Motion Sensors: 3 Things to Consider

Motions sensors represent the technology which enables motion sensors to trigger all types of security alarms, lights, and cameras, and alert police and emergency personnel. Before this technology the main challenge for an intruder was to move quietly without being seen. Therefore, motion sensors should be part of your efforts to provide protection for home and family. Here are some things to consider:

1) Motion sensors fall into two main categories; "outdoor" and "indoor." The main difference involves the resiliency of the unit. If you have outdoor areas you would like to secure by detecting motion you will want a motion sensor reliable enough to function efficiently during various weather conditions.

Keep that in mind before you select a particular type of motion sensor. The main decision is whether you want a motion sensor that turns on outside lights, sounds a alarm, or takes pictures of what is moving. I recommend an outdoor unit that turns on outside lights because there are a lot of things that move in the night so if you have an piercing alarm attached to your motion sensors you will undoubtedly find yourself being awakened by a lot of false alarms, i.e. racoons, cats, blowing limbs, etc. Lights are quiet but very effective in scaring away a would-be intruder.

I want an alarm to warn me primarily if a door or window is opened. An intruder would have to be a lot more crazy than he already is by just being an intruder to enter a home after a loud alarm sounds. One thing you can be sure of; all intruders hate attention, and alarms and lights bring a lot of it.

2) Motion sensors can be pricey, particularly the ones with video and camera capabilities. For the normal homeowner, you have to question whether there is enough benefit for you personally to justify the higher prices.

Regarding outside motion sensors I am not as interested in viewing the culprit as I am in scaring him away. Videos units connected to inside motion sensors, however, are particularly useful for monitoring and viewing the goings-on in areas of concern, for example, an infant or toddler bedroom.

It is very difficult to recommend any particular motion sensor because of the many variations of features as I mentioned above, as well as the wide range of prices. There are very simple units as well as some more expensive ones. Something to keep in mind; you don't necessarily need an expensive unit with all the bells and whistles to detect motion.

3) Check out this website. It's a great company with great product support. Start simple, try the unit to see if it is what you are looking for, and if not, return it for something more useful. I want a motion sensor unit which primarily lets me know when a window or door is opened. Once someone is in the house, you have less time to react.

At this point, you need to make a decision and acquire a motion sensor unit that gives you and your family ample warning to take the appropriate action. Don't procrastinate, your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on decisiveness and action. Saving lives always does.

For your safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

Is a Pit Bull for Me?

As I have recommended to hundreds of people and wrote in my post on owning a dog, there is no stronger deterrent to an attacker's plans than a protection dog. No question about it. Even if you are  holding someone at gunpoint, your hesitancy because of fear or reluctance to shoot someone can put you in harm's way. 

A good protection dog has no fear of protecting; that is his one and only job. Pit bulls are great protection dogs. The reputation they have for being aggressive, violent, and out of control is for the most part unwarranted. If they are trained to be aggressive or the owner is not a strong leader and lets them have their way, they can be a problem. Otherwise, they are great family dogs, very loyal, and protective. I have a female pit bull and she is great with my family and very friendly when people come over, but she is no nonsense if a threat to my family occurs.

While my daughter was jogging in somewhat of a reclusive area, she was almost attacked by a man until our pit bull stepped in between her and the attacker. She never actually bit the man but she let him clearly know that if he took one more step towards my daughter things were going to get ugly. One look at her and the man backed off and fled.

Check out my other post on owning a protection dog.  Dogs are an investment that will protect you and your family from some horrible experiences. No one with even the slightest brain wave who would carry out a plan of attack on someone walking with a protection dog. Let alone, if you had two. It's a beautiful thing when your dog does it's job.

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten
      

4 Critical Things You Need to Know to Protect Yourself in a Fire!

STARKVILLE, Miss. (Dec. 28) - Fire tore through an apartment early Monday, killing six children and three adults, officials said."

1) How many times do we have to read about the tragedies of home fires before we find the conviction to take some defensive action? There is hardly a day that goes by without a headline reporting a home fire disaster. Whole families often die as a result of fire accidents that tragically could have easily been prevented. You need to take this problem seriously.

