Security

by Tomwat01

Being one of the responsible property owners out there, it’s your duty to keep your residence protected as well as safe. However, it is not the fact that you will be able to do so only by investing a considerable amount of cash.

There are many ways to get the job done without breaking the bank and sometimes you can do it free of cost as well. In the following paragraphs, we will be mentioning some surefire DIY home security hacks that will come of use to every homeowner out there.

But, first, we will talk about those things which are actually going on in the minds of the burglars.

Things Going On In the Minds of the Burglars:

• In case alarm systems are installed in your residence, about 90% of the burglars will try to avoid entering your house.
• The favorite time for the intruders to enter your home will be the daytime when none is present inside.
• It will be possible for the burglars to understand whether your abode is vacant or not by looking at the recycling bins, trashcans, and a lawn that is overgrown.
• Nearly 30% of the burglars are in the habit of entering residences without exerting any force by means of an unlocked window, door or any other opening.
• On some occasions, these intruders may also knock the front door and in case someone answers from inside they will come up with some fake stories.
• Instead of going to the bedroom of the kid, the housebreaker will go directly to the master bedroom.
• Most of them will think that someone is within the house in case they hear television or radio going on.
• The thieves dislike a couple of things, in particular, namely curious neighbors and barking canines.

Next, we are going to mention the top 12 DIY home security hacks below $20.

1. Fortify the door

Expenditure: Less than $15

The first and foremost thing to protect your residence against robbers will be to strengthen your door. For this, you can do several things that will make sure that intruders cannot enter into your house forcibly.

• Make sure to swap the regular lock using long-throw deadbolts
• Prevent entry by using reinforced strike plates
• Make the door more secured by using long wooden screws drilled right into the doorframe
• Use a metal frame to replace the regular wooden frame
• Make use of more than 1 lock at various heights and a couple of them at the identical height
• Make use of a steel core door rather than a regular wooden door
• Make certain that the locking mechanisms are left exposed in the doors and windows

2. Make the sliding glass doors and the windows secure

Expenditure: Less than $10

The most common entry point of the intruders happens to be the front door. After the front door, the windows and the rest of the doors are the most common avenues of entering a house. Sliding doors, in particular, can be lifted from their tracks easily and this makes them vulnerable to the housebreakers. Windows are also targeted by these criminals.

However, it is feasible to keep something in the track of the windows and the sliding doors to prevent them from being forcibly opened. You may use a charlie bar in case of the sliding glass doors for this. Otherwise, using a wooden or metallic rod in the track will also not be a bad idea.

You can also secure the windows in the same manner. Screws can be placed in the tracks or additional locks can also be provided to the windows to make them secure.

Breaking into my own house – Sliding glass door is useless!

3. Contact the post office

Expenditure: Free

In case you are going to some distant place away from your residence, make sure to inform the local post office to place a hold on your mails. The same can be said of the daily newspaper delivery to your house.

In fact, a burglar can easily understand that your house is empty in case they see a pile of mails overflowing from your mailbox. A heap of newspapers at your doorstep will convey the same thing to them.

You might likewise request your friendly neighbors to collect the newspapers each morning while you are out of the station. This way you can avoid informing the burglars about the fact that your house is vacant.

4. False home security sign

Expenditure: Around $10

Criminals have plenty of targets in front of them and your house might also be one of them. Therefore, you ought to do something that will not encourage them to enter your house by force. You can make use of a false security system sign in the front yard. This will serve the purpose of protecting your house at a relatively inexpensive rate.

5. Affordable door and window alarms

Expenditure: Around $20

As mentioned earlier, robbers prefer to enter through the windows, and in case you do not remember to lock them you will be inviting your own danger. Try to get hold of several door as well as window alarms and install those on every window and door in your house. The alarm is going to sound once a window is opened by anyone within your residence.

6. Ensure that your house is taken care of while you away

Expenditure: Free

Suppose you are going to spend your vacation on foreign soil for a couple of months. In that case, make sure to request your helpful neighbors to mow the lawn at regular intervals during your absence. If the lawn isn’t mowed for a couple of months, the burglars can easily comprehend the fact that none is there in the house to take care of the lawn.

The same rule applies in case snow piles up in your backyard during the winter months. The absence of any footprint and snow shoveling will inform the thieves that your house is empty.

Consequently, always request or appoint someone to look after your home while you are away. This will aid you to protect your house from the burglars and you will also be able to avoid paying fines to the authorities that they can impose against your property.

7. Get a Dog

It is a fact that dog is man’s best friend, and this has been aptly demonstrated by the way in which the pooches protect their masters in times of need. Try to get hold of a dog for safeguarding your property while you are not there. The sound made by these animals will be adequate to drive any burglar away from your house. Even though your dog belongs to a small breed like a Chihuahua, the sound made by them will be enough to wake you up from your sleep in the middle of the night.

If there is ample time, you might likewise train your pet on how to safeguard your home. You will come across lots of dog-training classes out there, and one of them can impart the necessary training to your pooch.

8. Let everything be illuminated

Expenditure: Below $20

Robbers hate lights, particularly while they are about to enter your house in the wee hours. Lights will help to expose the hiding spots of these offenders and they will be in all sorts of trouble.

When it comes to outdoor lighting, it will be a smart idea to install motion-sensor or automatic lighting on the outskirts of the garage, the back patio, or any other entrance to your home. You will find different types of affordable options on the market to choose from.

For indoor lighting, you may make use of the outdated Christmas lights for lighting up your abode while you are away, and connect them to a lamp inside your house. You can switch on the lamp using a timer and switch it off as well from a remote distance. In this way, you will be able to make it appear that you are present in your abode.

9. Conceal the precious items

Expenditure: Free

It is the natural propensity of the offenders to enter your house stealthily and also leave it as soon as possible after stealing your valuable items as well as jewelry. Being a responsible property owner it is your duty to secure your home, and therefore, you should make every effort to protect these items in the best possible way.

