances. Nevertheless, identity theft can be a very real threat to our well being and a simple thing like choosing varied and appropriate passwords can make all the difference.

The United States Computer Readiness Team has put together a few helpful tips in choosing passwords for your online use, and their first suggestion is to not choose something that is personal and easy to remember. It’s very easy for someone to choose an important date, a pin number, or even the last 4 numbers of their Social Security number for passwords, but in our digital age this information is so easy to figure out that it may not be a great idea. Same with using words taken straight out of the dictionary, which can make you susceptible to “dictionary attacks” where hackers use various methods to scan words within the dictionary and hone in on your password.

A great method being offered by the group is to “rely on a series of words and use memory techniques, or mnemonics, to help you remember how to decode it.” The example they use suggests that instead of using the password “hoops,” use “IlTpbb” for “[I] [l]ike [T]o [p]lay [b]asket[b]all.” That way your password will be easy to remember for YOU, but will remain virtually unintelligible to anyone else. Using a combination of lower and upper-case letters can be effective also, but ultimately the best defense is to use a combination of numbers, special characters, and both lower-case and capital letters. And coupling this combination with long sentences as opposed to short words or phrases will inevitably be more difficult for outsiders to decode! “This passwd is 4 my email!” is a great example offered by the group as it includes multiple characters, lower and upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Who would ever think to enter that sentence in your password field?

Naturally, there is no 100% guaranteed technique that will keep your private information out of the hands of the wrong people, but any step you take to ensure your privacy can only help. So long as you take the time to make sure your passwords are original and you log out of every website when you’re finished, you’ll be less vulnerable than most web-users out there, and that’s saying plenty.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: confidential information, Identity Theft, Password

The intruder usually gains access through one of several ways, but, shockingly, no entryway is used more frequently than the front door.

“A knock or bang on the door is how most home invasion robbers make their way inside,” said Sgt. Neal Glassman, of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Robbery Unit.

And indeed, a home invasion occurring in Lake Worth, FL last year involved a police major who shot and killed a man who forcefully made his way into the major’s home after he answered a knock at his front door.

Even celebrities have fallen victim to this terrifying crime. Fran Drescher, who is best known for starring in the successful 90′s sitcom The Nanny, as well as her signature quirky voice and laugh, was herself a victim in the early 90′s of a home invasion that involved a traumatic rape and led to psychological issues that she says inevitably ended her marriage.

Drescher recently opened up to Larry King about the experience, revealing that there were two intruders.

“Two brothers,” she says. “One robbed my house and loaded up my car with all of my possessions, the other one raped myself and my girlfriend.”

Drescher then recalls that the men tied her husband up and forced him to watch the rape. Luckily, however, she’s managed to turn a negative into a positive, noting that “You have to be able to know when you’ve gotten sideswiped one Wednesday afternoon and your life changes forever that you must let go of that plan.”

While home invasions occur less frequently than simple robberies or break-ins, the facts and figures surrounding the crime are nevertheless astounding. In North America alone, for example, a reported 8,000 home invasions occur every single day, while 50% of those involve the use of a weapon. In 11% the intruder is not a stranger, but either a friend, a business associate, or even a relative.

We all know what we can do to prevent a home invasion—some of it is simple common sense. A peep-hole is detrimental in knowing who is at your front door and deciding who you should open the door for. Installing security alarm systems are a must, and even putting bars on your windows—although they can be unsightly—can only help.

Say, however, that after you’ve taken all the necessary precautions someone still manages to invade your home while you’re in it.

There are things you can do to both help prevent being a victim of home invasion, and, ultimately, to defend yourself in the event that you come face to face with this unfortunate and terrifying situation.

Firstly, you must remember that your best initial defense is to STAY CALM. Panicking, screaming or furiously attempting to escape will only aggravate the intruder, and if he’s carrying a weapon he’ll most likely try and use it if it means calming you down. It is also imperative that you remain COOPERATIVE. Absolutely no amount of money or property is worth getting hurt or potentially killed over—especially if you have a family in the house with you! Follow the intruder’s instructions carefully as more often then not they will be more interested in cash than actually hurting you.