2) Smoke is the real killer in a house fire. Victims are usually dead from suffocation well before the fire ever reaches them. A good smoke detector will alert you that something is burning in your house and give you important time to either extinguish whatever is burning or exit the premises.

3) There are two types of fires: flaming and smoldering. Flaming fires result from flammable materials igniting from unattended portable heaters, cooking accidents, etc.  Smoldering fires occur when  materials, such as cigarettes fall into a sofa or a bed and produce a great deal of smoke before actually igniting. 

Because you don't know what type of fire you will have in your home, experts recommend installing both types of technology for optimal protection. Therefore, I strongly recommend dual sensor smoke alarms to give your family the best chance of survival.

I have done some research for you and I suggest this smoke and fire detector because of its capability to detect both flaming and smoldering fires.

4) It is critical to take the appropriate action. I can't imagine life without fire. I enjoy hot showers, cooked food, and a warm fireplace. Yet, don't let fire take your life or the lives of your loved ones. It's quite the contradiction to spend a great amount of time and money to plan for your family's future, and ignore the need to spend a few minutes and dollars to install a smoke detector. 

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

4 Ways to Prevent Rape!

1. Work On Your Defensive Mindset: As I mentioned in my Defensive Living Manifesto, defense living begins in the mind. It is a mindset which is aware and prepared for action if necessary, not a mindset of paranoia and fear. Fear, weakness, and vulnerability are what an attacker looks for in a potential victim. How you think transfers into body language. If you consider yourself weak and easy prey, guess what you will look like? 

2.Reduce The Risk: The best defense is not to have to defend yourself at all. There are certain risks in this life which are unavoidable. We all realize that. But, the risks which we can reduce or avoid all together should have our full concentration. 

For example, I see women all the time walk into shadowy parking garages unescorted. Dumb! That is the only way to describe it. Preventing rape means you have to learn not to assume anything. Wait until several people are going in the same direction. Ask to be escorted. Most men are by nature protective and more than willing to help you get in your car safely; grocery boys, waiters, parking attendants, security guards, etc. 

3. Be Careful What You Drink or Drink: For you girls who like to party, be careful. Drinks and food can be laced with date rape drugs. Pour or open your own drink, or at least watch as it is being poured. If you happen to set it down and take your eyes off of it, even for a few seconds, open another drink and keep it with you. 

4. Select a Weapon: Thats right, a weapon. Obviously, guns are the most effective but you need to be trained in how to use one.  A knife is also effective, but unless you know how to wield it, it will probably end up in the hands of your attacker. The best all around option is pepper spray, in my opinion. It establishes a "critical distance" from the attacker and, most importantly, renders him powerless. Check out my post on pepper spray for more details on what kind and size of spray I recommend and why.  

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

Let's Talk About Those Sliding Glass Doors: A Few Things to Consider

You gotta love those sliding glass doors. Its nice how they really open up a room, let all that sunshine in, nice curtains and all. You can just open those doors and walk right out and view your estate, the hills coming alive with the sound of music, the city lights, or maybe just your backyard garbage cans. 

1) There are doors out there that would be more difficult to open than other less expensive types, but burglars, rapists, and murderers usually come prepared. It is amazing how much you can do with a crowbar. I used to be an iron worker and I have used bars thousands of times to pry, separate, break open, and lift all types of steel objects such as girders, huge flat steel plates, and multi-ton loads of steel. 

You don't want someone like me standing at your sliding glass door with a crowbar and a plan of using your family as means to fulfill my sinister desires.

There is not a sliding glass door that I can't pry open, trust me.

Except, of course, one that can't be pried.

I know, sounds crazy. If there is not a door that I can't pry open, then how can there be an exception? It's a simple matter of physics.

The key, obviously, is to keep the sliding door from sliding. Some doors either come or can be fitted with pins. Pins can be either at the bottom or top of the door. You push them through a hole that goes through both doors to keep the door from sliding. The fact that it is called a "pin" should raise some serious questions. Why not a bolt or a steel bar? A pin against a pry bar? Go figure. 

