Self Defense Blog - By: RKDefense

Good Day to my fellow Seniors !

I just came across a great article on Personal Safety for Seniors.  As I have said in the past, we as Seniors need  to protect ourselves.  Not just in our homes, but out in public, our personal safety at least in my mind is becoming increasingly more important. 

Here is an excerpt from the National Crime Prevention Council.  The article is titled ” Topics in Crime Prevention: Working With Older Americans”

The article contains information on crime prevention actions that older individuals can take to protect themselves and make their communities safer. Although the statistics are outdated, the advice is not. 

Click For Article

By Ryan Karpilo
RKDefense.com 

We live in interesting times, which is at least partly due to the fact that technology has extensively penetrated our modern existence. There was a time when hidden video surveillance used to be only limited to public spaces, for obvious reasons of security. Private video surveillance was the province of law keepers, used to monitor gangsters, criminals and terrorists. But today, concealed video surveillance in private spaces is no longer unusual.   

This kind of surveillance is usually carried out through a video camera that looks like a normal household object, like a clock or a vase. The video camera is cleverly concealed to give maximum vision without the risk of the subject being monitored detecting it.   Concealed video surveillance has made it possible for busy parents to keep an eye on their children when left alone at home.

It is also used to monitor nannies, or caregivers to the unwell or elderly so as to ensure that there is no abuse. Pet monitoring using this technology can also be useful, so that appropriate measures can be taken in case of destructive behavior.   

Since the surveillance is covert, the subjects monitored can be seen in their natural behavior. Being unaware of being watched, they do not feel the need to conceal their intentions and reveal their true selves easily. Most hidden video cameras disguised as normal objects are extremely easy to install inside the home.   Video cameras concealed or placed in disguise in the exterior of the house make it difficult for intruders to know if or not they are being watched.

Such surveillance increases the sense of security for the homeowner, because an alarm can be raised before any harm takes place. Moreover, a vulnerable person home alone can identify a person at the door clearly before allowing him or her inside. This kind of surveillance can also be used at a theft deterrent if it is installed outside office premises.   But there are those that raise privacy concerns, saying that covert video surveillance strikes at the root of privacy rights. A person could easily use them on his or her spouse, or any other member of the family.

An employer could mount such surveillance on unsuspecting employees, thus infringing on their basic rights.   Some of the currently available video surveillance equipment is also connected live on the internet. This means one can see what is happening in one’s home behind one’s back by simply logging on to a website. This monitoring could turn into an obsession and affect one’s professional life.

Watching recorded tapes of activities could be a good option in this case, if the perceived risk of missing live coverage is minimal.   Hidden video surveillance is a technological product like any other. It is neither good nor bad in itself: it could prove to be very beneficial or extremely harmful, depending on its application. Concealed video surveillance can be an effective tool, but only if used positively in circumstances where the covert monitoring of a situation could help prevent negative incidents.

By Ryan Karpilo
RKDefense.com

England has installed the largest CCTV camera network in the world in their efforts to reduce crime. Over 2.5 million of these cameras keep their unblinking eyes on storefronts and businesses on major streets in every city throughout the nation, with over 150,000 in London alone. In the case of one brutal killing, the idea worked.

When a sex shop on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth didn’t reopen after lunch, police forced the front door and found the body of the store manager. Adam Shaw had been stabbed repeatedly, at least 24 times to the face and torso. Blood splattered the floor and walls of the shop, and at least some must have sprayed the killer.

Trails of bloody footprints with a distinctive tread pattern crisscrossed the floor. They overlapped in front of the sink in the back of the store, where more traces showed the killer had washed the blood off prior to leaving the scene. But rather than exit through that front and only door onto a busy street, the killer had ripped the wood frame from some ductwork and escaped out the back.

Obviously, the killer was the shop’s last customer. Although two CCTV cameras were positioned over a pub across the street from the store, neither had a direct view of the sex shop’s front door. So police compared the film from both cameras, frame by frame, to find the person who exited one camera’s field of vision without entering the other’s.

This examination identified a young man wearing a leather jacket and sneakers, closely examining each store as he walked past, before he vanished between the two cameras. But although the police were able to retrace the youth’s loping strides all the way up the street as he approached the sex shop, the cameras never got a good view of his face, and appeals to the public didn’t produce results.

So the police turned to their next line of investigation: the bloody footprints. Through the distinctive tread pattern, they identified the brand of shoes and their size, then contacted the manufacturer and distributors to trace all shoes of that size sold in the area.

If it had happened in the movies, it would have been considered unbelievable. But the first shoe owner police investigated was ex-soldier Terry Gibbs, age 19. His distinctive gait identified him as the man on the CCTV camera films and he also owned an identical leather jacket. When examined, the jacket revealed traces of Adam Shaw’s blood. But even before the lab returned results, Gibbs confessed, adding that the shop’s till contained only about $50.

At trial, Gibbs received life imprisonment.

Electroshock Therapy

Taser International tries to soften its weapon’s harsh image, with a civilian model designed just for her.

