Gaddafi Dead?

(Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered on Thursday as fighters battling to complete an eight-month-old uprising against his rule overran his hometown Sirte, Libya's interim rulers said.

His killing, which came swiftly after his capture near Sirte, is the most dramatic single development in the Arab Spring revolts that have unseated rulers in Egypt and Tunisia and threatened the grip on power of the leaders of Syria and Yemen.

"He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head," National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."

Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi, who was in his late 60s, was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked. He said he had been taken away by an ambulance.

There was no independent confirmation of his remarks.

An anti-Gaddafi fighter said Gaddafi had been found hiding in a hole in the ground and had said "Don't shoot, don't shoot" to the men who grabbed him.

His capture followed within minutes of the fall of Sirte, a development that extinguished the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the deposed leader.

The capture of Sirte and the death of Gaddafi means Libya's ruling NTC should now begin the task of forging a new democratic system which it had said it would get under way after the city, built as a showpiece for Gaddafi's rule, had fallen.

Gaddafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on August 23 after 42 years of one-man rule over the oil-producing North African state.

NTC fighters hoisted the red, black and green national flag above a large utilities building in the center of a newly-captured Sirte neighborhood and celebratory gunfire broke out among their ecstatic and relieved comrades.

Hundreds of NTC troops had surrounded the Mediterranean coastal town for weeks in a chaotic struggle that killed and wounded scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number of defenders.

NTC fighters said there were a large number of corpses inside the last redoubts of the Gaddafi troops. It was not immediately possible to verify that information.

(Writing by Jon Hemming and William Maclean; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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NY judge: Al-Qaida owes $9.3 billion for 9/11 harm

Federal Magistrate Judge Frank Maas in a ruling Friday sent the recommendation to a district judge presiding over a lawsuit brought by several insurance companies.

The companies in 2003 sued various defendants, seeking damages for the 2001 terror attacks, which demolished the World Trade Center's twin towers. Al-Qaida never responded to the lawsuit and was found in default in 2006. Maas determined the actual damages and then tripled them as allowed by law.

At this time, the companies were only seeking an assessment of damages against al-Qaida. The organization founded by Osama bin Laden is blamed for orchestrating the terror attacks.