For this, it will be a prudent step to purchase a safe which will help you to get the job done impeccably. You can hide the precious items within the safe in your abode. A safe that resembles an electrical outlet or a wall clock safe will serve you just fine.

10. Make the garage secure

Expenditure: Less than $10

It is not known to many folks out there that they ought to safeguard the garage from the intruders given that they are likely to store costly equipment right there, not to mention their cars as well. The garage can be secured in the following ways:

• Locking the door which leads to your room from the garage
• Closing the garage door such that it is impossible for any passerby to understand what’s going on inside
• Purchasing a motion sensor light and installing it above the garage
• Trying not to leave the garage door opener in your vehicle particularly while the automobile is parked in the parking lot.

11. Reconsider the “Hide-a-key”

Expenditure: Free

It is a fact that most of the individuals are aware of the “hide-a-key” trick. On some occasions, you would like to hide your key somewhere else apart from your residence which might include your porch, under a plant or a rock, the welcome mat, or any location similar to that.

However, the unfortunate thing is that the intruders are aware of this fact too, and it is rather simple for them to locate your hide-a-key and enter your house while you are outside. It is similar to leaving the keys on top of your vehicle’s sun visor. Burglars are experienced enough to detect them without much problem at all.

In case you plan to use a hide-a-key make it a point to find out a spot which is not in the close vicinity of the door which the key unlocks. Try to conceal the key somewhere which is at least 30 feet away from your residence. However, the most sensible thing will be to avoid using this option at all.

The reason for this is that in case you are being observed by any criminal that you are in the habit of checking a particular spot prior to unlocking the front door, they will be able to comprehend that it is the hiding place of your key. Thus, they won’t have any problem to force into your home.

12. Set up a video doorbell

Expenditure: Around $15

It will be possible to control who is permissible to enter your home with the aid of a smart lock while a video doorbell will enable you to observe who has arrived at your door. In case you own both of these helpful items, you won’t find it difficult to see who has come to your doorsteps and then it can be unlocked remotely in case you have no problems in letting them in.

The video doorbell will likewise allow you to monitor the porch in case you have any package delivered to you in your absence. You will come across lots of different types of doorbells on the market at present and you will never run out of choice till you find the one within your budget.

Conclusion:

All these DIY home security hacks are not only meant to provide your home with total security against any intruder, but these will also likewise aid in minimizing any possibility of your home to become the target of the criminals.

Apart from these above-mentioned home security tips and tricks, there are several more out there as well. Feel free to look out for these DIY home security solutions on the web where you will come across lots of video tutorials that will be available to you for free. Experiment with several of these hacks till you find some that are according to your preference.

If you’re looking to save yourself from the possibilities of a potential home break-in, it is high time you consider upgrading your front-door security. But how exactly do you get your security a notch- above? What measures should you take? Let’s explore!

✅ Upgrade your Locks

Locks are one of the most essential aspects of your front door security. So, before anything else, you need to invest in a good set of locks. One of the best options here would be a deadbolt lock. These locks are solid, hardy and incredibly useful.

Once you get the lock, make sure the deadbolt of your door completely extends to the opening of the door jam. This should be further reinforced with a strong metal strike plate.

Also, while choosing a lock, do make sure that the bolt doesn’t have any exposed set of exterior screws. This will ensure an added layer of security.

Finally, you should also take the time to reinforce your existing key locks. Using cylinder guards is a good idea here. These guards around your locks will prevent from trying to wrench your locks loose.

✅ Get a Security Screen

Having two doors is always better than having a single one. And this is exactly why you need a security screen. For the uninitiated, security screens are the pierced metal barriers that have enough space for extra locks. They are usually installed in the open along with the point of the ingress. This, in turn, prevents the possibility of attacks that involve kicking your door wide open.

The extra locks in the security screen will also prevent the possibilities of covert entry. This is because you have an added deadbolt and knob as an add-on for the security of your front door. The best part: since these security screens have pierced openings, you can easily open the door and see everything that’s happening outside without involving in the risk of getting yourself outside. Security screens offer more vision than regular peepholes.

While choosing a security screen for your front door, make sure the product is durable enough here is a nice one on Amazon.com. A durable and high-quality product will go a long way in preventing destructive entry. In fact, the stronger the metal is, the better will be your defense.

✅ Lengthen the Set Screws

If you’re looking for quick, affordable DIY home security hack, this is one of the best ways to go about it. For this, all you must do is replace your existing set screws with longer, 3-inch screws. But how does this work in the first place? Well, the idea is simple.

When your standard door is kicked, the pressure is exerted by the bolt of your deadbolt. Now, when you have smaller set screws, your strike plate will only be secured till the door trim. Since this trim isn’t usually strong, the strike plate will be easily destroyed.

Finally, your bolt won’t be able to extend anywhere. Luckily, with 3-inch set screws, you’d be biting along the stud of your door jam. This will further prevent your strike plate from being easily destroyed.

✅ Strengthen the Glass Surfaces

Most front doors are located at a proximity with windows. Some of them even feature glass windows on them. Either way, both the arrangements can cause major damage to your front door security, if not addressed the right way. There are three ways in which you can deal with the issue.

First, get rid of the glass so that if someone smashes it, they won’t be able to get their hands inside for manipulating the thumb turn on the other end.

Next, try installing bars on the glass. As you do this, make sure the bars are close enough, thereby preventing the possibility of anyone reaching them. Finally, place a security film on your windows to offer an extra notch of security.

This will keep your windows safe and prevent the possibility of sudden, unannounced disruptions. You can order a roll of security film from Amazon.com click here to check the current price.

✅ Get a Surveillance System

If you really want to protect your loved ones from potential danger, it is high time you invest in a good surveillance system. A good security system will help you deter burglars while also identifying intruders. But in order for this to happen, you need to place the camera the right way.

To start off, try to place the camera right above your front door. Make sure this is completely visible from your subsequent street. Now, get another camera and position it directly, pointing to your door. This will further ensure that you get the footage from different angles. Since this will also give you the footage of the intruder’s face, it is especially useful.

