Hot, Dang Hot

I should have been more concientious about updating this blog, but I've been worn out from the heat.

A friend, another PI, and myself did a "Property Surveillance" gig, which is really just another way of saying we played security guards at and industrial facility for a twelve hour stretch. Unfortunately, we had to operate out of our vehicles, in shadeless parking lots and the temperature was 106F, about 40C (I think). The heat wave we've been baking in has been brutal for the last month or so, and sitting in your car for 12 hours does not a comfortable day make.

We were a little perplexed at why the company wanted Private Detectives instead of contracting with a security company. The only thing I can think of was the amount of initiative we PIs display. Because we are proactive, either in doing investigations or body guard work, and we tend to try and solve problems before they actually occur. Security Guards tend to follow the letter of the contract and want to know what the client wants done specifically, and then does it. We were told to secure the site, so we put our heads together and analyzed the weak points in the facility's security. There were a lot, more than two men could cover without some sort of perimeter camera system, which I do not have, nor did the job pay enough for me to purchase one, although I will buy one in the future.

We ended up compromising, which never makes us happy, and locked the place down with what resources we had available. I'd bought some cheap FRS radios years ago on sale, and they came in very handy during the day.

For the readers of this blog, I will talk about what are the things we look for when we establish perimeter security, and how they may apply to your own homes.

As a rule of thumb, security is best developed in layers, where each layer supports each other. Camera's a great, if you are watching them, but they are better employed if they are coupled with motion alarms and door and window alarms.

First, we prefer to have a 360 Degree line of site and line of sight with each other. If you think of four people, sitting on top of a tall hill with unobstructed views that go for miles, and each one is looking in a different directions so they can see everything that happens below, you will have the idea of perfect security. Most people who put up a security camera cover their doors, and usually just the front door. Much stronger is an arrangement that gives you a view of your entire house. If you have a simple box shaped home, you could put up two cameras, on poles or in trees, that are on opposite corners from each other. Each camera would observe two sides of the house, giving you a complete coverage of the outside of you house. If you have an outbuilding you want to protect, and it is a simple room like a garage, you could put up a camera in the corner of your garage so that it can see most, if not all of the interior. You would especially want any entrances to be visible on camera.

If you have a more complicated set up, then you will need more cameras.

Next, we like to have motion detectors online. Since we have to adapt our security measures on the fly, as it were, we prefer the wireless kind. These operate on batteries which must be monitored and replaced as needed, but they work well for us.

Generally speaking, we don't use physical alarms on doors and windows, we are too mobile and it is too time consuming compared to using motion detectors to monitor entrances. If you own your own home, then such devices might be worth investing in, if they are withing your budget.

Some people ask if they should get an alarm service, and which one. The quick answer is yes and I don't know. I don't recommend or not recommend services by others. Professional alarm systems are nice and very convienent, and are constantly monitored even if you are not hom, but they cost money. With a little research on the net, you could probably create your own alarms system for a smaller, one-time-only cost, that would works almost as well as the professional ones.

Finally, make friends with your neighbors, they are great sources of security for your home. When I have more time, I will develop these ideas further for you.