Iran Plans Attack on US Soil

The United States said Tuesday it had disrupted an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, D.C. the Justice Department said Tuesday.
The stunning accusations came in a Justice Department criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday afternoon at a press conference featuring Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director Robert Mueller and a team of Justice Department prosecutors. The key suspect charged in the plot, a naturalized Iranian-American citizen identified as Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested late last month at JFK Airport; a second accused conspirator named in the complaint, an alleged Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force official identified as Gohlam Shakuri, remains at large and is believed to be in Iran. The five-count criminal complaint also refers to other unnamed conspirators in the plot and suggested they also were members of the Qods force in Iran.
In a related action, the Treasury Department on Tuesday designated Arbabsiar and four alleged Iranian Qods force members, including Shakuri, Qasem Soleimani, Hamed Abdollahi, and Arbabsiar's cousin Abdul Reza Shahlai, as being connected to the alleged assassination plot.
The alleged assassination plot targeting Saudi envoy Adel Al-Jubeir--unraveled by federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI--was "conceived, sponsored and was directed from Iran" Holder said in a statement Tuesday. "The U.S. is committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions."
President Obama "was first briefed on this issue in June and directed his Administration to provide all necessary support to the investigation," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told journalists by email Tuesday. "The disruption of his plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the President is enormously grateful for their exceptional work."
Federal officials said the disrupt plot sought to assassinate Saudi envoy to the U.S. Adel Al-Jubeir -- possibly by being one of his favorite Washington restaurants. It also discussed "subsequent bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C.," ABC News reported on the complaint.
The case, called Operation Red Coalition, "began in May when an Iranian-American from Corpus Christi, Texas,"--Arbabsiar--"approached a DEA informant seeking the help of a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador," the ABC News report on the unsealed complaint said.
But the man Arbabsiar approached who he thought to be a member of a brutal Mexican drug cartel turned out to be a confidential source for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
From May through September, Arbabsiar traveled to Mexico twice to meet with the DEA source to arrange the assassination. Arbabsiar is also accused in the complaint of having transferred $100,000 to the recruited-assassin's bank account--the down-payment on what he said would be $1.5 million paid in total after the assassination. They money was transferred from Arbabsiar's Qods-force contacts in Iran, the complaint alleges.
After he was arrested on September 29th at JFK Airport flying back from an attempted meeting with the hit man in Mexico, Arbabsiar allegedly told federal authorities that he had been recruited to organize the assassination by members of Iran's Qods Force, including his cousin, last spring. He also said that Qods force members had financed the plot.
"According to the complaint, Arbabsiar also admitted to agents that, in connection with this plot, he was recruited, funded, and directed by men he understood to be senior officials in Iran's Qods Force," the FBI press release said.
"Arbabsiar allegedly told agents that his cousin,"--identified by the Treasury Department as Abdul Reza Shahlai''""s a senior IRGC-[Qods Force] official and deputy to [Shakuri], who he had long understood to be a senior member of the Qods Force, had approached him in the early spring of 2011 about recruiting narco-traffickers to kidnap the Ambassador," the FBI document states.
"Arbabsiar told agents that he then met with the [confidential source] CS-1 in Mexico and discussed assassinating the Ambassador," the FBI document said. "According to the complaint, Arbabsiar said that, afterwards, he met several times in Iran with Shakuri and another senior Qods Force official, where he explained that the plan was to blow up a restaurant in the United States frequented by the Ambassador and that numerous bystanders could be killed, according to the complaint. The plan was allegedly approved by these officials"
The United States has previously accused the Qods Force of sponsoring militant attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Iran on Tuesday denied the American accusations.
Middle East experts noted that alleged plot emerges in the context of heightened tensions and competition for regional influence between predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia and predominantly Shiite Iran in the midst of the tumultuous Arab awakening uprisings.
"This alleged terror plot takes place at a time when tensions in the Middle East have reached a boiling point," Trita Parsi, with the National Iranian American Council said in a statement Tuesday. "If today's allegations are true, this means that regional rivalries may have spilled over onto U.S. shores."
The Saudi King sent a private letter to President Obama in September hand-delivered by Saudi ambassador al-Jubeir, who has been frequently absent from Washington much of that month. U.S. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon traveled to meet with the Saudi King in Riyadh earlier this month.

Read the complete story and watch the news clip on Yahoo!

We Will Never Forget

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. Is it more significant than the 9 that preceded? No, it is however, a decade, a standard of measure that represents a significant period of time in our history, not only the United States’ but every nation’s. The world has changed drastically over the past decade. Democratic nations have become aware of many of those who intend to harm them. We have all answered the call. United States soldiers have eliminated, amongst many others, the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks, OBL (we refrain from using his name as he does not deserve such recognition).

We cannot do enough to remember the 2,977 innocent people who died that day. Some were undoubtedly sitting at their desks or standing around the water cooler as usual. Some were flying to visit friends or flying to a distant business meeting. Some were rushing into the battered buildings to save others. The bravery of all these people cannot be matched, they were thrust into horrifying situations which cost their lives and we can never repay them for bearing that burden. These people will never be forgotten, they and their loved ones will remain in our prayers as the years continue to pass.

The tragic events thrust our great nation and its allies into a war, one which began long before the majority of Americans realized. This war resulted in the loss of 1,644 American soldiers and nearly 1,000 from our allies(the numbers will continue to rise). The men and women who died fighting against Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces did so as volunteers. They are volunteers willing to risk their lives not only to avenge the cowardly attacks on September 11th, but to prevent such attacks from happening again. We are forever in their debt as they have fought and died to keep our country safe.

We also pray for the thousands wounded in the attacks and in the consequent War on Terror. Some have been injured so badly they will never fully recover. Their strength and bravery to continue the fight is truly admired by us all.