Here is the wireless camera system that I use. I bought this from Amazon a few months ago and so far it’s worked great and super easy to set up. You can click this link to see it at Amazon.com.

In addition to deterring burglars, the right security system will also play a major role in helping you monitor your deliveries and kids when they play outside. At the end of the day, you’ll be at complete peace of mind.

✅ Strengthen your Door Frame

If you’re really looking forward to proper home security, take adequate measures in strengthening your door frame. While most external doors are built quite sturdy, not all of them fall under this category. Also, if your door is hollow in the interior, it’ll be easy to break through even if its body is made from metal.

So, before anything else, check if your front door is completely solid. Double check to ensure that it isn’t hollow in the interior parts. Since solid wood doors are much better than their hollow core variants, it is always better to invest in a good, solid door frame.

Also, while you strengthen the front door, don’t ignore your back doors either. Ideally, your back door will need the same degree of security as your main door. So, add deadbolts, sophisticated locks, and strike plates to your back door as well.

If your door is sliding, try getting key locks both at the top and the bottom. Alternatively, you can also get a metal rod and fit it along your door’s track. This will prevent it from automatically sliding open, while you’ve locked the door.

✅ Use Sophisticated Tools

Another way to strengthen the security of your front doors is by using sophisticated tools. While there are many tools that can help you here, some of the top options include:

Door lock Reinforcer – These tools are positioned along with the existing lock of your door for offering extra security when someone picks or tries to break the lock for forcefully entering your house.

These reinforcers are extremely portable, and you can conveniently install them by snapping them in place along with the lock. However, before investing in a good reinforcer, check if the device works with your lock because certain products don’t work well with smart and horizontal locks.

Door Jammers- Made from plastic or steel, door jammers are yet another common measure for notching up your front door’s security. Ideally, a door jammer will be placed on the floor while having a distance of at least half an inch from your door.

These devices are pressure mounted for added portability and can be easily removed during emergencies. Click here to see an example of a door jammer.

Door Security Bars- These devices are kept right at the center of your door for preventing burglars from directly kicking your door. While some are hardware mounted variants, others can be easily installed with their pressure-mounting functionality.

Available in plenty of shapes and sizes, you can easily adjust these bars with the width of your door.

✅ Get Wide-Angled Peep Holes

One of the most common ways criminals intrude your privacy is by knocking on your door or ringing the doorbell. Once you gullibly answer the door, they forcibly intrude in your property. Yes, this can even happen when your door is partially open.

A good way to avoid this issue is by getting wide-angled peepholes. Once you have this installed, you’d get to know if the person at the other end of the door is carrying any harmful tools.

✅ Metal Grills

If you have a glazed or semi-glazed door, you can always notch up its security by getting decorative metal grills in the interior of your door. Alternatively, you can also add a protective layer along the back of your door’s glass.

If you’re planning to replace the glass or purchase side panel or glazed door, make sure the glass is completely laminated. In this way, it’ll hold itself in place even when it is completely shattered. Also, when a laminated door is installed from the interior, it can’t be easily removed from outside, thanks to its solid beading.

✅ Strike Box

A strike box will strengthen your front door and prevent intruders from barging into your home. This is usually done by getting the existing strike plates replaced with a stronger structure that features metal pocket, big plates, and a strong connection to the wall studs. For accommodating this added feature, you’ll have to enlarge both the recesses of your cover plate as well as the hole in your jam.

Bottom Line

Once you adopt the given measures you will successfully end up securing your front door against burglars, strangers, and intruders. Since the given hacks are easily accessible and simple to follow, we are sure it won’t take you much time to get through.

by Scott the Cop

If you are truly serious about issues of self-defense then you might be interested to know that the police are not required by law to protect you.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the police have no constitutional requirement to provide anyone protection even if that person has a protection order from a court.  Going one step further, the police cannot protect you.  I should know since I’m a former police officer.

Quite simply, the police are not much more than the clean-up crew.  They clean up the mess after the crime, do an investigation and hopefully get lucky.  Eventually, they even may catch the perpetrator.  In nearly fifteen years of experience, I can count the number of times I happened upon a serious crime in progress on one hand.  As for arriving in time in response to an emergency call, I can count them on both hands.  The overwhelmingly vast majority of the time I caught the perp after the crime was committed.

In other words, you are on your own until the police get there.  To make matters worse, in 2011, every single state in the Union cut back funding for emergency services an average of 48%.  One state cut its funding a whopping 93%!  So, where does this leave you?  Basically, you’re caught between a rock and a hard spot.  Since you cannot rely on the police for protection, you’ve got to take matters into your own hands.

Self-defense is defined as the right to prevent the suffering of force or violence through the use of a sufficient level of counteracting force or violence.  To start off, you need to know the laws in your state regarding self-defense.  Knowing what you can and cannot do lets you know your limits.

No two states have the same laws regarding self-defense and some require you to try and retreat from your attacker if possible, even if you are in your own home.  However, this comes with some caveats:

1. The threat of violence must be immediate.

You’ve got to be in immediate danger to use force against another person.  Since you aren’t the government, you can’t do a pre-emptive strike on someone.

2. The fear of harm must be reasonable.

The courts use the “reasonable man” test.  What would a reasonable man do in the exact same circumstances?  The interpretation of this test varies from state to state.

3. The force you use must in proportion to the force used against you.

This is really subject to interpretation and according to the laws of your state.  What you can do in Texas, you can’t do in Rhode Island.

So, you know the laws of your state and now you’ve decided that no way, no how you are going to be a victim.  Good.  This is the right attitude.  What’s next?  Plan out what you will do in different situations.  Your mental preparedness is vital.  Let me repeat that, “Your mental preparedness is vital.”  Can you actually shoot a person?  It really is a big deal, but being mentally prepared ahead of time will help you through the ordeal.  When the time comes to pull the trigger and you hesitate, you might as well give the perp your gun.

As a cop, I played the “What If” game.  Whenever I had some mental free time, I made up a scenario and then decided what I would do in a given situation.  How would I react if a person pulled a gun on me during a traffic stop?  What would I do if confronted by a man with a knife?  I would go through several specific responses to a situation several times until it became ingrained.

