Security Guru Hawaii

Bars vs. System

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:14:26 +0000

I worry when someone wants to install bars on their windows instead of an alarm system. I worry because not only can they be removed given enough time and concentration from a burglar, but if there is a fire you are really, really risking dying of smoke inhalation because the fire department can’t get in. Smoke inhalation is the killer in a fire. You go unconscious much too fast to get out of the house and if there are bars on the windows the fire department can’t get in. Also the cost of bars is, in most cases, higher than a good burglar/fire alarm system. Go figure! Guru

GET ‘EM!

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:18:46 +0000

CrimeStoppers has beefed up its access by asking the public to give tips via text when they can. Just text CS808 plus your message to 274637 or CRIMES. You can also provide information anonymously at 955-8300 or Honolulu Crimestoppers website, www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=606.

I LOVE new technology. Guru

HELP! WHEN YOU NEED 911 RIGHT NOW

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:15:36 +0000

I hope none of you ever needs this information but I know better….someday, someone will want to know how to get the fastest response from a 911 call. A friend of mine recently went from being a paramedic in the ambulance to dispatching. Very interesting what she told me…..what the caller doesn’t know is that the dispatcher is a real multitasker. While she is asking you questions that she HAS to ask, she is sending out the information to get the ambulance to you….but it doesn’t sound that way from your end of the phone. What sounds like needless questions to a hysterical caller is verifications so help arrives as quickly as possible. Addresses MUST be verified even though help is already on the way. Call back numbers MUST be repeated so there is no drop in communications in this day of bad cell phone coverage. If you ever have to call 911 do so knowing that the dispatchers’ questions will help, not hinder. Just to make the job harder a surprising number of people cannot remember their addresses…believe it or not. Guru

MANOA ALERT!!!

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:50:45 +0000

I was at a sales call yesterday in Manoa. The neighbors down the street had a truck pull up to their house last week and clean it out. This is common these days and there are ways for you and your neighbors to prevent this. Go to your neighbors and agree that if one of you is moving or having a truck delivery you will let the other know. If they see a truck in your driveway and haven’t been notified that you were expecting it, they have your permission to call you to verify it is legitimate. Just this little action can save the heart break of coming home to find your house empty and all your beloved valuables gone forever. Even better, call us and have a first class burglar alarm system installed in your home on Oahu. Guru

Things Your Burglar Won’t Tell You, (but I will)

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:30:13 +0000

1. Of course I look familar. I was here last week doing a service for you in your home or delivering something. And, while I was in the house I might carefully unlock a window.

2. I’ll knock first to see if there is anyone home. I’ll be looking for someone who doesn’t live there if you answer. I am very polite. I’ll try all the doors to see if you left one unlocked before I try a window. It is so much easier to get in that way. Lots of people work on Oahu and are gone during the day so I have a lot of potential targets.

3. I try to never look like a thief. I dress nicely and am very pleasant if anyone talks to me. You will describe me as “such a nice boy or girl”.

4. You can count on me to pretty much trash the house because I just know you have valuables hidden somewhere. It doesn’t matter if you or your house looks like you have money. You will have something I want.

5. Your dog will make some noise but will shut up when I give him a bag of treats and then will think I am the greatest. We’ll be friends the next time I come around.

6. Sometimes I like to make an entry at a very unexpected place, maybe the second story just to show you how smart I am and how you can’t keep me out.

7. Sometimes I work with several guys, one at one end of the street and on at the other so if the police show up or you pull in your driveway they can call me on my cell phone and I will get out fast.

8. I do this pretty much every day. I like to think of it as “my job” and I have the whole of Honolulu and Oahu to work on. I figure you will just buy new things for yourself.

9. I don’t like burglar alarm systems. When the siren goes off I pretty much expect the police to be coming so I have to get out of the neighborhood as fast as I can which is humbug for me.

10. I particularly like to work my own neighborhood. I can watch to see exactly when you leave your house. You only have to be gone a few minutes for me to get in and get out.

11. These days I also look for anything I can sell to identity theft fences. They pay a lot for a birth certificate, social security card or just the social security number and, of course, if I find a credit card I will use it until you cancel it. That’s why I go through your file cabinet. I will take everything and sift through it later to see if I can find something useful to identity thieves.

Well, now you know me. Even I think that if you are smart you will get a burglar alarm system as fast as you can. Otherwise you can plan to “entertain” me as your guest as soon as I get around to you.

Guru

DOOR TO DOOR

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:14:20 +0000

Check out www.ilind.net. Ian’s April 8 post takes the door to door salesmen to task. Ian investigated these guys last year and found out a lot of very bad information on how they operate. He is a retired investigative reporter and knows his stuff. It takes a lot of effort to thwart burglars and other lawless people out there. Ian has given us a lot of support in going after these guys. The April 8 post is still up on his blog. Check it out. Guru

YIKES!

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:42:23 +0000

The door-to-door boys of summer are back going door to door and selling burglar alarm systems to unsuspecting families on Oahu again and ripping them off while tying them to a 36 month contract. Even worse, they are telling people the Security One, Inc. is their service company! We are getting calls from people who want us to cancel their contracts or fix their systems. A complete lie and very much against the law. They are operating under new names this year such as Frontier Security Solutions but the scam is the same. Sell and install a system, get that monthly obligation in place and then disappear. Beware! Guru

THEY ARE PROS NOW

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:29:13 +0000

The day of the summertime bored kid burglars is over, folks. The new breed are professionals, working our neighborhoods with efficiency. Burglars use cell phones to warn of police or you coming home. Burglars scope out a neighborhood days before and tag the mailboxes of those who are likely not to be at home. They sweep through a neighborhood with a truck they can load up and then dump because it is stolen. Burglars target electronics and easily sold popular items or load up all your furniture depending on what they are most likely to get rid of quickly. If you live on Oahu and haven’t been hit yet you need to take heed and protect yourself with a monitored burglar alarm system. This is the worst I have seen in the 20 years I have been working in the security business. Guru

FIRE! FIRE!

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:17:46 +0000

It really bothers all of us to hear that some family is without a home because their house burned down. It is particularly tragic when pets and people lose their lives. A monitored alarm system with fire protection would have saved every home and every pet. For a very reasonable initial investment in an alarm system with fire protection, and a monthly payment as low as $26.14 w/tax, the elderly woman would be alive and the two families who lost their homes, pets and belonings would be grateful for their alarm system. Think about it. It could be a different story for all of them today. Guru

Are You A Good Neighbor?

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:38:22 +0000

Things are so bad out there lately that I think it is time to update our good neighborlyness and add an item or two to keep your neighborhood safe. You and your close neighbors all can agree to contact each other if there is any kind of unusual activity spotted at someone’s house. Get each other’s cell phone number for quick access if there is a big truck parked in the driveway and some big guys loading up or any other thing that needs to be checked out. If some stranger is fiddling with your neighbors car you might want to call your neighbor before strolling over to help out with getting into the car or looking under the hood. These tips are based upon actual events that took place under the neighbor’s noses and resulted in big rip-offs that could have been thwarted with a simple phone call. Your neighbors would rather you be a bit nosy sometimes. If you aren’t then you will spend the next ten years apologizing for letting someone rip them off while you were watching. Better yet, go in with each other to purchase alarm systems from Security One and get a package discount price that is very attractive. A residential alarm system is the way to go if you want real “peace of mind”. Guru