As always, we remember our Special Forces brothers who gave all.
God Bless

-De Oppresso Liber

New York Gun Control

U.S. Court Rejects Challenge to State's Concealed Gun Law

New Yorkers do not have a constitutional right to carry a concealed handgun in public, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

In a case brought by four New Yorkers challenging the denial of "concealed carry" gun permits by four state judges, Southern District Judge Cathy Seibel said she found persuasive the reasoning of the Illinois' Court of Appeals in People v. Marin, 795 N.E.2d 958 (2003), that the overriding purpose of gun statutes should be to prevent innocent people from being victimized by gun violence.

As such, Judge Seibel ruled, that granting licenses to carry concealed firearms is a matter of discretion to be decided by state authorities and is not a right.

The plaintiffs contended that the defendants—Westchester County Judges Susan Cacace and Jeffrey A. Cohen, Westchester Acting Supreme Court Justice Robert K. Holdman and Bronx Supreme Court Justice Albert Lorenzo—arbitrarily denied them licenses to carry concealed handguns even though they did not fall under the categories proscribed by §400.00(2)(f) of New York Penal Law, such as felony offenders, people with a history of mental illnesses and minors.

The judges, who were represented by the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, argued that the "proper cause" provision of the state law served as a valid basis of the denial of gun permits and did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment guarantee of the right to bear arms.

Quoting Marin, Judge Seibel said, "The underlying activity of possessing or transporting an accessible and loaded weapon is itself dangerous and undesirable, regardless of the intent of the bearer since it may lead to the endangerment of public safety." Marin also held that transporting a loaded weapon on a public street "creates a volatile situation vulnerable to spontaneous lethal aggression in the event of road rage or any other disagreement or dispute."

"For all these reasons, I hold that the state has an important government interest in promoting public safety and preventing crime," Judge Seibel said in Kachalsky. v. Cacace, 10-cv-05413.

The judge found §400.00(2)(f), which provides for the carrying of a concealed handgun, requires that applicants show an "actual and articulable" need to possess their weapons "rather than merely speculative, potential, or even specious" grounds for self-defense.

"As crafted, the statute seeks to limit the use of handguns to self-defensive purposes…rather than for some other use that has not been recognized as falling within the protections of the Second Amendment," Judge Seibel wrote. "This purpose is furthered by the statute's directive that full-carry permits 'shall be' issued where there exists proper cause, rather than directing merely that permits 'may' be issued in such instances."

In the main, the concealed handgun permit statute appears to apply to those who legitimately need protection from harm, such as shopkeepers and merchants, bankers and even judges, "who may be the targets of criminal defendants or disgruntled litigants," the judge said. But the Legislature has left it up to those who grant licenses to carry concealed handguns to decide on a case-by-case basis, a process that sometimes entails the denial of permits for various reasons, Judge Seibel noted.

"Section 400.00(2)(f) may not be perfect, but it need not be to pass constitutional muster," she wrote. "Section 400.00(2)(f)'s limitations promote the government's strong interest in public safety and crime prevention, and are substantially related to it."

Judge Seibel's ruling "is a victory for New York state law, the United States Constitution, and families across New York who are rightfully concerned about the scourge of gun violence that all too often plagues our communities," Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement yesterday.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg similarly praised Judge Seibel for her ruling.

"Common-sense restrictions like the one the court upheld today do nothing to infringe on the rights of law-abiding Americans, but are essential to fighting gun crime on our streets," he said in a statement.

Mr. Bloomberg said the law is essential to both protect police officers and New Yorkers, "which can be done while respecting the Second Amendment."

Assistant Attorney General Monica Anne Connell represented the four judges.

Vincent Gelardi of Gelardi & Randazzo of Rye Brook was among the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, which included the Second Amendment Foundation, a gun-owners' rights group based in Alexandria, Va.

This article was written by Joel Stashenko for the New York Law Journal. Visit them here.