What will you do if a perp breaks into your home?  Where do you draw the line as to how far he comes before you shoot?  What will you do if he decides to turn tail and run, but he’s got your laptop?  Do you have family members in your home and can they protect themselves?  You’ve got to think up as many questions as possible then come up with a reasonable answer to each of them.

Let me say something about burglars.  Believe it or not, if committed during the day time, as a general rule burglary is not a crime of violence.  It becomes a crime of violence when the perp knows you are home. Many daytime burglars don’t carry weapons and don’t want to confront the homeowner.  They want to get in and out without being seen.

The night-time burglar is a whole different story.  He knows that someone probably is home and he does it for the thrill.  He wants the confrontation and to instill fear.  The power trip from this is what the home invader is after.  You can rest assured that this type of criminal will hurt or kill you if you give him half a chance.  In this situation, I would be more willing to shoot sooner than later.

Preparing your home is the next step.  The question isn’t if you are being paranoid.  What you should ask is, “Are you being paranoid enough?”  If you’ve got shrubs or bushes that block a clear view of your windows, cut them to about six inches below the window sill.

You need to see in or out of your home.  Don’t leave ladders near your home.  This gives the burglar a convenient tool.  The same thing goes for objects he can use to toss through your window.  Don’t give a burglar a tool to use against you.

Don’t forget the inside of your home.  Place objects to defend yourself that you can use in a pinch in convenient and not-so-convenient spots throughout your house.  Your utility draw is a great spot to stick a big screwdriver or a box cutter.  Your kitchen is a wealth of weapons.  Bottles and cast iron pans will do a number on a burglar’s head.  I won’t even go into knives.  If you can afford it, have a couple handguns stashed in strategic places.

Speaking of guns, handguns are all well and good, but a shotgun is best.  The psychological impact of a shotgun is priceless.  The muzzle of a shotgun looks like a train tunnel when pointed at you.  No one in their right mind wants to face an angry homeowner armed with this type of weapon.  I’ve known suspects to defecate in their shorts when a shotgun was pointed in their direction.

If you can legally possess it, I strongly recommend the Mossberg Blackwater Series 930™ Special Purpose shotgun.  Hands down, this is your best bet for home defense.  It has an eight round magazine plus one in the pipe for a total of nine rounds.  It is semi-automatic, has a pistol grip with rifle sights.  These features are important.  You can hold and fire it with one hand while you use the other to hold your phone while calling 911.  Plus, you can use it for hunting.

Let me also say something about ammunition for the shotgun.  To begin with, I’d start out practicing with skeet loads.  You can get used to the idea of the big monster in your hands without becoming gun shy.  For your down-and-dirty loads, I would load it with alternating rifled slug and double-aught buckshot.  Although an express magnum round kicks worse than a mule, you won’t feel it if you need to shoot.  Your adrenalin will be pumping and you won’t notice to recoil.

Many people think that you can just point a shotgun and shoot from the hip.  Sorry folks, but if you think this, you’ve been watching too much TV.  A shotgun needs to be aimed just like a rifle.  Buckshot disperses in a shot pattern radially about 1½ inches per linear yard of travel from an 18” barrel.

That means that at three yards, the buckshot pattern is only 4½ inches in diameter.  Considering that your average gunfight is from a distance of only seven feet, this means you’ve got a real chance of your first shot missing if you shoot from the hip.

Since you’ve got to aim the shotgun anyway, alternating first with a rifled slug then buckshot gives you a guaranteed knockdown with your first shot.  A rifled slug is ¾” in diameter and weighs a whopping one ounce. That’s huge!  Plus, some companies load them up hot and the slug travels at more than 1600 fps!  That’s like a Mack truck hitting you at 200 mph.  When the slug hits your attacker center mass, it’s all over but the crying.

The aftermath is the worst part of what you’ve got to deal with, mentally, physically and legally.  If you’ve prepared mentally ahead of time, this won’t be too much of a problem.  If you do shoot someone, don’t try and rearrange the crime scene to make it look better.

I guarantee you that the police will figure it out.  I won’t go into the science of blood spatter and powder burn patterns; just trust me, you won’t get away with it. If you are justified in shooting an intruder, the truth will set you free.

You never, never, ever shoot to kill.  You shoot to STOP the threat of death or serious bodily injury.  It may sound like legal mumbo jumbo, which it is, but it is important legal mumbo jumbo.  The whole purpose of you shooting in the first place is to stop an attack involving serious bodily injury or death against you or another person. So, when the police ask why you fired, explain the situation and tell them you were in fear of your life.  Make sure you express regret and look remorseful, even if shooting the perp felt more like stepping on a cockroach.

Self-defense is a deadly serious business with deadly serious consequences.  I once shot a person and while I didn’t feel any remorse, I did have nightmares for years to follow.

Quote from Stratfor.com

“Dear Stratfor Member, We have learned that Stratfor’s website was hacked by an unauthorized party.”

by Gail S – reprinted here for 2012

I have a subscription with Stratfor.com.  The firm, under the tutelage of George Friedman, does an analysis of the data coming in from all over the world on political and economic matters, or at least those are the items that I find interesting to follow.  And that is the reason I have the subscription.

So on December 24^th, 25^th and 28^th the notes from Stratfor.com stating that they had been hacked and my info was potentially out there on the web for all to see were alarming!   (Thanks Anonymous! What did I ever do to you?),

Stratfor.com has responsible leadership.  They didn’t hide this incident nor did they take cover behind a bunch of liability issues!  They took quick action in informing folks of their problem.  They took additional steps in offering and paying for a year of protection for all of us impacted by the problem and then urged us to sign up for it.  They gave us some remedial steps on what to do and they notified the credit card company to which I had charged my subscription quickly. They did all the helpful things they could do in my opinion.

My mind, however, didn’t find it particularly easy to let go of the issue.  And so quickly I did the first things I could think of.