Another tip is to try and avoid looking the intruder in the eye. Identifying the victim may be helpful after the invasion is over, but your number one priority should always be to STAY ALIVE, and intruders will more than likely try and harm you if they realize you’ve gotten a good look at them. That being said, however, there are plenty of things you can notice about the intruder that can help you identify him later, like what he is wearing, noticeable scars, the tone of his voice or distinguishing odors. Be aware, but don’t be obvious!

There are those extreme cases where you will be confronted with a direct assault, however, and in these cases you may have to use deadly force. In most states you are able to use deadly force within your own property when your life is in danger, and if you have mace or a gun nearby when you’re being physically attacked, use them if the opportunity presents itself, but be careful and never try and shoot the intruder if they have a gun pointed at you unless it is your last chance for survival! And if you are reduced to physically defending yourself with your fists, aim for the eyes, face, groin, and other areas which might temporarily incapacitate your attacker. Ultimately, the goal is to escape and you should take the opportunity to run the second your attacker goes down.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: assault, crimes, Home Invasion, rape, robber, terrifying crime

Someone who puts so much time, love and effort into a space like this will no doubt want to show it off, and my brother is no exception.  Spending hours of the day in this testosterone-Utopia, he frequently leaves his garage door open while cars and pedestrians pass by, often looking inquisitively inside to see, perhaps, where the loud music is coming from.

Unfortunately, drawing so much attention to his garage and home can’t be a good thing.

Most of us take the time to lock our doors and windows when we’re leaving our houses unattended.  What people tend to forget, however, is that about 9 percent of the estimated 2 million reported home burglaries a year in the US involve the intruder entering through the garage door. That amounts to nearly 180,000 garage-entry burglaries occurring every year! And if you’re housing your more expensive toys in your garage, then, to put it bluntly, you’re perhaps simply asking for it.

Don Weberg, editor and publisher of Garage Style Magazine, recently took the time to answer a few questions regarding garage security and the steps home owners should take to ensure that both their garage and homes remain secure from any would-be thieves or intruders.

You might just be surprised at how much common sense is involved in properly securing your garage, and how these measures are so often overlooked.

Men like to fix-up their garage to fit their personal style, but can a garage attract too much attention? What are some steps homeowners can take to avoid making their garage look too enticing for potential burglars?

Safety and privacy is a major concern with my magazine, which is why in our features we normally only use the owner’s first name and a state instead of city and state.  Most people with nice garages don’t want too many people to know about them, which is step one in keeping the garage unnoticed from prying eyes – keep it quiet, only share it with people you know and trust. Try not to leave the door open for longer periods of time, if it’s visible from the street. Sometimes it’s a good idea to leave the exterior non descript, void of decorations, loud paint schemes and so on.  Good lighting outside, usually a garage in a high-visibility area can prove diversions for burglars, as they normally like things nice and quiet.  Also, keep it clean—if it begins to look like no one cares about it, that too can attract unwanted attention.

Are there certain brands of garage door locks you prefer , and which do you find to be most effective? How easy would you say they are to break/bypass?

Garage doors, unless they’re manual opening and use pad locks, don’t normally have traditional locks.  Garage door openers are normally equipped with a locking mechanism that are controlled by the opener which uses a numeric code signal to trigger the opener to lift or lower the door.  There are devices out there that can trace and discern what the code is, thus compromising the door’s ability to remain closed, but more modern openers use a rolling code technology meaning each time the remote is used the door opener resets the codes and reprograms the door opener automatically.

What are your thoughts on surveillance systems?

I think they’re a good idea! A motion camera or time-lapse camera can serve well to record goings-on anywhere, including a garage. With digital technology too, it’s easy to store several hours without having to erase a given day. Yes, the set up is expensive for a real camera set up, but you can help offset the costs by alerting your home owners insurance carrier who might issue a savings on your monthly insurance costs.  Also, in the long run, just the presence of a camera can thwart would-be thieves.

