Defend Yourself

The latest Census Bureau figures show 4.5% of the homes and 16.6% of the rental apartments and condos in Florida are vacant, among the highest rates in the nation. In south Florida alone, specifically Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, 3.6% of the homes are vacant, while 13.1% of the rental apartments sit empty. This high rate of vacancy has been found to be connected to a higher rate of burglary, especially in conjunction with the chaotic economy. We already now why burglars are searching for easy targets. Now we know where they are looking.

The foreclosures and empty homes can be a draw for burglars and thugs, who view the empty houses and condos as easy targets for stealing items like appliances, left behind personal property, glass, copper piping, or other materials that could be sold. The foreclosed properties are an issue for local law enforcement agencies also.

“It’s definitely a problem that we’ve seen and that we have to deal with. We did see an increase in homes that are foreclosed become targeted,” Sgt. Tom Gendreau with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview with a Florida media station.

Don’t let your neighborhood become a target for criminal activity. Start protecting yourself and your home with Self-Defense Products found at DefendWell.com. From Pepper Spray to safes, stun guns and focus training, DefendWell.com is here to help Florida homeowners like you protect their livelihood and send a clear message to burglars in your community: this behavior will not be tolerated.

When times get tough, people can expect to see a rise in crime, but just because there’s a rise doesn’t mean your business should be at risk. Do you feel safe with your current security systems? Do your employees feel safe working? Do you trust your employees to do their jobs, without worrying about them stealing?

If any of these things have crossed your mind, it may be time to start thinking about an innovative approach to security in your business. Hidden cameras just might be the thing you need to keep your assets protected from burglars or prying employees.

Designed to blend in naturally and discretely, the Hidden Cameras from DefendWell.com are ideal for placing near registers, doors, and windows to track criminal activity both on and off the job. Hidden inside common objects like Clocks, Pencil Sharpeners, or even Thermostats, these innovative security cameras can capture the evidence you need to bring criminals to justice.

In recent article featured in the Kenyon College campus newspaper, students voiced their take on a recent incident involving students and campus safety officers. The staff editorial reports:

“Safety officers are employed to protect students from the harm of outsiders, other students and the effects of substance abuse, but sometimes, it is the students who cause harm, and in these cases, our Safety officers deserve the right to defend themselves. Last year, when students attacked Safety officers, the officers should have had the option of using pepper spray to protect themselves. We are not definitively asserting that the officers should have used pepper spray in those situations, or even that they would have, but we believe that they deserved the right to decide, in that instance, how to defend themselves.”

With campus incidents on the rise, it’s important for security and safety professionals to recognize and understand the risks that are associated with protecting those they serve. Safety is a dangerous job – but someone has to do it. For the men and women in the security and law enforcement industries, DefendWell.com is here to provide you with Self Defense Products like Pepper Spray to increase on-the-job safety. In addition, DefendWell.com is proud to support those who put their lives and safety on the line every day to protect the rights that we hold so dear. Do something for your campus or community. Support law enforcement self defense tactics.

If you’re a college student, you already know about the safety hazards and dangers that surround your campus. Instead of feeling powerless, take control of your safety. Learn to use Self Defense Tactics and products responsibly. These preventative measures, when coupled with common sense and attentiveness to rules and surroundings, can make all the difference in your college experience.

Deputy Chief Chuck Miner with the University of Minnesota Campus Police said he thinks self-defense items are generally a good thing — as long as the people carrying them know how to use them. He said in a recent interview with a self-defense products retailer that university police “certainly encourage people to protect themselves.” He does think there are pros and cons; however, to using self-defense products in a campus encounter.

“Pepper spray can blow in the wind and affect the user,” Miner said. “(Campus police) recommend other things like free escort services.”

The key to utilizing self defense products properly is to learn about them through taking classes at your local community center or by contacting your campus security office. Both resources can equip you with the knowledge and experience you need to deflect an incident should one occur. Either way, you’ll feel safer and more secure about your overall college experience.

In a recent federal study, results showed that the Taser could be one of the safest less-than-lethal tools officers have to protect themselves in a dangerous situation.