1. I called the same bank and had them re-issue my credit card with a new number.
2. I did a credit check with Equifax to make sure that, so far, no one had set up any accounts I didn’t know about.
3. I changed my username and password at my banks.
4. And still didn’t find myself sleeping well.

NOTHING YOU DO TODAY IS PRIVATE!  Today, nothing is private!  Google uses every bit of information they get from the websites you visit to make sure that what shows up to be advertised on every website you stop in is something that you have previously shown interest in.   And if you can follow my last sentence, then you are a better person than I am…

Examples:

My local newspaper’s website has advertising around the edges for a webshop I made to look at some snow boots.  Matter of fact, those silly boots, which I decided I didn’t want anyway are beginning to haunt me as they show up at nearly every site I visit!  I have a Facebook account, hi there boots. I make a stop at Amazon, hi again boots!  Well, you get the idea.  And if anyone thinks that Facebook is about privacy either, they are so sadly misguided! It is another privacy robber, no doubt.

So because of the wakeup call, I started asking myself questions and started looking at best practices.

1. What needs to be done to protect myself online?
2. What things do I need to watch for going forward that might be a warning of someone trying to obtain information about me that could hurt me.
3. What am I willing to do to ensure some privacy and what am I unwilling to do to give up the freedom of information and activity I enjoy on the web.

Protection:

1. On the sites you use the most, change your user ID’s and passwords often.  I set up an alarm on my calendar for this year to do it monthly.    Identify websites you frequent most often, make a list and change your user ids and passwords. Think about where you shop…Amazon, Emergency Essentials, etc. The banks you use.  The social accounts you use;  the subscriptions you have (like me).  To avoid forgetfulness, buy yourself a small index card file box and write down your sites, user id’s and passwords and keep it someplace safe in your house.  That way you won’t confuse yourself trying to figure what your latest password is.
2. Pick one credit card with a small limit to use on all online purchases. Use one that is at a bank or Credit Card Company where you have no other assets. Use only that one.  Should someone hack it in any way, you can have it canceled and a new one issued easily.  Hopefully, this will prevent a hacker from infecting accounts at other locations.  Or use a PayPal or the like service.
3. If you are using a home address to have items shipped, change that, right away. Get a P O Office Box or one of those commercial post office boxes and send everything there.  In a pinch, send items to your place of employment, but get out of the habit of shipping things to your home.  And change your mailing address on your credit cards so they go to the Post Office Box as well.
4. Google your name and see if your name and/or address show up anywhere. Mine did, and I am still trying to get that to go away.
5. You are entitled to check your credit scores once per year for free. Do it!  What you are looking for is someone using your credit data to set up accounts for themselves at different addresses and are using your name and account information to do so.
6. Get a credit check service, all of the big three Equifax, Transunion and Experian can help you with that. See the bottom of my post.  These companies usually charge a fee per month, but the insurance may be worth it to you.
7. Don’t do all of your banking online! Go visit the bank and ask them to look at your main accounts and make sure that your balances match theirs, more on this in a bit.
8. UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF SECURITY, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOU CAN BE HACKED OR WILL BE HACKED IN SOME MANNER SOMETIME. Prepare your mind for it and think about it often.
9. Never give out social security numbers or credit card numbers in emails.
10. Be careful to deal with only the most reputable dealers. Then you stand an honest chance of being informed promptly should a problem occur.
11. Get a good antivirus protection service and use it! I am not making recommendations on which one.  All of them still make a mistake now and again and let something through that shouldn’t have happened.  Let it update automatically.  For that matter, if you are running Windows, make sure their updates are automatic as well.

Things to watch for:

1.   Do not open or respond in any way to unfamiliar emails.  I have had 9 emails that I believe for sure are the result of the Stratfor.com incident.  Stratfor.com warned that there may be emails coming in from unsavory sources that would be attempting to get us to open them using “protect yourself from internet thieves, use our internet protection service” offers.  These were pretty easy to avoid when I saw them, they were from names I had never heard of.
2. Be careful that you read who your email is from before you open it.  I had two that I am sure came from people poking through some of my data because mixed in the body of the sender names were the names of people I know.  This made me sure that my information had been hacked by anonymous and that people were trying to find out more.
3. Emails: Since this hacking thing I have had two emails from my bank, both of which were asking for me to click on a link and go to the website and do something. They were Bogus and only there because somewhere in the data, they found my banking source.   Never, EVER click on a link to a financial institution from an email address.  If you need to go to your bank’s website, go to a clear web browser screen and type the bank’s web address in yourself.  If the bank is trying to get ahold of you, they will send will contact you via the mail if it is important.
4. Check your regular mail. We all are pretty used to getting the same junk mail all the time.  Should new or different solicitations start showing up in your email, pay attention as they may have obtained information about you from your use on the web.
5. CHECK YOUR BILLS CAREFULLY!  A lot of us get our bills online.  They may or not get paid automatically.  Stop!!!!!!!!   Make sure you look at all of them!  Check your phone bills for calls you may not have made.  Check your cable/dish bill for shows or movies you may not have purchased.  Check your credit card and online bank statements to make sure everything on there was something you purchased. When in doubt call and find out!
6. Here is the big kicker! And it is the reason for number 7 above.  Go see your bank. Check your bank balance with them.  There are hackers out there now that have the ability to mimic your bank’s website.  While they are busy draining your bank accounts, you are using your accounts just like you normally would knowing full well what should be in those accounts!  The mimicked account looks just like your normal bank account and you will not know the difference until you start getting bounced checks!  There is protection that will eventually make your account right and whole again, but in the meantime, you will have a whole lot of acid indigestion for a while getting things straightened out! 

What I am willing to give up for privacy:

At the moment I am willing to do all I have listed above to continue an online existence.  However, everyday something new comes to light that is alarming.  Today there was an article today about the FDA monitoring their employee’s private emails.  Yesterday it was Stratfor.com getting hacked.

I was in good company with the Stratfor.com hacking.  Apparently, the DOD, Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Amex, and others were also involved.  Some 75,000 clients in all.  We all read the news that Homeland Security is looking at every Facebook and Twitter entry now.  Zappos.com, a subsidiary of Amazon was also hacked recently.  At some point, the price for being online may become too high.

