Article Presented by:
Wayne Smith
There is a question that we hear frequently these days. The question is this: Is crime worse today than it has been in previous generations? Or, is the issue a reflection of the modern media age of 24-hour news and other news media making us more aware of the crime that we find in our world?
This is an interesting question.
Some even argue that the pervasive nature of crime in our communities is the result of lawmakers with nothing better to do with their time, than to write new laws, creating new classes of criminals.
Whatever the underlying reasons for the increase in crime, we do live in a world where crime is widespread. Few of us have managed to live our lives untouched by crime.
CRIMINALS ARE TOUCHING EVERY CORNER OF OUR LIVES
Property crimes are pervasive, and it is not uncommon for thieves to move through a neighborhood overnight hitting any car found to be left unlocked. The next morning, the police can find themselves writing reports at dozens of homes in the same, normally safe neighborhood.
Crimes committed by gangs of hoods are one thing, but many of us also find ourselves touched by the lone criminal. Many times, a thief disguised as a friend may take advantage of your trust and steal from you while they are in your home. Far too often when this happens, you do not discover the crime until later. And then you are left with that painful concern of not knowing which friend has betrayed your trust.
Then there is the question of the hired help. If you hire staff for around the home or at the office, a background check may not always answer the important question of whether an employee can be trusted or not. Some people with a clean record simply hold the distinction of having never been caught.
Employers are always finding employees who are stealing from the company. Unfortunately, many of these employees successfully steal for months and years, before they are finally caught in the act. When you catch them stealing $20, you have to ask yourself how much they stole without getting caught.
Especially when you are looking at people to do work in your home, you have to be extra careful. At this point, your concern is not solely with your grandmother's silver collection or the $100 bill in your wife's purse. No, the risks are even greater. We are now looking at people who have private access to your wife and children.
Nannies shaking, beating and killing children in their care have made the news in recent years. Gardeners and handy men raping and/or killing our wives or sexually abusing our children have also been a concern.
Just a few years ago in Salt Lake City, Utah, a family's handy man abducted the family's teenage daughter and kept her for several months. It is believed that she was sexually abused during her long absence.
With so much at stake, as responsible individuals, we need to take steps to protect our families and our assets.
TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP US TO PROTECT OURSELVES
Just a few years ago, many of us could not even contemplate a home surveillance system, because the prices were so high. Few people had the financial resources to provide this level of security for their own homes.
With the introduction of the home personal computer, the costs of this technology began to drop considerably. Today, you can actually buy a complete commercial security system with DVR (Digital Video Recorder) for a few thousand dollars.
Home security systems can be acquired for much less. You can get camera systems specific to your own needs, with daytime and nighttime capabilities, zoom and motion sensors included. Many of these systems can be wired or wireless, hidden or obvious, according to your own unique situation. You can run the signal through a quad so that you can watch multiple cameras through a single video monitor. And then, you can pipe that signal straight to your home pc for recording and storage purposes.
AS THE NEED ARISES
Work-at-home mom's can have the system set up to watch their children in every area of the home without having to leave their desk every few minutes to check on their children.
Parents, who leave their children with a sitter, can observe the care of their children from their office through an Internet connection. They can also record all of the activity at home through their password protected desktop computer. Parents can then personally observe the care their children received once they have returned from work that day.
People can watch how the housekeeper passed their day while in the family's home. Did she charge you for eight hours labor and watch soap operas all day on your quarter? Did she help herself to the jewelry box?
Who picked up your wedding band off of your desk? How about that? You thought all this time that your three-year-old ran off with it, but there it is on the recording… Your wife's friend of 15 years took it… And with a police search, your wedding band has turned up in the pawnshop. Now you know what happened to that $1500 your wife lost over the last year-and-a-half --- a couple of hundred dollars at a time.
Hidden cameras recording the activity in your carport or at the front and back door of your home can get the mug shot of the person who broke down your backdoor and stole your most treasured possessions. It can also catch the neighborhood kid who helped himself to your car stereo.
USES FOR CAMERAS ARE AS VARIED AS YOUR IMAGINATION
Only you know whether cameras can help protect you and your family from the criminal that is waiting for you to let down your guard.
Many surveillance systems that you can buy today are simple enough to put together that you could do the install and setup yourself.
Think about your family and your life. It is actually fairly easy for many of us to see just how useful a surveillance system could in our own personal situations.
When you are ready find a security system for your home, I hope that you will give me the chance to earn your business.
About the Author:
Wayne Smith is the owner of Platinum Covert Cameras at: http://www.platinumcovertcameras.com . He specializes in providing security cameras and recording devices for home security, as well as full scale commercial security systems. He also provides Personal Security Devices such as pepper spray, stun guns, alarms and child monitors through the Platinum Self Defense website. You can review his full product line at: http://www.platinumselfdefense.com
