15 Tips For Staying Safe While Out Shopping

Thieves sometimes target shoppers, looking for easy targets and vulnerabilities to exploit.

Here are a few common-sense tips to reduce the odds of becoming a victim…

1. Eliminate any signs that you are gone. Make your house look like you are home. Leave some lights on. Leave the TV or radio on.

2. Don’t tweet or Facebook your social status that you are out shopping. In fact, unless your settings are ‘friends only’ – don’t announce your location on Facebook at all; you are

3. Maintain situational awareness of what is happening around you.

4. Don’t daydream while you’re walking around.

5. Keep your head up and look around you. Look confident.

6. Avoid walking around with your head down on your smartphone while texting.

7. Shoppers should always keep one hand free. When you are carrying a lot of bags or packages in both hands, you are more vulnerable.

8. When you are out shopping, go with someone else. Shop in pairs. Thieves are less likely to strike when there are a lot of people around.

9. Ladies, avoid carrying a purse. Instead, just carry your ID and payment in your pocket. You might consolidate those things (including additional necessities) into a smaller wallet which could drop into your pocket while shopping. You could keep your purse in the trunk of the car if you must bring it with you.

10. Carry pepper spray. Particularly when going to and from a parking lot, carry it in your hand while walking towards your vehicle. It is convenient to attach to your key-ring.

11. Have your car keys out and ready BEFORE you get to your car.

12. If you are licensed to carry a firearm, do so. It is your ultimate protection. If you are not, then you might consider looking into it.

13. If you are carrying a lot of packages back to your car, look around you. See if anyone is watching you loading packages into your car.

14. Put purchases in the trunk, out of sight. Not in your back seat.

15. Shoppers who are out late should park in well-lit areas.

By Ken Jorgustin

www.modernsurvivalblog.com

Burglary Reduction Month

In case you haven’t heard yet, we’ve just entered Burglary Reduction Month.

That’s right. This crime is so popular in the USA, they had to dedicate a whole month to making this cause more visible.Cause that’s what it’s all about.

Not about ACTUAL crime reduction.

After all, if burglars are walking safely on the streets of your neighborhood as you’re reading this, they’re not going to stop in their tracks just because someone named August “Burglary Reduction Month”.

Let’s face it: this is not a sustained effort to try and eradicate the problem. This whole fuss is all about making US citizens understand…

WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM HERE.

And it ain’t easy to solve.

In fact, it’s damn hard to even keep it under control! With all the “efforts” and “strategies” planned and implemented “by the book”… the Police can barely keep track of the number of burglary cases (let’s not even mention how well they handle burglars themselves!).

However, the cases they could keep track of have increased in number by the year. In 2009, there was a 2% increase, compared to 2005. It may not seem like a big deal at first, but when you see the exact number of cases we’re actually dealing with — 2,199,125 burglaries in just one year! — it makes you start wondering if you shouldn’t be living in a bunker by now.

And wait till you see the bigger picture: compared to 2000, there has been a 9% increase by 2009! This means burglary keeps getting the “Miss Congeniality” award with more votes every year.

It’s so hip, that crimestoppers-us.org designed an info-graphic about burglary rates in the US. Here it is:

Better watch out for the Boogie Man, ’cause he strikes every 14.6 seconds!

Now, when I first saw this picture, I couldn’t help but ask myself: what the hell is going on? Can no one put a stop to this nightmare? Can no one protect American citizens anymore?

But then a couple of days ago, I found the answer to these disturbing questions in the news. And it looked this way:

Wait a second… a guy just breaks into a police car and steals their guns? If it weren’t so tragic, I’d probably find myself laughing at this Hollywood-comedy-type-of-situation.

But the truth is harsh: our Police Force doesn’t have the authority it once had.

And how could it, when the media is raging with news about cops who’ve been playing on the other side? Let me just give you some examples:

Godlikeproductions.com revealed a youtube video where a NYPD cop is stealing money from a woman’s car! Here’s the video, if you don’t believe me:

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

On July, 27, a cop got accused for stealing someone’s iPhone from the scene of a drunken-driving crash. And another one was caught stealing hundreds of dollars in cash and goods from a hotel. Yes, that’s how low it goes!

But these are just petty crimes no one even gives a damn about. So let’s see the big ones:

So what could you possibly expect from burglars when policemen shamelessly steal from taxpayers. From injured people. From crime scenes. From hotel rooms.

And they don’t just steal money! Recently, a cop got accused for tampering with drugs from the department property room. Guess what he did. He pleaded not guilty. And got temporarily released pending an investigation.

Now listen up!

I’m not saying this is the rule. I’m saying these cases are the exceptions that make it on tv. You don’t see good cops on the screen, saving lives like they usually do.

No, because the media only feeds us with the “sensational” stuff. The circus. The horror show. And, unfortunately, that’s what guides the society.

And when the cat’s away, the mice will play. So when the Police Force loses its authority, criminals go wild! They get cocky, they get armed, they get organized. And they’re coming for you and me.

So let me jump to a pretty sad conclusion: it’s a mad, mad world out there. And it’s only going to get worse by the year, as proven so far. Now here’s my advice to you: don’t wait for a miracle to happen. Take measures and protect your own family. It’s the only thing left to do now.

Best way to protect your family here >>> Bulletproof Home

By Alec Deacon