By Ashley R. Harris | NEWSWEEK

Updated: 2:53 PM ET Dec 15, 2007

Every Saturday afternoon in Scottsdale, Ariz., women gather at Dana Shafman’s house to watch demonstrations of her sleek new wares, which come in such enticing colors as “metallic pink” and “electric blue.” It’s like a Tupperware party … only not. Shafman is peddling Tasers. Hers look a lot different from those bulky blasters carried by cops: they resemble something you’d shave your legs with, and at five and a half inches in length, they’re small enough to slip into a purse. But don’t be fooled. These babies deliver the same 50,000 volts of muscle-paralyzing electroshock therapy.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone who wants to pack heat but doesn’t want to mess with bullets? At $299 to $349, the C2 Personal Protection System may be the ticket. Taser International thinks its compact new device will be a Christmas hit with women like Shafman, who’s loath to carry a gun but never felt safe enough with the knives or baseball bats she kept by her bed to ward off potential intruders. “We have customers who don’t want to look like Dirty Harry,” says Tom Smith, chairman and cofounder of Scottsdale-based Taser International, which owns the Taser brand name and is the biggest producer of the “electronic-control weapons.” In ads on its Web site, the company features a C2-loving Santa, as well as a self-assured businesswoman on a Manhattan street and the tag line “I will control my own destiny.”

Taser International has had trouble controlling its own destiny of late, thanks to a heap of negative publicity about its products. In September, a University of Florida student who disrupted a speech by Sen. John Kerry was caught on camera being subdued by Taser-wielding campus police as he shouted, “Don’t Tase me, bro.” (For the record, Taser International says “Tase” is not a verb.) In October, a Polish man at Vancouver airport died after he was shocked with a Taser by Royal Canadian Mounted Police. And last month a United Nations committee raised concerns that Taser use “constitut[ed] a form of torture.” (Smith calls the torture claim “absurd.”) Since 2001, 290 people have died after being shocked with Tasers, according to Amnesty International. The company has been sued 102 times for product liability, with claims of wrongful death or injury, but hasn’t lost a case yet (62 have been dismissed by the courts).

Can the C2, with its curvy lines and happy hues, soften the Taser’s image? The company, which last year had $68 million in sales, mostly to police and military, says it’s pleased with the C2’s performance so far—6,900 sold in the third quarter after its July 23 release, with a backlog of 5,900. That’s fast growth for a company whose prior consumer model, an intimidating-looking device only Rambo could love, sold just 125,000 units in 10 years. Customers “asked us, could we change the shape to make it less aggressive-looking?” says Smith, who cofounded the company in 1993 with his brother, Rick. “And we found that no matter what the tool is, it’s not going to be any good if they are not comfortable using it.”

Smith doesn’t want people to get too comfortable using it, however (imagine the temptation to Tase that bro whose cell phone goes off in the theater). “We are really emphasizing that this is a serious device,” Smith says. “But [incidents] can happen with any tool. So we need to make sure that people know they will be held accountable if they misuse it.” The company does a criminal background check via Internet or telephone of all buyers before allowing them to activate the weapon (the right to bear this particular arm doesn’t apply to residents of New York, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island or Wisconsin, because of various state and local laws). Each Taser C2 is filled with small pieces of confetti with serial numbers on them that fall out when it’s fired so that the owner can be identified. Customers can get a free replacement Taser after they’ve fired it—but only after filing a police report. Many law-enforcement agencies seem to be taking a hands-off approach for the time being, saying that as long as Tasers are used legally, they have no objections to civilians having them.

For the time being, the C2 doesn’t have any direct competition. Although there are other electroshock weapons, most are “stun guns” that require physical contact with a target. That differs from a Taser, which fires an electrified cable that attaches to the target, delivering the shock; the C2 can shoot 15 feet, and some of the police models can reach 30 feet. The only other company that makes a Taser-like device, Tampa, Fla.-based Stinger Systems, has considered introducing its own consumer model, but says it’s concerned about the potential for negligence. “As much as Taser wants to sell to the consumer, these are not toys,” says Robert Gruder, Stinger’s CEO.

In other words, think twice before you stuff someone’s stocking with a shiny new Taser. Or you could be in for a shock.

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/78151

For the past week the RKDefense Team has been “Researching, Developing & Implementing” the New Spy & Surveillance section of RKDefense.  We are currently in the process of adding over 350+ Surveillance products including but not limited to:

RKDefense is proud to introduce a new Stun Gun.  This Stun Gun blows away the rest!  Why?  Because you can now plug this Stun Gun into any wall socket and recharge it and this is all done by the new 950,000 volts that will knock you on your face The Runt 950,000 volt stun gun.  The new kid in town is a mini that delivers the maxi. It’s bantam with a bite. It’s easily concealable, and virtually undetectable in the hand of a woman or man.What your attacker doesn’t see will drop him like a roach who has ingested a little too much Black Flag. The Runt stun gun uses new cutting edge micro-technology to deliver super powered protection from a palm sized paladin.