I am just an average citizen of this country.  While I am not a happy camper with the political and economic attitudes and the present situation in this country, I am no threat to anyone’s security and I certainly am not a very rich target for internet thieves.

There may come a time when I just shut it all down and find a more private lifestyle.   What we are willing to put up with for an open style of communication is an individual choice.  It is not lost on me that all of this invasive activity has been taking place just as the SOPA and PIPA legislation was making its way through Congress.  Is it paranoia that makes me think it might be connected in order to urge us to let the Government protect us from internet piracy?

Who knows, just an idle question on my part…………..It does feel to me, however, that FEAR is what is manipulating us these days, be it fear of climate change, fear of the internet, fear of somebody else going crazy and using a gun irresponsibly, fear of another country, fear that we can’t be responsible for eating right, flushing our toilets right, using the right brands of detergents, etc. etc. etc.  All so-called reasons for additional government control over our lives.

I am just sharing my experience here.  Looking forward to your comments on additional ways and means to protect yourselves!   Good Luck to All!

Here are some additional sources for your consideration:

Credit References

Contact the three U.S. credit reporting agencies: Equifax (http://www.equifax.com/ or (800) 685-1111), Experian (http://www.experian.com/ or (888) 397-3742), and TransUnion (http://www.transunion.com/ or (800) 888-4213), to obtain a free credit report from each.

If you see any unauthorized activity on your accounts promptly notify your financial institution;
– submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) by calling 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877- 438-4338) or online at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Credit Monitoring Service

Stratfor.com is paying for this firm to monitor the accounts of all of us who were involved.  CSID, a leading provider of global identity protection and fraud detection solutions and technologies.

Other Interesting Resources for hacking and other things:

Firestorm.com,   Check out their book called Disaster Ready People.

VPN

https://www.torproject.org/

by SurvivorDan

While the grid is up or generators are running, I suggest layers of lighting. Security lights (check these out at Amazon.com) around the residence are the norm. They should be aimed out and be annoyingly blindingly bright.
I have two sets on separate circuits so if one set has malfunctioned or is taken out I can turn on the other and still illuminate the same area.

I like automatic motion sensors coupled with the ability to manually control the lights. If you have outbuildings, have lights mounted both motion-sensor activated and manually controlled from your residence. I also like some low/medium wattage lights on my perimeters as back-lighting intruders may be useful.   If the perimeter lights are disabled then you will know that there could be some mischief coming.

Preserving your natural night vision:

Simple idea, but reducing your exposure to artificial lighting (including the flare of your match) preserves your night vision. The use of low-level red/amber LED lights for map reading and locating supplies and weapons during a confrontation will also help preserve your night vision. After thirty minutes in the darkness, your eyes are capable of detecting much more than you would expect them to be able to discern.

Also, there are more light receptor rods (used for scotopic or low light vision) 15 to 20 degrees out from the focal point of your retina, so turning your head slightly from side to side provides better discernment of objects in extremely low light than staring directly at them.

If you are thusly barely able to detect your assailants (but you are certain they are your attackers) when you look directly through your sights you will only see blackness but as you know they are likely there, fire at the center of the darkness. I know this flies in the face of the old axiom to always being absolutely sure of your targets.

Anyone who has been in a firefight and fired at the muzzle flashes and into the darkness knows there are exigent circumstances where the positives of such tactics outweigh the negatives.

Speaking of muzzle flashes I have demonstrated to students at night fire training that the flash image target (a muzzle flash or a momentarily illuminated target) moves as you move and thus you miss. You turn your head slightly or move your entire body and when firing you are firing at a ghost retinal image that is not where it was generated.

So keep your head still when firing at flash-retinal / ghost images. If your immediate zone is too hot then just fire for effect while moving. Movement is life and that same slight side to side head movement as you move to a new firing position through uneven terrain will aid you in seeing where you are bugging out to.

Not light related per se, but when all is dark your ears may be your only way of ‘seeing’ what your attackers are doing and where.  Protecting your hearing will help in the darkness. Those with electronic shooting hearing protection will have an advantage over unequipped attackers as they will be deafened by gunfire while you are not.

Also, the adjustable sound amplification capabilities of most electronic ears can provide you with an edge.  Some makes of electronic ears offer directional discernment capability.

Flashlights:

Bright tactical flashlights (strobe preferred) should always be on your person and pre-positioned throughout the property (Check this one out!). There are many, low power consumption (LED) but high lumen output handheld tactical lights available on the market today. {I am currently in the process of converting my old incandescent (power hungry) Surefires to the new LED lamps.}

I have used such lights to temporarily blind, disorient and often discourage a would-be attacker. So bright handheld pulsing lights can be a non-violent deterrent and if not, he who can see what he is shooting at has the advantage.

But, don’t forget that they can see your light too. Still, given my druthers, I would rather be the fellow blinding an assailant with my tactical light’s strobe setting whilst applying all necessary counter-measures.

Long guns should be equipped with mounted tactical lights with on/off momentary touch switches. Handguns, not rail equipped can be used in conjunction with techniques (see Harries Technique, et al) to direct the light in your support hand while simultaneously providing additional control to your dominant hand held the weapon.  There are off-set or oblique tactical lighting techniques that make it more difficult for your attackers to know where you are at.

Try moving through your house with your tactical light off to the side, away from your body and being pulsed momentarily aimed off the ceiling or a wall at an angle away from your path. Much harder for someone concealing themselves to know where you are at any exact moment.  Many gun shops and ranges offer tactical light classes and I heartily recommend such training. Invaluable.

Pre-arranged light based codes will serve you well if other communications systems fail.

When the grid is down you will need flashlights that can be recharged with solar panels or other means (see MD Creekmore’s recommendations here). Sure you can have hurricane lamps and torches but then you are mostly illuminating the wrong target……yourself. There was a good reason that many battles in bygone times were fought in the daylight.

