Everyone loves a dumb
criminals. Perhaps we appreciate the poetic justice of bad guys getting caught via their own idiocy, or perhaps it’s the entertainment value of watching them take a fall. Whatever the reason, it is the rare person who doesn’t enjoy reading about busted brigands, so hold onto your hat for five that take the cake.
Criminal 1: The Unobservant Users
Sure, a lot of crimes are motivated by drug use, but not many of them revolve around fake drugs. Or, to be more specific, around the cremated remains of one human and two dogs. Waldo Soroa and Matrix Andaluz, a gang of two teenaged thieves broke into a Florida woman’s house searching for a nice ride on the white roller coaster. What they got instead was an ashy surprise. They discovered that the fine dust they’d put up their noses was far from the cocaine they’d imagined it to be. Perhaps next time they’ll be more careful. Then again, the
criminals weren’t arrested until they staged another robbery, so they apparently don’t learn.
Criminal 2: The Karate Casualty Criminals
It’s only in the movies that a bad guy meets an unsavory end at the hands of good guys he attacked, right? Wrong, actually, as a Colombian burglar discovered, to his chagrin, when he decided to rob a house full of black belt bad*sses. After stealing a laptop, some cameras, and other valuables, the thief targeted the home of Cristian Garces, pan-American karate champion. The thief, needless to say, came off worse.
Criminal 3: The Foolish Facebooker
Cyber crime is a big deal these days, and
stopping identity theft has become a major concern for organizations like the Federal Trade Commission, which has moved it to the top of its priority list. But it still happens, sometimes in the dumbest ways imaginable. 19-year-old Rodney Knight, Jr., is one such idiot, breaking into a house to steal a computer, cash and a coat from journalist Marc Fisher. Afterwards, the criminal logged into the son’s Facebook account and posted a taunting picture of himself, complete with coat and cash. Let’s just say he wasn’t hard to catch.
Criminal 4: The Photo ID Flasher
Most
criminals aren’t willing to show their faces, let alone their legal name, date of birth, address and license number. Some, however, are too stupid to know what’s good for them. One robber, entering a corner store and robbing the cashier at gunpoint, then demanded a bottle of Scotch in addition to the pilfered cash. The attendant refused, saying he didn’t think the robber was 21. Finally angered, the bandit pulled out his license and showed the cashier as proof he was of age. The cashier agreed, handing him the bottle and calling the police as soon as the robber had gone. The rest is history.
Criminal 5: The Ecstatic Escapee
Most people who’ve successfully gotten away with something generally fade quietly into the background of a small tropical island or South American village. Not Craig Lynch, who escaped from a prison in Suffolk, England in September 2009. Apparently the thrill of the chase was enough to make Lynch risk recapture: he spent the subsequent 4 months posting clues as to his whereabouts on Facebook seemingly just waiting to get caught, which he eventually was. The saddest part? He was almost done with his seven-year sentence, which is surely no longer the case.
by Lauren Rose
Alarm systems are an excellent way to protect both homes and businesses. However, the strategies for how to use these tools to improve how alarm systems protect these different types of properties are not the same. A major reason for this is the nature of how both types of properties (and the people within them) function. For example, most businesses have operating hours. These hours are when the business is open and closed. Since many companies have long periods of time where they are closed, a different strategy is needed to protect these properties with alarm systems. In addition, many business are “open to the public” during work hours. A member of general public isn’t likely to walk into your home without advanced notice, but this happens frequently at a business property. These differences show the difficulties in protecting businesses using alarm systems and other technologies. However, it’s important to note that alarm systems are great for protecting businesses if you properly consider the possible security weaknesses of the business when you are installing your security set up.
When you properly combine home security alarm technology with other types of security tools, you increase the effectiveness of the entire system. For example, while a home security alarm will provide a certain degree of protection, combining that alarm with other security tools such as security cameras, bars and gates, motion detectors and other forms of technology can provide greater protection. How you combine these different technologies is also important. Home security alarm systems need to be properly installed and configured in order to maximize their benefits. You will want to install a system in a way that protects your entire property and so that it does not leave any weaknesses for criminals to exploit.
One common benefit to nearly all types of burglar alarm systems is that they act as a crime deterrent. Criminals understand that burglar alarm systems are powerful tools that can be utilized by property owners and authorities to catch criminals in the act and to punish them for their crimes. For example, security cameras provide video footage that gives authorities the ability to identify criminals and to determine exactly what happened at a crime scene. This makes it much more likely that a criminal will be arrested, charged and convicted for his or her crime. This example is just one way in which burglar alarm systems deter criminals. Criminals obviously do not want to be caught committing crimes and thus they will avoid properties that have effective security alarm systems installed.
An alarm system can be monitored to provide greater protection. When your alarm system is watched by a monitoring station, it means that no one will be able to break into your property without the appropriate authorities being notified. The way security monitoring works is that the system is connected to a central monitoring station. The station remotely watches the system for trouble conditions. As soon as the central station becomes aware of the issue, staff at the station react immediately.
One of the main home alarms advantages is that they can protect your entire home if they are utilized properly. However, utilizing them properly is key. You want to make sure that your home security system is set up in a way that it can effectively protect your entire home. While many criminals try to break down front doors in order to get into a home, there are still a number of other ways that criminals can enter.
A wireless security system gives you an unparalleled mix of flexibility, security and stability. A wireless security system lets you control all of the security features in your home or business from a simple wall panel. Since the system is wireless, it can easily be installed, modified and upgraded as necessary.
She was able to watch the footage from inside her home thanks to smartphone monitoring and a Dropcam camera that she had installed. The camera was connected to her home’s wireless Internet connection. A smartphone monitoring application on her phone alerted her every time motion was detected in her home. This smartphone monitoring system allowed her to watch live as the criminal walked through her home gathering valuables. Melissa immediately called her neighbour who contacted the police. “I immediately called my neighbour and said, ‘Don’t go into my house!’ She thought I was joking with her,” Melissa told KOMO. “I said, ‘No, I’m serious. There’s somebody in my house right now.” Police arrived just as the burglar was leaving the home. No arrest was made, but all of the stolen items were recovered. “I always recommend to homeowners to do what they can to protect themselves and property from bad guys without putting themselves in harm’s way,” Officer Carla Iafrate, a spokeswoman for Bellevue Police, told ABCNews.com. “It seems more and more people are researching home video systems, which is always helpful for law enforcement.”