2) When a sliding door is closed, if a security bar is placed in the sliding track it is impossible generate enough force to snap or bend it from that direction. It doesn't take a would-be intruder very long to realize that the door is not going to give way, and he will have to move on.

I've done some research and I want you to check out this patio door security bar. It's adjustable which is very useful because patio doors are not as standardized as you might think, and sometimes you like to slide the door open just a little to get some fresh air. The adjustable feature allows you to do that. 

Also, the alarm feature is always a good deterrent. It gives you important time to prepare for an intrusion by calling 911, and an intruder is not usually going to take the risk giving you more time to find your gun or some other weapon.  Notice the big red, "Alarm" painted on the side of the security bar. This lets the intruder see that the door has an alarm on it. Chances are he will move on. If not, the security bar will keep the door from being opened.

Hey, if you don't like my suggestion, then get an old broom handle and cut it to fit in the door sliding groove, and there you go.

For your safety,


Dr. Martin Wooten  

Defensive Living Manifesto

Door Locks: Normal Dead Bolts Do Not Provide Enough Security

As I mentioned in my post on "safe rooms" after you secure a "safe room" in your home which is the first priority, it is important to secure the rest of the house.

Obviously, the main entries, i.e. front door, back door, entrance from the garage, must be properly fortified. The design of regular dead-bolt locks is not adequate to prevent entry. Around 200 lbs of pressure or less and you're in.

Kicking through entry doors is the best way for the majority of home invaders. No broken glass or the threat of being seen climbing through a window. A solid kick to the front or back door is all it takes. It just sounds like a door slamming loud.

Check out this web site if you haven't already and review the Ultimate Lock, particularly the demonstration videos. You can't kick or pry through it. An intruder is not going to risk the attention he will attract by continuing his attempts to kick the door in. There are two models, residential and business. The business model can also be used in your home, but the residential model should be more than adequate for most homes.

As I have said before, I'm not a salesman with a crazy pitch. If you can find a better lock then go for it. Just make sure you do it. I'm just trying to save you some time. If there is any question whether the dead-bolt you are considering is kick-proof, then keep looking around.

For your safety

Dr. Martin Wooten

Now, Does This Really Look Like a BB Gun?

There was an article a few years ago about a Missoula, Montana student's decision to bring a BB pistol he found to school which resulted in a one-year suspension from every public school in the United States. Seem a bit harsh? Only until you see what BB guns look like these days. Sure, this kid should have known better and apparently did. I'm sure he'll learn a lot from the experience and one day look back on the incident with a bit of a haunting embarrassment.


Yet, if the manufacturers had made the gun orange, would the authorities have been as concerned. Obviously not. The issue to the school principal was that a made-to-look-real BB gun can initiate police action that puts other students at risk. If this student had brandished an orange gun, however, others would know that it wasn't real.


Several years ago I bought my son a BB gun that looked like the real thing and was powered by gas cartridges. Hey, every good American boy should have the experience of a BB gun, you know, just like going to a baseball game or chomping down on granny's home baked pumpkin pie on a cold Thanksgiving afternoon.

However, how is a police officer with a wife and family, and a partner with the same, suppose to react when called into such a scenario? Assume its a toy? Would you? Just as a gun is always assumed to be loaded, a made-to-look-real toy gun is going to be assumed real. Any other assumption places the assumer in great danger.


The moral of this story: Don't buy your kid or allow him to buy a BB, pellet, or toy gun that looks real. I was in a store the other day and my son saw some soft pellet air guns that looked very real, and he asked me; "Dad, can I buy one of these." I replied, "No way son, they look real." "Yeah, but Dad, they only shoot soft pellets and all the kids have them and the police have learned to tell the difference." (It always amazes me how much intense research our kids do on these subjects. I'm sure my son has interviewed all the police officers in our town and accurately assessed all of the most recent training programs)


I have learned to stand my ground and trust my common sense, even though my kids have often made me wonder if I have any connection to the present cultural realities around me at all. The answer was kind but firm, "No way son, I love you too much to put you in a dangerous situation." I suggested that we buy an orange one to which he replied, "Oh Dad, but they make those for kids." A pause, and then, "Oh yeah, that's the point, huh Dad".