Night Vision Devices:

Night glasses are telescopes or binoculars with large diameter objectives. Large lenses can gather and concentrate light, thus intensifying light with purely optical means and enabling the user to see better in the dark than with the naked eye alone. Such binoculars are useful but their obvious advantage is reduced by the limited dilation capabilities of the human pupil. Still good to have a set handy.

The best and most widely available type of night vision devices is the NVDs.   Few have good NVDs and have familiarity with them. But if you have either night vision goggles (take a look at these on Amazon.com) or night vision binoculars and can maintain them grid down, then you rule the night.

They have drawbacks too as those that incorporate active illuminators can be detected by counter-snipers. Most commercially available NVDs are passive image intensifiers but even those may be temporarily incapacitated by a blinding light directed at you. Fortunately,  most devices will adjust quickly.

No night vision device is perfect but in the absence of adequate tactical lights and NVDs amongst your attackers….you will rule the night. Looking out with night vision devices at a field full of exposed crawling tangos, who think they are unseen, is a confidence builder and a game changer. Combine your night vision superiority with suppressed weapons and it becomes a lop-sided firefight. Your side has a high probability of prevailing.

Tracers:

Bullets coated with or built with a base filled with a pyrotechnic chemical composition (typically strontium nitrate compounds combined with magnesium or phosphorus) which start burning immediately after exiting the muzzle of the weapon providing a visual guide as to the trajectory of the bullets fired, allowing for quick adjustment if off target.

Tracers would have an obvious advantage particularly during a low-light or nighttime gunfight, allowing a gunner to ‘walk’ his rounds in on an attacker’s position.  The downside is that the attackers can ‘trace’ back the path of the bullets to the gunner, thus targeting him.  Still…would could come in handy if applied judiciously.

Flashbang devices:

Think cherry bombs or homemade – sodium chlorate/antimony, charcoal/aluminum or magnesium powder, etc. Blinding flash-bang devices may be deployed against attackers in order to blind and deafen them while you shield yourselves from their brief but intense light and sound. Your vision may be limited in the darkness but you can help blind your attackers.

Flares:

If you need to suppress nighttime infiltrators, flares are a good tool. Tube-launched parachute flares would be nice. I’d settle for some pistol launched maritime flares. Fiery arrows (lit road flare bearing?) have been used in the past to illuminate and even immolate foes and would still prove useful. I’m sure some of you could come up with a lot of homemade flare recipes.

Strategically pre-positioned firewood piles with a remotely triggered ignition set-up (gasoline and Tannerite?) could come in handy if you have tangos whom you need to illuminate. In extreme exigent circumstances, extra Tannerite and ball bearings might negate the need to illuminate them.

(Remember that any booby traps may make you subject to arrest and/or civil liability.)

For those surprised that I appear a bit more militant and hardcore than usual, I might point out that many of these measures may discourage would-be attackers from attempting or continuing an assault on your retreat. Violence is my least favorite solution to a problem. Avoiding a fight is always my first choice.

But failing that……rule the night and apply sufficient violence to end the threat.

 

Open-ended questions like these are often answered using personal experience or second-hand chatter. What is often ignored are the actual studies and verified results coming from these studies. For instance in the United States did you know that while Bear Spray (somewhat more elevated approach to pepper spray) works very well on animal encounters while similar products are less likely to have an immediate stopping effect on humans? (Smith, et al. 2006) (Vesaluoma, et al. 2000) Facts matter when it comes to self-defense of any type.

What I hope to give you with this article is a compilation of data that shows enough for you to make appropriate decisions regarding your defense of self and family. The best defense is avoidance of potential harm through better life decisions and practices.

An indisputable reality is that those who seek war will find it, and those who seek peace will also find it. Lastly, training is inherently necessary with any form of defense and or tool used in said defense. Without training, any tool used in defense is as useful as a brick sitting on the ground. With the preaching out of the way, its time to look at what is the best non-firearm home defense weapon!

Non-firearm defensive implements take many forms. Some of the more popular are as follows, in no particular order.

• Blades (knives, swords, and farm or working implements with blades)
• Chemical repellents (oleoresin capsicum otherwise known as OC spray or pepper spray through hairspray and even ammonia in bottles as suggested by some misguided individuals.)
• Taser-type devices (tasers, stun guns, cattle prods, and spring or air powered electric prong launchers)
• Bludgeoning tools (bats both cricket and American ball bats, rocks, bricks, anything that can be held in your hand and used to bludgeon an animal or individual who may be attacking you)
• Walking aids and support material (canes, walking sticks, umbrellas and or walkers etc.,)

When you are in the home what is your plan of defense and approach to safety? Do you have plans in place with alternative meeting locations for all individuals in your house and immediate family group? Do you know what you will do in case of a fire? Have you made plans and practiced them with regards to potential home invasion by armed assailants?

It has been established that armed home invasions while relatively small in number compared to other crimes are still a large enough risk that if you practice fire drills than you should also be practicing home invasion drills. It is essential to understand that there is no glory in battling from room to room with individuals regardless of situation when your family is also involved.

In fact, while it may seem a bit cowardly it is the more intelligent thing to avoid this and barricade yourselves into rooms resorting to using of armed defense only when directly threatened.

Obviously, if you live in a rural area and have no backup from emergency responders or neighbors within a reasonable distance and time frame, in this case, it would be important to have studied how to repel individuals intent on harming you and yours. It is still the best approach to barricade yourself and loved ones and defend from a secure position.

Hunting the intruders is pure Hollywood and will only get you or those you love harmed physically or otherwise. I for one would rather my children never have to take a human life or witness its occurrence. Use of less than lethal tools for defense allows for a solution that while not always immediately effective reduces these issues. It should be noted that firearms are not immediately effective either.

Use of bladed tools for defense is hotly contested by many countries and in many states within the United States. Regulations on length and type of bladed tool are important to know for your individual location.

Where I happen to reside blades are relatively unregulated and I am able to own virtually any type of bladed weapon and even use them in defensive situations. However, the same legal implications apply with the use of a bladed tool and a firearm as both are seen as deadly weapons in the eyes of the law regardless of where you live.

