Qui Custodes

Fake Cops

They seem to show up in bunches.  But they can do a lot of damage.  Fortunately, some have bad luck, like this guy who pulled over a real cop.  If you aren't a cop though, you could be in real trouble with people like this.  Now, 2 years ago (in November 2005) I wrote about what to do if you suspect you are being pulled over by a fake cop:  use your cell phone and dial "911" and ask the operator for help.  Be sure to stress that you are scared and have the operator either confirm that it's a real cop following you or send the real cops asap.   

Cold Weather Safety kit (cont.)

17.  candles & matches
18. whistle
19. compass
20.  map.

cold weather safety kit

With this post and any comments you, my faithful readers add, I hope to help people create a list of things to carry in their car during winter travel.  Let's start:

1.  Space blanket
2.  high energy foods
3.  Cell phone with car charger
4.  keep your gas tank at least 1/2 full
5.  kitty litter or sand
6.  50 lbs. of sand or other weights in back for extra stability
7.  shovel
8.  extra windshield cleaner fluid (keeps ice of windshield)
9.  hat and gloves
10.  chemical hand warmers
11.  large plastic garbage bags (to use as rain wear or for extra warmth)
12.  if you habitually wear light shoes and socks put heavy boots and wool socks in the trunk
13.  water bottle
14.  flashlight
15.  Jumper cables
16.  Towing rope or cable
17. 
What else should you carry in the car? 

Cold weather

With winter upon us (and especially the snow & ice storms) I thought it might be a good idea to post a few tips or material about cold weather survival.  First of all, the Centers for Disease Control has a very good site for how to cope with Extreme Cold.  You should read it to get a basic idea of what goes on and what you should do to protect yourself and your family. 

Good Security is good business

Down in Florida there is another parking lot story:  a waiter was shot in one and finally received a measure of justice.   But they never found the shooter.  What happened is that the waiter sued the mall where he was shot because there had been 26 violent crimes, including a murder, in the previous 7 years.  You would think that when there are about 4 violent crimes/year, somebody would do something wouldn't you?  The mall didn't and now the mall must pay for that neglect.

So good security is good business as well as good for yourself and your employees.  Something to think about.

Parking Lots

I was reading about the Missosuri serial killer on CNN today.  He was pretty smart apparently.  One thing which caught my eye:  he stalked his victims in parking lots and then followed them until they went home.  What's the moral of the story?  Pay attention to your surroundings!  If you think someone is following you, check!  Ask for help, use your cell phone, do something. 

Wear your Seatbelts

Here in the DC suburbs there have been a rash of car accidents with young drivers--teens mainly. According to the Washington Post story  there have been 13 young people killed in the past few weeks.  Our governments are thinking about how to fix the problem and may be considering tightening the teenage driving laws.  But one thing struck me:  wear your durn seatbelts.  Apparently a lot of the kids killed in these collisions were not wearing their seat belts.   

Fer Pete's Sake:  wear the things--they can save your life!!

Shopping tip--put receipts with the presents

Last year I ran into a new cop trick.  At the random stops we see so much of this year, they will pull some people out of line and ask to search the car.  Now, you don't have to permit this, but most people do reasoning that there is no reason to object and that if they do the cops will only be difficult, hold you there, try to get a search warrant etc.  So you let them search the car. 

But you've been shopping and have the presents stored in your car.  But not the receipts--those are at home or in your wallet or something.  So now the cops charge you with stealing/shoplifting the presents you bought.  Fun Christmas right?  Thanks guys.  They seem to be doing this a lot to younger people like college kids etc. (or at least these are the ones who store presents in their cars). 

To avoid this problem, keep your receipts stored with the presents if you are carrying the presents in your car. 

Christmas Presents

We're approaching the Holiday season now and the present-buying time is approaching. Well, something that came up at my seminar for the Alpha Phi ladies of GMU is this:  the police stop cars periodically, especially as the holidays approach us.  Sometimes they ask to look in the trunk. If you have been collecting presents to take home for the Holidays, and if you don't have the receipts with the presents, you can easily find yourself accused of stealing the presents.  So keep your receipts with the presents.  (And , if you can, it's probably smart to take the presents out of the car until it's time to take them to their intended recipients.)

Cars (last for a while)

Now that fall is finally here (even if today's temperatures are in the upper 80's) think about cold weather security.  Not personal security directly, but what to put in your car in case something goes wrong.  Check your flashlight and your reflectors in case you break down.  Do you have a space blanket in the car?  Maybe you should put one in the trunk so you can stay warm in case you break down in cold weather.  There are other things you can do too.  Check AAA or other websites for ideas on how to protect yourself in the cold.