What’s a cheap alternative?

A fake camera above the door with a few dummy wires for effect.  No one wants to be recorded doing something they know they shouldn’t be doing, and a fake camera is only a fake camera to the home owner—no one else knows.

What do you personally do to ensure your garage is secure and that your home remains secure from intruders who might find their way in through your garage?

Our garage is a nondescript two-car in an everyday housing tract.  No one pays it any attention, as from the outside it looks like most of the garages surrounding it.  We rarely have the main door up, there is an alarm and our “human door” boasts a significant locking knob and deadbolt.  As converse as this sounds to the advice of buying a modern door and opener, ours is about 25 years old, made of aluminum and the opener makes a ferocious noise when in use so getting into it isn’t a quiet operation.  As “Grapes of Wrath” as this might sound, hanging over the door, like in some old fashioned retail establishments, we have a series of antique bells—when the door opens, it hits the bells, which makes a terrific clanking noise…old fashioned tricks, but some work and are unavoidable. I’d like to have a door-open/close alert bell inside the house, but for now, we’re comfortable.

Have you experienced any garage break-ins since taking extra security precautions (installing equipment, etc), and if so, were the burglars successful?

At my old home the garage was broken into, to which we responded with an alarm connected to a motion sensor. The thieves returned (we were astonished) while we were asleep, and they set off the alarm and bolted.  Speaking of bolts, we installed a pad lock to the door.  This garage was built in 1920, so it wasn’t exactly a garage, more like a structure for stuff.

Do you find yourself being more afraid of your car getting stolen from your garage, or someone entering your home through your garage?  Do your cars have security systems installed?

I’m not worried about the cars being stolen from the garage because not only is the garage itself a bit noisy to get into, but there are always cars on the driveway, blocking the door to the garage.  A thief would need to move those cars first, then go into the garage etc. The newer cars have alarms and LoJack, the older cars are just fit with kill switches and The Club.

About Garage Style Magazine

Garage Style Magazine is what’s been missing. A publication devoted entirely to garages.  This magazine is on sale now at various Barnes & Noble, Borders, Hastings, and Autobooks-Aerobooks among other retail outlets.

Whether you enjoy the do-it-yourself lifestyle, museum style, eclectic collector style, or something in between, Garage Style Magazine is all about your style! Each issue will bring you amazing garages, tremendous resources, and a wealth of ideas.

Visit and subscribe at GarageStyleMagazine.com

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: garage security

Perhaps the most common accounts of high-rise apartment crimes involve disguises. In December of 2009 a man made his way into an Atlanta, GA senior-living high-rise disguised as a flower delivery man. He was not stopped by staff members manning the front entryway (the only entrance to the building) as he managed to convince them of his authenticity by holding paper-wrapped flowers, knowing the name of the woman he was supposedly delivering to, and nonchalantly signing himself in. His clever entrance led to his ringing doorbells on various floors and forcing himself in, taking jewelry boxes, purses and cash along the way.

Courtney Ronan of The Ronan Times explains that this kind of activity can be prevented if tenants in the building kept their eyes open to suspicious activity.

“If you spot anyone in your building who’s roaming the halls or the lobby without being noticed,” she says, “report it to security, management or the police.”

Admittedly, some of us would rather keep to ourselves when it comes to living in a residential building and, conversely, few of us find the prospect of having our neighbors constantly sticking their noses in the activities around our apartment as particularly comforting. But Ronan’s response to that is simple—“Be a busybody.”

“In big cities, neighbors are living in close quarters and tend to place a particularly high premium on preserving fellow neighbors’ privacy. So when they see strangers roaming about, they choose not to get involved. Unfortunately, this approach is what leads to burglary or worse. So be a busybody, and alert someone. Your neighbors will appreciate you for it. Furthermore, if you spot a stranger leaving your neighbor’s apartment with items in hand, call your neighbor just to make sure he or she is at home.”