Who knows? Maybe I saved my son's life that day, or saved an officer from a life of alcoholism who felt he had to pull the trigger. Too dramatic? Yeah, death has a funny way of doing that to me.


Oh yeah, about that BB gun that looked real I bought for my son a couple of years ago? It somehow just kinda got lost.


For Your Safety,


Dr. Martin Wooten

There is Nothing Like Seeing The Real Thing!

Click on this link and check out the safety program for children put on by the local police department in this Missouri town. Hey listen, the earlier we begin to teach our children about overall safety, the more ingrained these realities will be when the time comes for them to start making decisions for themselves.

This program focuses on and demonstrates in real life what the hazards can be when we don't wear our seat belts. The up-close observance of what will actually happen in an accident without seat belts leaves a life-long impression.

This program focuses on and demonstrates in real life what the hazards can be when we don't wear our seat belts. The up-close observance of what will actually happen in an accident without seat belts leaves a life-long impression.

Just imagine your little girl finally grown up enough to be out with her friends, with one of her friends driving. And just suppose the driver starts acting a little silly, driving crazy, you know, all the things one does when one is of a younger age. And now picture your daughter, reach across her waist and quietly buckle her seat belt (while cussing out her crazy friend) even though no one else in the car does so because of being made fun of earlier, i.e. "Only a sissy will wear a seat belt."

Check to see if any safety demonstrations are being held in your area. Your family will enjoy the time together and learn a great deal about safety practices. C'mon, just sitting there won't make you safe, you've got to practice it!

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

Safe Room Weaponry: Pepper Spray

As I discussed in the article on "Safe Rooms," the quality of the lock is the most critical part of the room. The longer the lock holds, the more time you have to alert the police and for them to arrive.

Okay, hopefully by now, you understand the importance of the lock in your overall security plan. If you don't, then you're an idiot, and I just can't do much for you.

Yet, a " Safe Room" is intended to feel safe. No matter how strong that lock is, there is no way to feel completely safe huddled behind your door when someone is trying desperately to kick through it. The noise alone will be terrifying and parents with small children will first need to feel safe and confident in order to convincingly calm the young ones. 

At this point, therefore, I suggest you buy some pepper spray in the event that an intruder is able to get into your "safe room" before the police arrive. It is unlikely if you installed the lock I recommended, however, it can happen, and you need to be prepared.

Pepper spray should be one of the main pillars supporting any defensive lifestyle. It is non-lethal but extremely painful and incapacitating. You hit someone with the pepper spray I recommend and all he is going to be thinking about is how to keep from dying, because he is definitely going to feel like he is. This stuff is strong. Here are some important things to consider:

1) In a situation like this, or in any critical situation for that matter, you need a good solid canister to hold with a more than adequate amount of pepper spray and a lot of power. We're not talking about spraying flies you know. I do not recommend at all those tiny little pepper sprays available in many different colors that you can hook to your key chain. With some drug crazed rapist desperately trying to cut through your door, that's a bit like setting a toddler next to a killer bee hive with a fly swatter.
Become familiar with your weapon. Never go into battle with an unfamiliar weapon. If you need to practice, buy two canisters. Just be sure you always point that thing down wind and not in an enclosed area. Just thinking about it won't get you anywhere. Do something! You really can protect your family. And deep down inside you and I both know that you want to.

For your safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

Safe Rooms: Your First Line of Defense

The rising number of home invasion robberies is alarming and indicates the growing boldness of rapists, burglars, and murderers. Most home invasions are forced entries, either with a strong shoulder or kick to the door. Before taking the time to secure all possible entrances to your home, it is critical that you first secure what is called a "safe room." Some refer to this as a "panic room," but there should not be panic in this room, but rather, the implementation of a well thought out and preplanned self-defense strategy to stay safe until help arrives.

In my, Defensive Living Manifesto, which is free to you on this blog, I stressed that the best defense is avoiding the conflict altogether. This is what a "safe room" is all about; a secure room in which a family can retreat and be safe until others arrive who are better able to restrain the intruder.