The main goal of the study was see if tasers posed a medical threat when used in the field. Wake Forest University in North Carolina led the study that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. Reviewing over 1,000 suspects, emergency medicine doctors at five universities collaborated over the course of three years to find that 99.75% of the suspects who were tasered had mild or no injuries at all, and none of the participants had died. The researchers say the Taser may be one of the safest less-than-lethal tools an officer has, as reported in the KOLD News 13 story.

Taser expert and Tactical Response Commander at Arizona’s Pima County Sheriff’s Department Don Kester was a featured participant in the study, as he represented the law enforcement community.

“Based on this study, they can see that the Taser uses seem to be very safe and very effective and it’s not causing severe injuries,” said Kester in an interview with KOLD News 13. “And really the goal was to limit law enforcement’s role in this because we wanted a medical perspective of the actual injuries on the suspects as they’re occurring.”

But Kester says law enforcement supports doing even more studies.

“I mean, if it’s hurting individuals unnecessarily, or it’s killing people, then it might not be the best tool. But so far, the data hasn’t shown us that.”

If you’re involved in the law enforcement community, it’s time to consider integrating Tasers into your department. Let DefendWell.com help by providing you with a large selection of tasers that are affordable, no matter what your budget.

According to Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 2006, in that year, 48 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed as a result of 47 separate incidents. 22 of the 48 officers feloniously killed were employed by city police departments. Of these victims, 8 were members of law enforcement agencies in cities of 250,000 or more in population.

Each and every day, countless men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line to protect the welfare of citizens across the nation. Because their jobs are so dangerous, it’s more important than ever to ensure that they are protected. DefendWell.com is proud to offer several self-defense items that are essential for officer safety. From Stun Guns to Tasers, DefendWell.com has the self-defense equipment that your officers need to stay protected.

Encourage officer safety in your community today. Write to your precinct to find out what you can do to help law enforcement professionals where you live. Encourage officers to check out DefendWell.com for essentials they need to stay safe on the job.

Even with the holidays over and many travelers taking a rest, many people are choosing to go to warmer climates to escape the nasty winter weather. If you have travel plans, DefendWell.com wants you to be prepared and protected in the event of an emergency. Here are our top five travel safety essentials that are must-haves for your vacation. Be safe out there!

1. Electronic Pocket/Keychain Whistle

   When traveling in an unfamiliar area, it’s essential to have some sort of self-defense item or alarm on your person. The Electronic Pocket Whistle is just the thing for stashing in your pocket, purse, or carryon bag while traveling. Light and compact, this whistle can alert others to danger in the event of an emergency.

2. Nap Alarm for Drivers

   If you’re traveling by car, make sure that you’re aware of the dangers of driving while drowsy. Did you know that approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes annually involve drowsiness or fatigue while driving? If you feel tired, make sure to stop and take a few minutes to rest. To prevent accidents, install a Nap Alarm from DefendWell.com in your car to alert you when it’s time to stop.

3. First Aid Kit

   As a must have for all travelers, first aid kits are great for storing in cars or in suitcases. Be sure to stock yours with an antiseptic, bandages, a basic pain reliever, a cold compress, an antihistamine, and an anti-diarrheal/antacid medication.

4. Diversion Safes

   When staying in a hotel, you can never be sure that your valuables are completely safe. However, when you store your valuables in a Diversion Safe, you can feel better about carrying your personal items with you in the airport, on a bus, or in the hotel.

5. Sunscreen

   We know this one is simple, but it’s surprising how many people forget about the dangers of the sun while traveling. Stash a simple SPF into your purse or suitcase to prevent burns or skin irritation.

The post-Holiday shopping season is a great time of the year to take advantage of after holiday sales. If we disregard the fact that this is the busiest time of the year for gift giving, people tend to spend a lot of time looking for clothing, electronics, and other items of interest they wanted but could afford before the post-Holiday sales. This actually adds to the mayhem of people returning gifts and increases the volume of people out at the malls.

