Create A Clear Picture of Suspects

One of the most critical pieces of evidence in any criminal encounter is a clear description of the suspect. Yet it is often the most flawed with some innocent person being convicted of crimes they had nothing to do with and police officers being sent on search missions with a description of the suspect that is the complete opposite of reality.

This happened in the case of one bank robbery I heard about during which the Bank Manager had a rifle barrel inches from her head during the ordeal. After the robbers fled and the police arrived she told then that the suspect was stocky and obese with black hair so for some time this was the type of person they were looking for but they never found him – because in reality he was quite tall, muscular and had blond hair. Another witness luckily had also observed him and when this person came forward with a more accurate description the police were able find him and lay charges.

The Bank Manager couldn't believe how her description was the complete opposite of what the person actually looked like – but then the trauma of having an assault rifle pointed at your head can cause your mind to play games like that.

This faulty description problem is a big one for police forces throughout North America and the rest of the world. It is not as easy as you might think to capture an accurate picture of somebody, sometimes in just a few seconds and then recreate accurately for police artists and investigators. And it is one reason why more and more I try to carry a good digital camera (some cell phone cameras I hear are excellent) when I do security in case I need to get that accurate description of a suspect.

Just remember that while in most areas of North American it is quite legal to take a picture of a person on the street some persons will get quite agitated if they even think you are taking a picture of them. So always make sure that you do not endanger your safety while doing and that you have the permission of the security agency that you are working for.

If you choose not to use a camera you can still create more accurate descriptions of suspects by regularly working on your description skills before something happens. You came do this both while you are working as well as during your time off when you are out in public. Just make a habit of taking a good look at people passing you on the street once in a while ( Don't stare of course.) Then after they have passed try to recreate that person visually in your mind in as much detail as possible.

It is like learning to ride that bicycle when you were a child. At first you were quite rough. But the more you practiced the better you became. Learning to recreate a person's appearance after only a quick glance is just like that. Before long you will get better and better. And you will be only be a big asset to your security agency, their client, and the police but you will also be able to detect anybody who might be stalking you quickly as you will remember faces from the past much easier.

How Well Do You Use Your Senses?

Professional security officers are taught to use at least four of their senses – sight, smell, hearing, and even touch to detect problems around the sites they are stationed at. Objects that suddenly appear around the site that weren't there on earlier patrols such as cigarette butts or wrappers etc on the ground as well as unusual sounds, and smells such as drugs or alcohol, like radar or sonar on a ship, can be early alerts that something is wrong – either somebody slipped by you or that some other problem such as a fire is starting or equipment is starting to malfunction

But others too can make good use of their senses to detect problems or dangers around them -- but few of us are very good at it. I have seen this many times in the prospective security guards I have taught. Although I mention at the beginning of the five day course that I am going to ask them to describe the entrance lobby and stairway leading up to the second floor classroom on the last day of the class invariably very few of them can do it without a lot of trouble.

Yet you can learn to use these senses to protect yourself and your property more effectively. It is just like learning to ride a bicycle. Make a point of paying attention to who is walking down the street beside you and what they look like. This could pay off in spades as some would say as this would help you to provide the police with accurate descriptions of suspects if something does happen.

A good example of just how critical the ability to accurately people around you and remember what they can look like is the experience of a friend of mine. While doing some working on a street in one part of the city he noticed both a middle-aged man on one of those mobile scooters observing him as he passed by and a tall man with a goatee, accompanied by a much shorter Asian woman also passing by him twice. There was something about both the man on the scooter and this couple that sent off alarms. And sure enough a two weeks later both the man on the scooter and this couple started showing up near another site my friend was working on – for no good reason.

This is possibly a continuing saga so it is going to be interesting to see exactly what – if anything these people are up. The important thing is that because he made a point of create that accurate picture of these people in his memory my friend is now more prepared for trouble and also has a photograph of all of them.

Develop such effective use of your other senses is also critical. Pay attention to what different things smell like such as the smell of smouldering wires, as well as the different sounds the electric fan or other appliances and other equipment in your home or other location makes when it is working properly. You should become familiar with all of the regular sounds and odours around you house or other structure as well so that other sounds which could warn you of danger or problems will stand out clearly.

It is really worthwhile to work at developing these senses. If we do we will not only appreciate our surroundings more but also be more secure as we go about our daily activities.

 

How Would You Respond?

If you were a security officer sitting on a lonely street or lane in the early hours of the morning – or at any time for that matter and a car or motorcycle suddenly turned down the street and started towards you then continued passed you and turned around at the end of the lane or street to approach you from the rear how would you respond?

Would sit there and wait for it to pass you again from the rear or stop beside you? Waiting for it to do either of these things could be risky, especially in a dangerous neighbourhood.

A far better response would be to already have your car in motion traveling in the opposite direction of this vehicle by the time is passing you the first time head towards the end of the lane or street.



Then you can either leave the area in as normal a manner as possible until you are sure about the other driver's intentions or turnaround and travel back to meet and pass the other vehicle as it heads towards. This will give you a good opportunity to get a good look at the driver – and if possible – get a picture of the vehicle and plate number with your cell phone camera.

One veteran security professional I know makes a practice of this type of thing and is sure from the reaction of the -- some – of the other drivers – who often wear a mask of anger and confusion – as they invariably leave the area – that he has avoided some unpleasant situations with this tactic. Drivers who have just made a wrong turn might look at little bewildered by your reaction to their approach too but they don't tend to get upset.

It is a little trick that all drivers who find themselves in suddenly uncomfortable situations like this could practice Remember that sitting in a stationary vehicle – especially for any length of time makes you very vulnerable to attack.