Here are some suggestions:

Pick a room that is quickly accessible to everyone in the family. In larger houses, safe rooms can be on both ends of a house or on different stories.

A land line will be more reliable because it will be a fixed item in the room in case you forget your cell phone. It is better to have a separate number not connected to any other phones in the house so that an intruder cannot pick up an extension and interfere with your 911 call. Also, do not have the phone wiring to the safe room observable. You don't want anyone cutting the phone line.

If you decide to forgo the land line, then buy a less expensive but reliable cell phone, add another phone number to your family plan, and always leave that cell phone on its charger in the safe room. No exceptions. Remember, a "safe room" gives you precious time to alert the authorities, but only if you have a way to communicate.

It is rumored that cell phone 911 calls are routed through the state police first and then passed on to more local authorities. You might want to check if that is true in your area. If it is, you might be better off to call your local police directly, rather than the 911 number on the cell phone. Most communities have a local emergency number. The local emergency phone numbers should be in plain view next to the phone in the safe room and programmed into the cell phone.

Be sure that whatever weapons you have are in that room, i.e. pepper spray, knife, revolver, baseball bat, cruise missile. They are of no value if not accessible.

Have a towel or some other material which you can wet and place on the floor against the door to prevent smoke, pepper spray or tear gas from entering.

The most important piece of equipment is the lock on the door. The room should have only one entry door. Either have a land line phone in that room, even if it is a bathroom, or be sure to have a cell phone in the room.

Now listen carefully, and I mean carefully. The ability of the lock to keep the intruder out is what gives you the critical time needed for the police to arrive. The normal lock on the door or even a dead bolt will not protect you. The normal dead bolt might help keep the "honest" honest. But your job is keeping the dishonest, not the honest from kicking in your door and having their way with your family! There is not a dead bolt or lock out there that I can't kick in or push my body through, except one that I found.

I have searched everywhere to find a lock that is designed to keep an intruder out. Click on this website to review the information on it. Check out particularly the videos to witness the strength of the lock. The residential lock withstands 4000 lbs of pressure in contrast to the standard dead blot which can withstand only about 200 lbs of pressure.

The key is to harness the full strength of the door frame instead of just the part of the frame that surrounds the standard dead bolt. Maybe you already found a lock that you believe is suitable. This is the only one I am convinced I can't kick my way through.

I do not at compromise at all when it comes to the quality of critical home security items, because when you are hunkered down in your safe room with your kids who are crying in fear because someone is trying to kick the door in, you will be willing to give up everything you own to keep that from happening.

Don't procrastinate. Either decide to secure your family or not. The world of delusion is the most dangerous world of all.

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten

When It Comes to Personal and Home Security A Dog Truly Is Your Best Friend!

If you're ever in a serious dilemma you always want the support of your best friend, right? Well, then you need to get a dog. When it comes to the best all-around friend you can have 24/7, its always going to be a dog. All a dog wants is your love and companionship; okay and some food.

There is nothing more basic to a dog's DNA than loyalty, and blind loyalty at that. I have seen some very loyal dogs with some very, lets say, questionable types of people, particularly in the area of canine care, but the dogs just keep following them around.

But lets face it, particular breeds of dogs are better suited for protection and defensive living. There are two basic and important distinctions to consider.

1)  Some dogs are great watch dogs, which are better described as "alert dogs." A dog that hears everything, hates strangers, and shivers all the time. But, if things turn ugly a little dog is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine, though by way of disclaimer and in support of the Society for the Recognition of the Efforts of All Dogs, I must say I am quite sure that a very little dog sometime in history protected its master from an ill fate.

Mind you, I'm not down on little dogs, so don't come over and picket my house. Smaller breeds of dogs just tend to be better alert dogs. I always thought it was because they know they're so little and therefore, are insecure and afraid that somebody is gonna beat them up, so they stay more alert. Chihuahuas and Poodles are good examples, but of course, there are many other small breeds who would also do well at being a watch dog.

1) Some dogs are protection dogs, better suited, that is to protect you once all the barking stops.