You can carry the Runt stun gun in your hand or pocket. If you would like to wear it like a pager it comes with a free heavy duty nylon belt loop holster. Three lithium batteries also included for free.

This unit is perfect for women of all ages, and works for men as well. Order the Runt today for virtually invisible protection.

What’s included: 
3 CR123A Lithium Batteries a $10.00 value FREE.
FREE Nylon Holster a $10.00 value FREE
Life Time Warranty

Click to Order Today!

OverviewThe TASER C2 is our newest product designed for personal protection. Utilizing the same technology as our proven law enforcement models, the C2 has incredible take down power.

The TASER C2 is a self-defense electronic control device. Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) use propelled wires or direct contact to conduct energy to affect the sensory and motor functions of the nervous system. The TASER C2 uses a replaceable cartridge, containing compressed nitrogen, to deploy two small probes that are attached to the TASER C2 by insulated conductive wires with a maximum length of 15 feet (4.5 meters). The TASER C2 transmits electrical pulses along the wires and into the body affecting the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system. The energy can penetrate up to two cumulative inches of clothing.

Advanced Features

Just the sound of the Stun Master 775,000 volt stun gun will scare most attackers away. If they persist, three to five seconds of contact will leave them on the ground, contorted in pain.

Stun guns use high voltage and low amperage to temporarily disable an attacker for several minutes. The stun gun does not rely on pain for results. The energy stored in the gun is dumped into the attacker’s muscles causing them to do a great deal of work rapidly. This rapid work cycle instantly depletes the attacker’s blood sugar by converting it to lactic acid. In short, he is unable to produce energy for his muscles, and his body is unable to function properly. The stun gun also interrupts the tiny neurological impulses that control and direct voluntary muscle movement. When the attacker’s neuromuscular system is overwhelmed and controlled by the stun gun he loses his balance. Should the attacker be touching you, the current will NOT pass to your body!

What’s included:
• Life-Time Warranty
• Disable pin
• Safety wrist strap
• Safety on/off switch
• Rugged, heavy-duty design
• Uses four Energizer 9-volt batteries

FREE HOLSTER INCLUDED
       $12.00 VALUE

After the current stock of Butterfly Knives is gone, RKDefense will no longer be selling them.  This is in regards to Switchblade Knife Act, 15 U.S.C. SS1241-1245, to include butterfly knives.

Manufacturers and importers we deal with for knives are not going to be bringing
them into the States anymore.

Ryan Karpilo
RKDefense.com

Nationally, there are over 491,000 registered sex offenders.  That does not include non-registered sex offenders.  In my zip code alone there are 15 registered sex offenders.  I live in a small, rural community.  As a young woman in today’s society, I must take every necessary precaution to ensure my safety.

Let me describe myself.  I am 5’4”, 130 pounds.  I have blonde hair, green eyes, and light skin.  Do I sound like a target?  Do I sound like a girl who could easily be carried off by a man?  If you said yes, then read on.

Our society today is very scary.  Watch the news on any given day and you’ll hear at least one story of a victimized woman.  Women go missing, are raped, or murdered every day.  But, you also hear stories of women who escape harm.  How did they do it?  They used self-defense methods.

I’m sure the first thing that came to your mind is karate or kickboxing.  While those methods are effective, there are other ways of protecting yourself that are just as effective but not as physical.

Hand to hand combat is just that.  Hand to hand.  You have to be close to the person.  Close enough to land a blow with enough force to have a successful outcome.  But lets face it; most men are able to overpower a smaller woman.

An alternative to using physical force would be using a self-defense device.  Pepper spray and stun guns come to mind.  With many online and in-store options for protecting yourself, there is really no good reason not to be prepared.

Pepper spray and mace come in many different shapes and sizes.  Websites like RKDefense.com and PoliceOne.com are great places to start.  Peppery spray come is sizes small enough to fit in your pocket or on your key chain.  They can come disguised as a lipstick tube or a pen.  They also come as a ring that can be worn on the 1^st or 2^nd finger of your dominant hand.

Stun guns, when used properly, send a non-lethal electrical current through the assailant’s body, temporarily rendering them unconscious.  This gives the victim time to escape.  Stun guns generate a high-voltage, low-amperage electrical charge.  This means it has a lot of pressure behind it, but not that much intensity.  The charge is not intense enough to permanently damage the attackers body.

Stun guns come in various different voltages ranging from 80,000 volts as the lowest, up to 975,000 volts.  Some are small enough to fit in your pocket.  Some come with a wrist strap attached.  Never allow a minor to use a stun gun.  You must be at least 18 years of age to carry or use a stun gun the United States.  Certain cities and states have restrictions.  Be sure to check your local laws.

One last piece of advice, make sure you carry these devices with you at all times.  If you have a pepper spray canister on your key chain, it does you no good if it’s in your purse.  Always have the device in hand when you are worried about the situation.  Have them out when you are walking to your car or into a building late at night.  Keep your eyes open.  Don’t put yourself into a dangerous position.  All it takes is awareness to decrease your chance of being victimized.

Kendra LaRae
RKDefense.com