As a law enforcement officer and former Marine, I have been around guns for the past twenty years.  I have witnessed numerous deaths and serious bodily injuries as a result of both the legal and illegal use of firearms.  Although a society free of any weapons would be ideal, an ideal society is far from the one we live in.  Many proponents of our right to bear arms lean on the 2nd amendment, while some have no idea what an amendment is and simply like guns (for more information on the 2nd amendment and what it really means for gun owners and gun control laws, please read Marc Rubin’s post at Newsvine).   Regardless of the legal or personal reasons one might choose to justify his or her right to possess a firearm, the bottom line is “if the bad guys have guns, the good guys must have them too”.

Current gun control laws are primarily based on the Gun Control Act of 1968.   Although individual states may have a wide variety of laws and regulations that govern an individual’s right to carry a firearm, we all have the right to own a firearm.  The Gun Control Act of 1968 was primarily drafted to provide for better control of the interstate traffic in firearms.  The act also provides for us a list of those who are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.  According to the National Rifle Association (NRA), “The following classes of people are ineligible to possess, receive, ship, or transport firearms or ammunition: Read more…

I have been the owner of a security guard company since 1994.  During the past 15 years, my officers have had to resort to the use of deadly force on more than one occasion.  Here are some examples of situations that required one or more of my officers to use deadly force.

1. Deranged man takes a hostage at gunpoint in a shopping plaza.  Two security officers order him to release the hostage and to drop the weapon.  Suspect shoots woman in the shoulder and security officers shoot and kill suspect.
2. Armed robbery at local convenience store.  One uniformed officer and one undercover loss prevention officer inside store.  Undercover officer is in a concealed location watching for shoplifters.  He is a trained military sniper.  Suspect is at counter demanding money at gunpoint.  He  fires one shot at uniformed officer.  Undercover officer, from concealed location, shoots and kills suspect. Read more…

If you have ever had your credit card number copied and used without your knowledge, you were a victim of credit card skimming.  By definition, credit card skimming is the theft of credit card information used in a otherwise legitimate transaction.  More often than not, this type of theft is typically perpetrated by a dishonest employee working for an honest merchant.

The tools used to carry out this type of theft can be as simple as a pen and paper or as technological as a magnetic stripe reader.  Anyone from a store clerk to members of organized crime will have access to at least one method of copying your credit card information, to include the security code found on the back of the card.  Although you may not be aware that this theft is happening, literally right under your nose, steps can be taken to reduce the impact if you are victimized. Read more…

There have been many times during my adult life that I’ve wanted to hook my wife, kids or employees up to a lie detector test.  So what if the results weren’t admissible in a court of law, I just wanted the truth and nothing but the truth.  I could handle the truth!  Read more…

Loss prevention officers are common place in most large retail outlets.  Their presence provides a needed level of deterrence to help ensure all products leaving the store are properly paid for.  According to information and statistics provided by the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP), a non-profit organization; www.shopliftingprevention.org, “more than $13 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year.  That’s more than $35 million per day.   Shoplifting affects more than the offender. It overburdens the police and the courts, adds to a store’s security expenses, costs consumers more for goods, costs communities lost dollars in sales taxes and hurts children and families.”  Based on these two facts alone, most would agree that shoplifting is a problem for all of us. Read more…

Procedures for a Non-Cooperative Suspect

1.  If the suspect is violent when you approach him/her, never initiate physical contact with the suspect first.  If the suspect becomes violent with you, use the necessary and reasonable amount of force for self-defense.  The police should be called IMMEDIATELY.  Do not use handcuffs or pepper spray on a suspect unless you have received the necessary certification.

2.  If the suspect flees the scene, attempt to get a description of the vehicle and the license plate number and contact the police IMMEDIATELY. Read more…

Shoplifting Prevention Measures

Excellent customer service is the best way to help prevent shoplifting and various shoplifting methods.  Here are some examples to follow:

1.  Always observe the entrance to your department when stocking. Position yourself so you observe all customer entering or leaving your department.

2.  Greet all customer entering your department.  Make positive eye contact with all customers.  This sends a message to the customers that you know they are in your department.  If also lets the honest customers know that if they need help, they will get it.

3.  Maintain coverage in the front of your department.  If you leave, notify another associate so they can assist your customers.  By doing this, you are telling the customers that another associate is watching them. Read more…

A shoplifter cannot be easily identified; sex, age, race, religion, personal appearance and even economic status will not help identify a shoplifter.  Shoplifting methods and tools used are limited only by the imagination of the shoplifter.  The shoplifter can be anyone. Read more…

Far too often we here of gunman in a standoff with police.  As we sit, tuned in to our favorite TV news station, we slowly begin to learn the full details.  More than just a lone crazed gunman, the captor has fourteen hostages that are being held against their will.  Men, women and young children, hands and feet  duct taped, sit helplessly in a circle around the captor.  There’s no clear shot for a sniper and the captor refuses to speak to a hostage negotiator. As demands are made for the police to back up, a male hostage is picked from the circle of hostages and severely beaten.  He had earlier pushed the captor who had threatened his wife and he’s now lying on the floor bleeding.  How will you survive? Read more…

Security should be an important consideration in everything we do on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, we live in a violent and unpredictable world where, far too often, innocent people are victimized.  Throughout my years in law enforcement, one of my primary goals has been to teach people how to protect themselves.  Through this blog, I hope to be able to reach more people who might benefit from the advice I have to give. Read more…