In an interview with Miami’s channel 10 news, police Officer Jeff Giordano said you shouldn’t be quick to rule out crime based on the height of the building either. “As you can see, in this building right here the balconies are easily accessible,” he said, pointing to some recently targeted residential high-rises in Miami, before adding that criminals have been known to balcony hop.

“Secure your sliding glass doors. You could put a pole down there or a lock on top,” Giordano advises. He adds that burglars are often smart not to ransack the apartment entirely, saying, “they’ll just take one or two items. That has the person thinking, ‘Did I leave it somewhere? Did I lose it?’

Ultimately, burglars are likely to target your high-rise apartment if you’re on an extended absence. Both Ronan and Officer Giordano agree that notifying management, security and your neighbors is the safest best, along with leaving a number where you can be reached in case of emergency.

As for your mail, Ronan suggests you “cancel the delivery of mail while you’re out of town, period. But if you don’t want to do that, ask a neighbor, friend or even management to accept packages and other deliveries while you’re gone. [And] store your jewelry, important papers and other valuables in a safe deposit box, and leave a radio and a time-activated light on to give the impression that someone’s home. The management staff and a close neighbor are the only people who need know you’re out of town.”

Sources:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=116876
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/man-poses-as-flower-255257.html
http://www.justnews.com/news/20356601/detail.html
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/19991124_highrise.htm

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

American hotels check billions of visitors in each year, and it’s easy to assume your next vacation getaway will be a safe one.  After all, hotel rooms are generally equipped with keyless entry locks,  fancy high-end surveillance cameras monitoring every floor, and a highly visible on-site security staff that can usually be seen  patrolling lobbies and parking lots.  What you might be surprised to find, however, is that in spite of what can be viewed as rigorous security implementations by hotel companies, crimes are in fact not only frequently committed within hotel walls, but as of 2009 they are also very much on the rise.  A recent study conducted by Criminology and Hospitality professors from Ball State and Florida International Universities found  that a total of 756 crimes against guests were collectively reported by 64 Miami Beach hotels within just a two year time frame, and our faltering economy can be said to be at least partially responsible.  As Dave Wiggins, a member and former president of the California Tourism Safety & Security Association states, “the current (economic) downturn is associated with significant cuts in security, [while fewer hours for employees] may be pushing some otherwise honest people toward dishonest behaviors” (usatoday.com).

Despite the reasons, some hotel crimes have gone on to make headlines news.  In August 2005 the wife of a crew member from the ABC hit reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (a series that sends producers across  the country in search of families in need of a new home) who was staying at a Largo Hotel in Prince George’s County, Maryland with the rest of the series’ crew was beaten with a gun by an unidentified man demanding money from the front desk and fleeing before the police arrives.  The woman was subsequently rushed to the hospital where she received numerous stitches on her face (washingtonpost.com).  Ac tor/singer Jamie Foxx was himself nearly a victim of hotel crime when a man pretending to be a producer knocked at his Philadelphia hotel room door and tried forcing his way in when Foxx answered.  Foxx managed to prevent the suspect from entering, while police managed to catch and charge the subject with burglary, criminal threats, false imprisonment and other crimes (accesshollywood.com).

But this is not to say that you should be overly paranoid about becoming the next victim of hotel crime the next time you book a room; hotel security is by all accounts relatively safe, and the number of hotel crime victims a year are vastly and predictably fewer than those who have been victimized within their own homes.  Nevertheless, when you can’t rely on your own security systems and equipment, it can only help your personal safety to be aware of your surroundings and to take some extra precautions the next time you check yourself into a hotel.

Travel editor Peter Greenberg recently stopped by the CBS Early Show to share a few tips on staying safe during your next hotel visit.

“From the time you arrive to the time you leave, keep a close watch for anything out of the ordinary,” Greenberg says. “If you see an unattended car parked in front of a hotel lobby, report it immediately. Or if you see baggage sitting unattended in a hotel lobby, again tell a member of the hotel staff.”

