tag: Community Security
Social Media in Blizzard 2010
DC's blizzard of 2010 has highlighted the main-streaming of social media as an emergency communication tool. In our house in AU Park the battery operated emergiency radio was no where in sight despite the 30 hour power outage. Replacing it were two iPhones and twitter feeds. While twitter has generally been a vehicle for the masses, we followed a number of government and infrasturecture authroities who kept us informed on a minute by minute basis.
Not only were the feeds informative but also two-way. While I got solid busy signals trying to notify PEPCO of a downed line behind our house a twitter message to DDOT was met with a quick response:
The dialog with DDOTDC was extensive with residents tweeting information on problem areas, pictures of unplowed streets, and DDOTDC acknowledging resident concern passing information to and from the DDOT snow response command center. Other District agencies provided excellent information on bus routes, school closing, and more.
The tweeting was also valuable on a smaller scale. Broad Branch Market twittered hourly updated on the status of the store and availability of high-demand blizzard items (e.g., milk and toilet paper). zBurger announced their $1 "snowburger" to the local inhabitants and got a tremendous response.
While the ability of officials to be so responsive on a one-to-one basis may be diluted as adoption and volume of messages increases there is no doubt that social media will serve an increasingly critical role in emergency and community communications.
We have created a list of twitteres we found particularly useful durring the snow emergiency. Check with stores you frequent in your neighborhood to see if they use social media. While you are at it be sure to follow Urban Alarm on twitter as well.
Lessons from the Fairfax Gold Burglaries
This week, police apprehended three suspects of the Fairfax Gold Burglaries mentioned in the previous post. At the time of their arrest, the burglars had robbed 26 Loudoun County homes, mostly during daylight hours, stealing gold jewelry, statues and saris with gold thread. Tom Jackman of The Washington Post reported:
A search warrant filed Thursday in Fairfax Circuit Court revealed that witnesses helped police identify two possible suspects: a Hispanic man in a blue jumpsuit or work uniform, appearing to be a maintenance or repair worker, and a Hispanic woman with pink- or red-tinted hair who knocked on doors soliciting plumbing work.Even though these particular burglars have been caught, there is still a lot to be learned from their crimes:
Some witnesses also told police that they had seen a small, blue sport-utility vehicle, possibly a Ford, parked in the neighborhoods where some of the break-ins occurred. The thefts often occurred during the day.
- The break-ins occurred during daylight hours when most residents were at work. By installing a webcam to monitor properties from their offices, PDAs or iPhones, residents could have captured valuable footage of the intruders and may have been able to order a police dispatch before the burglars fled the property.
- These burglars gained access to homes and information of the people who lived there by interacting with residents beforehand, disguised as service workers. Had these homes been equipped with video intercom security systems, the residents would have automatically captured images of the intruders at first contact, possibly leading the police to an earlier apprehension.
- This neighborhood did hold three town hall-style meetings to share information and speak to local authorities. This type of gathering is often useful for targeted, repetitive break-ins because it enables residents to share information and develop a suspect profile. In fact, the police apprehension in these burglaries was based on a tip from neighborhood witnesses who had been to these town meetings and knew who to look for. Hold a neighborhood meeting or use websites like groups.yahoo.com , blogspot.com or facebook.com to develop an online portal for your community. Encourage residents to post photos, video and information regarding suspicious activity and to check the site regularly.
- Always remember to keep your alarm system alarmed even if you are gone briefly during the day. These intruders spent a lot of time parked around the neighborhood and may be tempted to burglarize even during short intervals of absence. Walking in on a burglar is the worst-case scenario; eliminate that risk by setting your alarm during any absence of any length and locking your doors while at home.
Developing a Security Strategy
Developing a Security Strategy
Washington Parks and People's Riverside Center
This month, as part of Urban Alarm's community outreach program, we installed a new security system at the Washington Parks and People's Riverside Center.
The Riverside center has been opened since the Spring of 2004 and has become a hub of activity. Located across the street from the Watts Branch Park in Northeast DC The Center serves a diverse community with a weekly farm stand, neighborhood cafe, arts center, and community meeting place.
Urban Alarm's donation of the system and it's monitoring will help to secure the significant investment Washington Parks and People has made into this program.
Every quarter we look for community organizations that would significantly benefit from our products and services. Washington Parks and People stands out because of their passionate investments in DC's parks and communities.
The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS)
The "Call 911!" article in the February 2009 issue of Washingtonian Magazine highlights some of the short falls of the DC emergency response system. The problems have been widely reported after a few high profile failures of DC's ambulance system. The Washingtonian article (which is not available online as of this post) provide the history of context of DC system as well as a contrasting overview with Maryland and Virginia's systems which have performed much better.
Some Northwest residents are already familiar with The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS). Maybe from a volunteer knocking at your door during their annual door to door fund raising campaign. If you have taken the time to chat with one of the volunteers you may already know that BCCRS was originally located in Northwest DC. With that history they still have a commitment to serve Northwest DC residents who are geographically reachable. Their response area is listed on their Web site.
Urban Alarm residential customers in the covered Northwest DC service area have the option of the medical panic on their alarm system being tied to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. You can also call the rescue squad directly for emergency ambulance service by dialing 301-652-1000 rather than 911.
While it is wonderful to have Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad as an option for some Northwest Washington DC residents, it is unfortunate that we are not able to have confidence in our home system. The limited response area in DC leaves a major disparity on the quality of service available in Washington DC unfortunately echoing the social economic layout of the city with BCCRS only responding to some of the most affluent parts of DC.