With the hurricane of consumerism hitting us every year, the shopping centers are flooded with armies of people between Thanksgiving and well after December 25th. Much like a herd of wild animals, this invites the danger of predators looking for an opportunity to pick off an unknowing shopper for their own gain.

Even with summertime being the peak time for robberies, the Holiday shopping season is when we see a peak in crimes of this nature. This doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself indoors and wait until the Holidays are over, you just have to take the proper precautions when venturing out.

Travel in a group – By increasing your numbers, you increase the number of eyes that could look out for danger. Walking in a group also may deter a potential robber from considering you as a target.

Travel light – When you make a shopping trip, bring only what you need. Don’t travel with a ton of credit and ATM cards. If possible, just carry cash and be sure to keep everything in separate locations on your person. If you carry everything, car keys, ID, credit and ATM cards, etc, in one place like a wallet or bag, you could lose everything in one fell swoop. With all this personal information falling into the wrong hands, you leave yourself at risk for potential car theft, burglary, and identity theft.

Travel with protection – In a case were an attacker may engage in violence to rob you, it’s always better to hand over your shopping bags than engage your attacker. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you are at risk for harm, it’s always a smart idea to have a self-defense weapon just in case. Keeping something as small enough to hang on your key chine at the ready when walking alone, such as a Kubotan, Heart Attack, or small canister of Pepper Spray, could even the odds in the event of being surprised by someone.

When walking in the evening, it’s hard to notice if someone is following or watching you from afar. Couple the darkness when being tired from a long day, you are more focused on getting home rather than your surroundings. You could find yourself in a situation where there isn’t time to reach for a self-defense weapon and the only defense against some punk is yourself.

That is why martial arts instructor Tim Larkin developed Focus Training, a method of self-defense that uses quick reactions to deliver devastating attacks to subdue an attacker. Focus training provides you with the skills needed to turn yourself into a formidable weapon to ward-off any attack.

This training will teach you how to overcome any situation, even if the person attacking you has a weapon. The trick is to know the person attacking you has a weapon, avoid it, and subdue the person quickly and efficiently. Tim Larkin’s training won’t make you fearless, instead it will teach you how to ignore that fear and to do what needs to be done to survive.

This training comes in the 5 Seconds to Live or Die, which teaches you the full program of hand-to-hand/hand-to-weapon fighting techniques such as striking, targeting, and using leverage to ward of an attacker or even multiple attackers. Or you could just purchase the Defending Against a Gun or Knife which teaches hand to weapon fighting.

In any event, when you invest in a self defense item you should take into account how you access it. Unless you plan on walking around with a taser or pepper spray canister out and at the ready at all times, training yourself to be a weapon is the logical option.

The most primitive form of self-defense is the action of forcefully striking an aggressor to subdue or repel him. If you are able to, you can use your body to defend yourself with a flurry of punches, kicks, and other strikes against the attacker. However, when you’re faced with an attacker, even if you’re physically matched, you’re usually at a disadvantage because these attacks are a surprise to the victim.

The fear of the unknown is one of the biggest of all human fears. So to keep yourself safe, there are measures you can take to prepare for the unexpected, and even the odds during a surprise attack.

Telescopic Steel Baton – This weapon will allow you to put distance between you and an attacker. It is especially useful because it can collapse and be held in a pocket or on a belt holster for easy access. It can then be drawn and extended in one fluid motion, allowing you to quickly strike an aggressor before they know what you’re holding.

The Heart Attack – It may look like a simple key chain, but this heart-shaped piece of hard plastic will leave an attacker in a world of hurt. Grip the Heart Attack between your fingers to deliver a punch that will focus all its power to the pointed end of the device. Ouch!!!

Pointed and Flat Kubotan – No more than a metal rod, this devastating weapon will leave an attacker bruised and broken. It can be use to strike an aggressor by swinging your keys or by striking in a poking or smashing fashion to cause pain to vulnerable bony and fleshy areas of the body.

You don’t have to pack a sophisticated taser or stun gun, or something potentially lethal like a knife or a gun, to protect yourself from a person determined to cause harm to you or your family. These weapons require some confidence and training to use, but will leave an attacker thinking twice about coming at you again.