The next step, he says, occurs during check-in, where you must always ask for a different room if the front desk clerk announces your room number out-loud while handing you the key.

“The reasons are obvious,” Greenberg says. “Criminals in hotel lobbies know right away what room you’re staying in if the room number is announced.”

He continues that you are at your most vulnerable after you check in and proceed to your room, as criminals can easily follow you and rob and assault you once you’ve inserted your card-key.  Therefore, if you find yourself feeling uncomfortable walking to your room alone, don’t be afraid to ask the hotel for an uninformed male employee to escort you.

Lastly, never underestimate the power of the peep-hole, and always call housekeeping yourself rather than use the “Please Clean the Room” sign, which basically lets everyone on your floor know that your room is empty (cbsnews.com).

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: house, move, moving, neighborhood, neighborhood safety, new house, safety

But how safe, exactly, is that cruise ship you’re boarding?

We’ve already covered the measures hotel officials take to ensure their guests are safe during their stay, and we can assume cruise ships are equipped with an equally attentive staff; or perhaps even more attentive, since spending several weeks in the open sea with nowhere else to go can probably seem like a breeding ground for theft and crime.  For the most part we can’t deny that the attention to security paid by cruise ships are likely to be meticulous, but we also can’t deny the fact that crimes can and do occur in every location imaginable, with cruise ships being no possible exception.

The facts and numbers speak for themselves, and as the FBI told a congressional hearing in 2007, during a five-month period of that year a total of 207 suspected crimes were reported by the cruise industry, including 41 sexual assaults.  The cruise lines carried nearly 4.4 million passengers between April and September, when the crimes are said to have occurred, and 19 of those were alleged rapes.  One of those was a woman who reported that she was raped by a cabin steward who entered her room while she slept using his passkey, and was apparently sedated by other crew members after the incident so as to make her memory of the account fuzzy and unreliable.  Her lawyer, William Sullivan, insists cruise ship crimes have gotten so remarkably rampant that it is “time for legislation. It’s time for Congress to step in” (Talev).

For their part, the FBI and Coast Guard insist that no act of Congress is necessary since the industry itself is reporting crime incidents in a timely manner, therefore allowing the current system to work well.  During a hearing Members of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, however, agreed that certain measures must be taken, suggesting that on-site training should be available for all cruise ship staff, including advice on how to retain evidence and secure crime scenes.

Cruise industry officials themselves spoke on the issue, with Gary Bald, senior vice president and global chief security officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises, insisting at the time that he was looking into installing peepholes on every cabin door, has hired more security guards per ship and specialized staff dealing exclusively with sexual assault cases, and was looking into creating a “blacklist” to possibly prevent his company from hiring staff members who have had a history of questionable activity aboard previous cruise ships (Talev).

Before you cancel your cruise for fear of becoming the next on-board victim, however, consider a list put together by Steve Thompson of  The Associated Content (associatedcontent.com) where he reminds us that while crimes aboard cruise ships are, relatively speaking, still pretty rare, “our vigilance can’t stop just because we’re on vacation.”

Here he shares 5 essential tips to keeping safe during your next cruise vacation:

1)Keep Your Cabin Locked
Like hotel rooms, cruise ship cabins require a passkey to enter, which is given to you on arrival.  However, when you’re in your cabin, you should always lock the deadbolt to ensure your utmost safety.  Also, you should remember to lock your door every time you leave your cabin.

2)Watch Your Belongings
Taking a dip in the pool or getting sucked into a casino slot machine can distract you from watching over your personal belongings.  It’s a great idea to lock your things in your cabin before going anywhere or to have someone you trust watch over your belongings while you step away.

3)Avoid dark, deserted areas
Cruise ships can be big, and rapes and assaults can happen just as easily on a ship as it can on land.    Avoid dark and deserted areas, and don’t be afraid to seek help immediately if someone is making you nervous. Perhaps your safest option is to have someone you know walk with you at all times.