Naturally this is not something you are going to do with every vehicle that approaches you while your are parked. The security professional I just mentioned often waits until the vehicle passes him the first time and observes the people inside the other car first. But he already has vehicle idling so all he has to do is throw it into gear if he has to move quickly.



(See Also:  It Could Happen below)

 

Never Forget It Could Happen

Most of us walk around oblivious to potential dangers around us, conveniently putting out of mind the possibility that something or somebody very dangerous could be "invisible", but very close to us or one of our family members or a friend

A current news story on our local television station (CTV) here in Vancouver illustrates this. According to the story a group of friends were walking through a local Vancouver area park when one of them, a teenaged girl about 15 or 16 years old, fell behind her friends and was suddenly attacked by a youth or young man with a baseball bat who jumped out of the bushes.

He beat the young lady so severely that she later died of her injuries in the hospital.

Although it is unclear exactly why the young lady fell behind her friends on the park path and we would make ourselves paranoid wrecks if we all walked around like we were members of some historic Spark military phalanx while we are going about our business, social, or recreational activities what happened is a reminder that we DO NEED to stay aware of the possibility of the unexpected happening on such occasions.

This is true even if we or our friends have never been mugged or attacked – or become the victim of an accident before. It takes only once to cause us a lot of grief.

Break Insurmountable Problems Down

 

If you found yourself trapped on a mountain peak in frigid temperatures wearing only a sweater and shorts with possible rescue 8 hours away how would you survive?

That is exactly the dilemma Professor Denis Shackel found himself after his brother in law slipped and died on a New Zealand mountain peak according Wallace Immen in his feature When a Challenge Seems Too Big Break It Down in the June 10, Globe and Mail.

Immen writes that Professor Shackel decided that the only way he was going to survive the eight hour overnight wait in minus 30 degree temperatures was to break the problem down into five second internals while keep a clear vision of being alive watching the sun come up the next morning.

He started counting to five between each icy breath while keeping his long-range goal of seeing that morning sun clearly in his mind. Eight hours later the helicopter rescue crew took him off the mountain alive.

Shackel believes you can protect yourself from failure while working to reach any goal by breaking it down into smaller parts like this and is now teaching success techniques to others using his experience as an illustration

More information about Schakel and his program can be found in the Friday, June 4, 2010 edition of the Globe and Mail in the Careers section.

What Type of Security Program Should You Set Up

 

Creating the most effective security program for your business can be a little trick especially if you do not have a huge security budget. There are a fair number of options you can choose from including:

• Stationary or Static Guards
  
• Site Patrol Guards
  
• Multi-Site Patrol Guards
  
• Bicycle Patrol Guards
  
• Loss Prevention Officers
  
• Personnel Escort Specialists
  
• VIP Bodyguards
  

  
   

• Alarm Systems
  
• Security Camera Systems
  
• Electronic Access Control Systems
  

You can of course use any one of these systems alone or in combination to create a tight security system. The key is to start with an effective site assessment done by your in-house security manager or by a contract security company looking into the past and current problems you have encountered in protecting your property as well your employees and customers while on your property.

If you have decided to work with a contract security company or company that installs alarm or camera systems have at least three different companies provide you with a detailed site assessment including information about how they would go about meeting these needs.

Consider all our options carefully. Should you use a security officer? Should you use a combination of physical security officers and alarm and camera systems? Or should you rely on an alarm or camera system that is monitored by the police or a alarm or camera monitoring company that would contact the police or other emergency services directly in the event of an emergency – eliminating the need for any security guards at all? All of these things are things you have to consider carefully.

Then before you sign any contracts make sure you do a diligent background check on the security company you are interested in. Asking probing questions not only about what type of security the company can provide but also how they treat people. Ask to speak with current clients. Ask about working conditions in the security agency. And also check with any employee labour standards boards or see if there are any employee grievances against the security company.

Guards who have to work long hours to just barely survive financially or work under sub-standard working conditions (Both of these things are more common than you might imagine.) are more prone to cause more problems than they solve.

There are many excellent security industry companies out there who have top flight people working for them – but you have to look. And while you naturally want to keep costs down don't always look for the lowest bidder.

 

 

 

Is Your Family Being Poisoned?

 

Many of us – especially young children whose central nervous systems are still developing -- are being poisoned by lead in products as well as our atmosphere and in many cases the homes we live in – often ignorant to the dangers around us – mislead by earlier information about safe levels of exposure to lead.

The latest research shows that some exposure levels once considered safe can actually cause a wide range of problems such as:

• Attention Deficit Disorder
  
• Other Behavioral Problems
  
• Stunted Growth
  
• Impaired Hearing Problems
  
• Kidney Problems
  

Young children, are especially vulnerable to such things because according to the National Safety Council in the United States they absorb up to 50 percent of the lead they ingest while adults absorb only 10 to 15 per cent. But everyone is vulnerable: While the brain and nervous of a fetus in the mother's womb and young children might suffer the most older people can almost suffer from things like nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain or problems with memory and concentration as a result of on-going lead exposure.

For everyone things to avoid if possible include the following:

• Earthenware glazed with lead finishing
  
• Lead from gasoline (in at least 100 countries according to the WHO)
  
• Lead based paint. Even particles from flaking paint or the dust from paint during removal of paint can be extremely hazardous. And lead paint contamination involves some 40 per cent of the homes even in the United States.
  
• Lead from oil water pipes in homes. You should lead water run for at least 60 seconds before drinking water if you live in an older home with lead pipes according to the Mayo Clinic in the U.S.
  

Remember that ingesting large amounts of lead can kill quickly – especially with young children who often put highly contaminated toys and other items in their mouths , but the long term build up of lead in adults' bodies can also have disastrous consequences. These levels will go down, thankfully once the source of the lead contamination is removed.