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Surviving Hurricane Irene

Another disaster struck Long Island, Hurricane Irene destroyed thousands of homes and vehicles. Again, Geico jumped into action to help their customers as quickly as possible. Geico is fully equiped to handle claims adjustments as fast as victims of the storm can bring them in.

Helping Geico in their effort to offer superior customer service yet again, Dominion Group is on site for the duration of the claims. The stakes are higher this time as customers have suffered substantial loses and losing their ability to drive is just icing on the cake at this point. Dominion Security Operatives are posted throughout the Geico claims event to ensure a safe environment for customers and employees.

To learn more about Dominion Group’s efforts, like our Facebook page.

Dominion Security Offers Assistance to Verizon Communications

Dominion Security Guards are known for their diligence and attention to detail but the following shows their desire to go the extra mile to the benefit of their clients and their clients’ affiliates.
While protecting a client’s structure, one of Dominion’s rising stars on the security front observed something that just didn’t seem right to him. A vehicle pulled into the parking lot and parked next to another vehicle but was facing the wrong direction. A man in a red Verizon t-shirt was observed shuffling from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat inside his parked vehicle. Armed with the knowledge of the Verizon Strike and the possibility of sabotage, this particular Guard took notice. The guard approached the oddly parked vehicle but as he did the man decided to drive off. Luckily Dominion Security Guards are trained to not only observe and react but also to retain detailed information.
As it turned out, this Verizon employee, while taking part in the Strike against the company, followed one of Verizon’s executives and vandalized his vehicle, which was parked near the site Dominion was protecting. Due solely to Dominion’s ability to identify the threat and relay the make, model, and license plate number to the police, this man will be arrested.
To learn more about using Dominion Group to protect your assets before they too can be destroyed, contact Dominion for a free quote at 516-554-9823 or visit on the web http://dominionsecure.com.

GEICO RESPONDS TO HAIL STORM WITH HELP FROM DOMINION GROUP

A violent hail storm pummeled the New York City Borough of Queens and western Long Island on Monday, August 1st for no more than an hour but that was plenty of time to destroy thousands of vehicles and homes. The baseball sized hail was responsible for damaging over ten thousand vehicles and even caused roof damage to many homes. Although most cars are still drivable some motorists lost windows and windshields to the freak storm.

In the anticipation of thousands of claims, Geico jumped to meet their customer’s needs. By Tuesday afternoon the insurance giant was setting up tents and flying in insurance adjusters from around the country to handle the thousands of expected claimants. The Geico corporate office located at 750 Woodbury Road, Woodbury, NY became a claims fair overnight. By Wednesday Geico started adjusting claims at 7am and continued until 9pm, finishing approximately 30 cars an hour. No insurance company on Long Island is putting on a display rivaling what Geico has accomplished here. The claims fair is set to continue this week with appointments starting at 7am. Safelite glass repair is also on site to ensure motorists leave with a drivable vehicle in a timely manner.

Although thousands of people have severely damaged vehicles, Dominion’s security team has been able to sustain a calm atmosphere around the adjusters and customers. Dominion’s head of security, Tom, has been at the site for most of the action. “The car owner’s have been extremely pleased with the service Geico is offering. We expected a higher level of tension given the situation but we just haven’t encountered it yet. Our guys are maintaining a relaxed posture and welcoming the customers with a smile but stay ready to diffuse a heated situation.” -Tom on the evaluation of the security at the Geico claims fair.

To hear more about Dominion Group’s success at Geico’s Woodbury location call 516-554-9823 or write to info@dominionsecure.com.

Geico customer service is standing by to take claims information and schedule appointments, visit geico.com or call 1-800-861-8380.

Online Dating Murder

Almost anyone with a working Internet connection knows the dangers and risks of meeting someone online. Still, it's hard to ignore the sparkling ads for sites like eHarmony.com, or the easy thrills of sites like Craigslist.