4)Make It Difficult
Don’t invite criminal activity.  Criminals know where you might keep your belongings and will always check in the most obvious places.  Make it difficult for them by carrying your cash in your shoe, or keeping it in a fanny pack in front of you where you can see.

5)Choose the Right Cruise
It’s always a great idea to research how various cruise lines handle crime and security. Ask yourself, do they set up video surveillance of common areas? Do they employ loss-prevention officers? Will the decks be well-lighted? Choosing the wrong cruise can up your chances of becoming the next victim of cruise ship crime, in spite of your efforts to prevent crime once you’re on board.

Ultimately, being smart and vigilant is the key to crime prevention, although you can never be 100% certain when or how a criminal will strike.

As Thompson advises,

“If all else fails, make sure that you report any crime to the police, and ask that the cruise line investigate for you until the boat docks.”

Sources:

Talev, M.  “Crime aboard cruise ships comes to light.” The Seattle Times. 20 January 2007.
Web. 6 January 2010.

Thompson, S. “How to Prevent Crime on a Cruise Ship.” The Associated Content. 7 May 2009.
Web. 6 January 2010.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: crime, cruise, cruise ship, cruise ship crime, ocean crime, safety, Security

An estimated 32 million security alarm systems are installed in homes and businesses nationwide.  In 2002 alone, however, police in the United States responded to approximately 36 million false alarms, which amounted to an annual cost of nearly $1.8 billion.  This means that between 94 and 98 percent of all alarm calls police departments are false (Sampson)!

Burglar alarms are there to protect you from just that—burglars—but when alarms are being falsely sounded, it not only drains the resources of your local police department (which could be attending to actual emergencies), but it could also drain your wallet.

Recently, New Haven, Connecticut has taken extra precautions in their fight to crackdown on false-alarms, and they’re now including hefty fines.  Beginning in February, every resident with a security alarm system will need to have it registered at their local police department, while repeat false-alarm offenders will be required to pay a $75 dollar fine for their second offense,  $150 for their third, an astounding $250 for their fourth, and  increasingly higher fees for further offenses (MacMillan).

These fines certainly seem high, but as 96 percent of the 10,000 – 12,000 security alarms going off in New Haven every year are reported false, there’s no question that—especially given our current economic atmosphere—something must be done.

If you have a security alarm system installed in your home, chances are you will experience a false alarm at some point.  It’s inevitable.  But there are certain things you can do to minimize those chances:

1)Batteries
It’s true that the batteries in alarm systems tend to have a relatively long life-span—but they still need changing! Faulty batteries are one of the main reasons for false alarms, and you should change them every 6 months or so.

2)Pet Movement
If you have dogs or cats in your home, beware!—they could be tipping off your motion sensors. There are a variety of pet-immune motion sensors on the market that will prevent your animals from setting false alarms.  If none are readily available for you, there are noise detectors that will sound at the breaking of glass or any other loud noise rather than movement.

3)Faulty Contacts
Home security systems operate  through contacts on your doors and windows. When someone opens or breaks in while the system is armed, the alarm sounds. But if the contacts are faulty or loose, they might trigger the alarm even when no one has touched them. You should have a technician come out and make sure they are operating correctly.

4)Air Vents
You should always make sure that all motion sensors are facing away from air vents, windows or ceiling fans.  Some motion sensors are so sensitive that even a light breeze can set them off. Or, pay the extra buck to get a decent quality motion sensor!

5)People
Communicate with the people you live with!  Sometimes people arm their systems when other members of the household haven’t come home yet, and when they do it takes a while for them to get to the keypad in time to shut it down.  Always let the people you live with know when you’re going to arm your system (Thompson).

Sources:

MacMillan, T. “Crackdown On False-Alarms Set.” New Haven Independent. 7 January 2010. Web. 11 January 2010.

Sampson, R. “False Burglar Alarms.” Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Web. 11 January 2010.

Thompson, S. “How to Prevent Home Security System False Alarms.” The Associated Content. 30 November 2006. Web. 11 January 2010.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: alarm, burglar alarm, false alarm, fines, preventing, prevention, security alarm