For a protection dog, I don't really want one that only alerts me to a problem. I need one that can help me take care of the problem. Some examples of great protection dogs are German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Boxers, and Pit Bulls. Now these dogs can get the job done, and pretty darn good at inflicting some major damage to an attacker.

I have a pack of 6 dogs that live with my family; I believe strongly in dogs, not only to add an important element to the home, but also to provide a secure and protected environment. We live on 22 acres with no adjoining neighbors, and with the number of home invasions going around, we are a sitting target. It is reassuring that when I am away from the house, my pack will protect my wife and daughter.

We have a male German Shepherd, female boxer, female pit bull, female German Shepherd and Pit bull mix, male English Setter, and male Border Collie. Obviously, you don't have to have a pack of six, but we are a dog family, always have been, and always will be.

A couple of years ago, a 911 call was made to a dispatcher from a women whose dogs were barking frantically at a loud bumping in the basement of her house. An intruder was breaking through a door, and though the two dogs were barking, when the man finally broke into the house the dogs were of no real help. The attacker grabbed the woman with the intention of raping her when the police arrived. Because of the size of the man and his deranged state, it took an extra measure of force for the officers to subdue him.

First of all, the woman, bless her heart, should have had a "safe room" established in your home with the proper weapons to where she could have retreated until the police arrive. With my dogs the outcome will be very different. Even if I take no defensive action myself, my dogs would never allow an attacker to aggressively touch anyone in my family or any of our guests.

 know, there is this thing going around that pit bulls are totally unpredictable and viciously aggressive. Sure they are if you raise them that way. A lot of these vicious attacks you hear about involve people who got a pit bull as part of their tough guy image, like a teenager gets a muscle car. They are suspicious and afraid people who want to keep strangers away; we all want to keep strangers away but not with the unrestrained energy of a pit bull that is rewarded when it shows aggression. So what do you think is going to happen when the door is left open and a little kid rides by on a bike?

Raise them right, socialize them properly, and set the appropriate boundaries and limitations and they are great dogs, very loving and social.

Regarding our Boxer, Boxers are given that name for a reason. They are lightening fast, have incredible leaping ability, and use their front paws much like a boxer would in a fight. Because of their speed, it is almost impossible for an attacker to grab them in a conflict, and they also have incredible jaw power.

The other three dogs will certainly jump into the mix when the energy turns threatening. The shepherd/pit mix is still a puppy learning what is appropriate behavior from the other dogs in the pack.

People have a fear of powerful protection dogs, but isn't that the point? You want a dog that will literally back an attacker against a wall and disable him if necessary so you can escape. But powerful dogs must be led powerfully. Here are a couple of suggestions if you decide to look into acquiring a great dog:

1) I have had powerful dogs a good part of my life but there is no one I know of, or have even heard about for that matter, that knows how to control dogs like Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. He is amazing and has a pack of 30 dogs at his dog psychology center, mostly though not entirely, made up of Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other powerful protection dogs. And every dog is balanced and in control.

Cesar is the master, of dog training that is, and I encourage you strongly, before you do anything else, to buy his DVD series on Mastering Leadership. If you cannot afford the whole series of six, then I recommend you get the three volume set and the DVD on Aggression. Cesar emphasizes body language in dealing with dogs so the DVDs are important to understand what he is talking about.

His premise is that you must first learn how to carry yourself as a pack leader in order for your dog to respect your commands. This is a great opportunity to continue to develop what I emphasize is the most critical part of your security strategy and that is, a Defensive Mindset.

If you like reading more than watching, then start with his book, How to Raise the Perfect Dog: From Puppyhood and Beyond.

2) My last suggestion is to acquire a puppy and not an adult dog when you first begin. It is a bit unpredictable if the protection dog you get has had some aggressive traits in his background of which you were unaware.

Anyway, start with Cesar. What you will learn about yourself is well worth the time. Remember, dogs are great, a lot of fun, and have protected countless lives. One or two of the right dogs can protect you and your family as well. But you know something? You can't protect your family laying there like an ole' hound dog on a hot summer afternoon! Do something, will ya?

For Your Safety,

Dr. Martin Wooten