Please keep pressure on your ANC and City Council representatives to repair the DC system. There are professional and committed people in the DC medical response system and we all deserve the resources and leadership to have a world class system.
Gun vs. Alarm for Home Security
I take issue with some of the ideas in the recent Washington Post article "Downturn Pumps Up Anxiety About Crime ". The last paragraph closes with, "A gun seemed to be the answer," and this statement is misguided, in my opinion. As an alarm company, we clearly have a vested interest in how people approach security -- but as a resident of DC and having the professional perspective we do, I couldn't disagree more strongly.
There really is no comparison between a gun and an alarm system for home security. They serve two very different (although admittedly perhaps sometimes complimentary) purposes. First, an alarm system is not going to "protect" a home. Its main purpose is to secure a home in such a way that the residents know (a) when the home is secure and (b) when the home's security has been breached.
Now that the DC handgun ban has been overturned, the decision to own a
handgun is a personal choice. But the choice should be made with a clear
understanding of what owning a gun can and cannot accomplish. Many conditions
must line up in order for a resident-owned handgun to be a positive
factor during a home intrusion. And there are many scenarios, which I will not go into, that can
result in a negative outcome.
A gun in a home is not a replacement for an alarm system. Just as a security system cannot technically "protect" someone, a weapon cannot "secure" a property. In fact, an alarm system may become even more important when there is a gun in the residence at risk of getting into an intruder's hands. Alarm systems, when used properly, will alert residents quickly, so they may prepare a weapon and take a defensive position. Alarms will also reduce the chances of the resident waking up to find their own weapon in the hands of an intruder who has quietly broken in.
Additionally, an alarm system is critical to secure property when residents are not home. The system will reduce the time window an burglar has in your home and will notify residents, police, and other responders. Reducing the chance of walking in on a burglary in progress is also a primary value.
Any approach to home security should take a thoughtful and deliberate approach which includes playing out the pros and cons of various scenarios, especially when there is a gun -- in the homeowner's hands -- in question.
5 Ways to Get the Most from Your Alarm System
Your alarm system is a critical line of defense in keeping intruders out of your home. However, how your alarm system is setup and how you use it will have a big impact on its effectiveness. Here are the top five factors to make the most of your alarm system:
1. Keep the "delay" as low as possible. Your system is most likely setup to beep for 30 to 90 seconds when you enter the house in order to give you a chance to disarm it. Keep this as low as possible. The longer the delay the more damage an intruder can do. Keep in mind it may be a minute or two after the alarm goes off before the police are dispatched. A few minutes may be all the time an intruder needs to get what they want.
Most systems can be setup with no delay. So how do you get into the house to disarm your system? You can use a keychain remote to disarm the system before you even get into the house.
2. Make sure your system is setup to use a "panic" code. With the increase in home invasions this becomes more important. If an intruder tries to force you to disarm your system you can enter your panic code. The system will appear to be shut off but it will actually send a silent panic alarm to the monitoring center who will dispatch the police immediately. The police may take their time to check out an alarm signal but panic alarms generally result in a more rapid response.
3. You should also have a panic code setup with your central station. When they call to verify the alarm you can provide the panic code. They will hand up the phone and dispatch the police immediately.
4. When you arm the system when you are in the house select the "no delay" option. With "no delay" set the alarm will go off immediately when an intrusion is detected. Like the above delay point you don't want to give an intruder more time to do damage then necessary. Especially when you are in the house.
5. Use your system! Even if you are in the house or out for a few minutes the system is worthless if not used. While having an alarm sign in the yard may be a deterant it is not going to secure your property.
Washington Post Reports a Significant Increase in DC Burglaries
Today’s Washington Post (See Burglaries Have Surged 21 Percent) reported a significant increase in Washington DC home burglaries for 2008. While this could be a “blip” it likely reflects the slowing economic trend and its impact on crime.
A number of studies correlate economic conditions with burglaries. A recent article in the Yale Daily News quotes Steven Rafael — an economist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley as saying “Property crimes are the one set of crimes that consistently are impacted by the economy.”
A large portion of the burglaries reported are taking place during the day when people would typically be at work. Consider this in the precautions you take. Some steps you can take:
- Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you leave.
- As much as possible keep valuables out of sight from ground floor windows and doors.
- If there is a neighbor who is home during the days keep in touch with them and make sure they have your cell or daytime number. If they see suspicious activity ask them to call you.
- Your alarm system is worthless if you don’t use it. Arm the system whenever you are home for an extended period or away even for even a few minutes. A major advantage of an alarm system is so that you know there is no one in the house when you return. Walking in on a burglary is the quickest way to turn a nonviolent crime into a violent one.
- Alarm systems have a delay to allow you to enter the home and disarm the system. This delay can give a burglar plenty of time to get in and out with something valuable. Make sure your alarm system is armed with the shortest possible delay. If you have a remote keychain for your alarm system have it setup with no delay and disarm the system before you enter the home.
- Consider installing a webcam so you can view your home while away or at work. Our web dashboard has integrated video. You can automatically receive a text message/email and view video of your property in real time to see what’s cooking.
With the increased focus on home security it is important to focus on factors that will have an impact on deterring burglaries. Your alarm system is part of the equation but attention to many factors will ultimately be the most effective strategy.
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