Be very careful about the laws and take the time to review recent cases where blades may have been used defensively in your residential area (country, state or social area).

Using a blade takes a substantial amount of training to be effective with, however, due to the alternative uses for blades as utility tools they can be easily carried, procured and kept around. With this one, I definitely suggest training from someone who has a proven background in use of these tools (i.e. Ghurka) or in the Filipino art of Arnis/Escrima/Kali or similar Filipino bladed martial art as these are widely considered the best for self-defense and modern combat approaches. (Wagner, 2014)(Alonso, 2010) There are several extremely solid schools where you can train over the course of a 2 or 4-day seminar and learn enough to practice and have a good footing for future use. As with all things related to personal safety continued training is an essential component.

Chemical repellents have been shown to be somewhat more effective when employed properly. Meaning directly to the eyes and face of the assailant or assailants. It should be noted that in many tests with products and individuals over the years these sprays have had less than stellar results, some uses ending in harm coming to the person using the spray due to it simply not working at the time.

There have also been deaths related to use of OC and other similar sprays. (U.S. Dept of Justice, 2003) There is a relatively high failure rate of the spray canisters themselves to function. These devices are not legal and are outright banned in many locations around the globe. I disagree with the reasoning behind these decisions made by governments, however, they exist so make sure you understand the local laws!

 

As for overall effectiveness, OC spray ends up being about 85% effective per several studies, when used properly. (Kaminski, Robert et al. 1999) I would suggest training with one and even being sprayed if possible so that you understand exactly how this spray works and can better use it or avoid the use of it when needed.

Lastly, make sure you get a solid version and do not settle for inexpensive knockoffs as this will simply lower the effectiveness with these tools.

These are tools that absolutely require a higher level of quality control from the factory and result in a higher price as well. One last consideration with these devices, OC spray regardless concentration can cause or significantly contribute to difficulty breathing which with already impaired individuals (asthmatics, obese individuals and similar) can and has lead to death as shown above.

SABRE Red is one of the most effective and is used by many police departments across the United States – check current price and availability at Amazon.com…

Taser devices work well in some scenarios also and do take somewhat less training to operate, though as with everything I do suggest practicing with your chosen tool. When it comes to taser type devices there are only a few types I can recommend as I have had numerous types used on myself and personally can attest that the vast majority of the low-cost noise makers hawked by unscrupulous individuals at local gun shows and even gun shops rarely function well.

The only versions I have used that functioned well every time contact was made are the Vipertek brand and Taser-brand stun guns. Vipertek is quite a bit less expensive than Taser with the trade-off being that Vipertek products require you to directly contact the assailant with the device while Taser offers this ability, as well as use as a standoff weapon through gas, propelled electrical leads. Both devices work quite well with human assailants when employed properly!

There are other brands out there, Sabre and Ruger both made forays into the stun gun market, my experiences with these are no different than my experience with off-brand versions. They are more gimmick than function in my strict opinion.

Stun guns may also result in unintentional death though the risk is relatively low compared to the overall use of said products. Again as with all other defensive tools, make sure you know the local rules and regulations attached. Good stun guns work well, again make sure you practice use of these and if possible test them on yourself so that you are able to better understand the effect. Practice, train and practice more!

Bludgeoning implements are the last segment we will look at for non-firearm based defensive tools. I will be including canes, walking sticks and umbrellas into this area simply because legally in some locations they are seen in the same light when used as a ‘weapon”.

Again with these make sure you know local laws, for instance in most areas around the world use of police batons and nun-chucks are banned for use as a defensive tool. However, some areas allow the use of expandable batons and other similar tools for defensive purposes. Again, you will want to have some training.

I highly recommend Filipino martial arts in this arena as they are unparalleled in the implementation of beneficial combative approaches utilizing batons and knives.

There are several approaches to using a cane, walking stick and even your umbrella as a defensive tool as well. It is relatively easy with training to use the extra leverage a cane or stick can offer to gain the upper hand in a situation requiring self-defense.

There have been several news stories over the years of elderly women and men using canes and or purses to bludgeon their attackers forcing a retreat and defending themselves safely. As one of the individuals I worked with over the years stated, everything can be a weapon if you know where to use it best!

There are canes that are specifically made for the dual purpose of being used as a cane plus as a self-defense tool when needed like this BadAss Cane.

So to answer the original question, What is the best home defense weapon that isn’t a gun? There is no definitive best home defense weapon. Any self-defense instructor with personal integrity and ability will tell you something similar to what I will.

Use your head, avoid potentially dangerous situations and get training in solid, functional approach that allows you to best defend yourself. More importantly, remain aware of your surroundings and continually train yourself to recognize threats that may present themselves! If you have anything to add or comment on be sure to do so below in the comments!

Free the mind and the body will follow

Alonso, R. (2010). In the Stick of Things – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos. [online] Web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20100615170421/http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20100612-275230/In-the-Stick-of-Things [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].

Kaminski, Robert et al. (1999). Assessing the incapacitative effects of pepper spray during resistive encounters with the police. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. 22. 7-30. 10.1108/13639519910257801.

Smith, T. et al. (2006). Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska. [online] Wdfw.wa.gov. Available at: https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/bear_cougar/bear/files/JWM_BearSprayAlaska.pdf [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].

U.S. Dept of Justice (2003). The Effectiveness and Safety of Pepper Spray. [online] Ncjrs.gov. Available at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/195739.pdf [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].

Vesaluoma, M. et al. (2000). Effects of Oleoresin Capsicum Pepper Spray on Human Corneal Morphology and Sensitivity. [online] Iovs.arvojournals.org. Available at: https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2123766 [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].

Wagner, J. (2014). Filipino Kali is Alive and Well in Today’s Police and Military Training – USAdojo.com. [online] USAdojo.com. Available at: https://www.usadojo.com/filipino-kali-is-alive-and-well-in-todays-police-and-military-training/ [Accessed 29 Jul. 2018].