And we've heard the rules ad nauseum about navigating the tricky waters of online dating and meeting: Don't give out personal information. Have a friend on standby ready to come to the rescue. Don't get too serious. Don't say anything -- or respond to anything -- that could get you in trouble. And, as always, buyer beware.

But the murder of a Metro Detroit man is the latest in a string of online dating gone wrong. Is it easy to fall into a trap even when playing by the rules? Possibly. Here are seven online dating cases with varying circumstances, and varying degrees of tragedy.

1. In Southfield last weekend, 35-year-old West Bloomfield resident Venkata Cattamanchi arranged a date with 23-year-old Jessica Ermatinger of Canton, police say. After meeting at a restaurant, the pair traveled to a motel, where Cattamanchi was allegedly robbed and murdered by three men waiting there. Ermatinger and the three men were charged with murder and robbery.

2. In March, a Ferndale man was beaten and robbed by a man he met online and an accomplice. The two men are accused of tying him up, beating him with a hammer and a handgun, taking his ATM car and withdrawing money from his bank account. One of the men was dressed as a woman.

3. In December, a St. Clair Shores man set up a date with a woman he met through MySpace. While the pair were at dinner, the woman's accomplice cleaned out the man's apartment -- after she allegedly tipped him off via text message. They were charged with stealing $11,000 worth of the guy's stuff; she took a plea deal, he was sent to prison.

And outside of Metro Detroit...

4. In 2006, 28-year-old Michael Sandy of New York was killed after arranging a date through a gay chatroom. Sandy arranged to meet a man in a park, but instead was met with a group of men who robbed and beat him. While attempting to escape, Sandy was chased into traffic and hit by a car. Three men were sent to prison for his murder, while a fourth took a plea deal in exchange for testifying against them.

5. Also in New York, a New York woman who posted a Craigslist ad offering masseuse services was killed in a Boston hotel by a man who answered her ad. 28-year-old Julissa Brisman is thought to be the third victim of 24-year-old Philip Markoff, her alleged killer. Markoff is allegedly linked to the murders of two other women who posted ads on Craigslist. He is scheduled to go to trial next year.

6. Pretty much every episode of Chris Hansen's "To Catch a Predator."

7. In 2006, two teen girls in Florida set up a fake MySpace profile to lure men into robbing them. A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl met a man at an apartment who was "just lookin' for some fun," but robbed him at gunpoint. When police found them with another teen male accomplice, they retrieved two loaded handguns.

The number of incidents of violence in internet dating meetings is on the rise. Protecting yourself from internet predators needs to be a priority. Call Dominion Group to learn more.

Block Party Violence

Summer has long welcomed the Block Party atmosphere popular in most American neighborhoods. This suburban tradition lends to neighbors meeting and building a sense of community. Neighbors share in the cost and responsibilities of hosting such an event and often arrange for some type of entertainment. This is a great opportunity for people living on the same street to actually meet the people to their left and right. It is a time in which safety should not have to be a concern.

Unfortunately, safety always needs to be a concern, especially in today's world. Parents are afraid to let their children play in their own front yards. Hosting a party with no admission requirements potentially invites trouble. The mix of alcohol and the current economic status of most citizens only adds the to the possibility of violence.

On Friday night a shooting occurred at a block party near Jersey City. Although it is not clear exactly what triggered the incident it is evident that no security or medical personnel were on-site. Three young men were wounded in the shooting, one remains in critical condition.

Acts such as this can be avoided with the simple and low-cost actions involved in hiring a security professional such as Dominion Group Inc. Dominion provides an on-site survey to determine exactly what security needs you have. We then provide you a detailed proposal which allows you to customize our services based on your perceived threats and budget concerns. We pride ourselves in providing experienced and professional services capable of providing the services needed at a price you can afford.

Call Dominion today to design an affordable security solution for your next event. 516-554-9823

BURGLARY FACTS AND STATISTICS

WHAT IS CONSIDERED A BURGLARY…
Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as a burglary. Burglary is categorized into three sub classifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible entry.

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2005

Burglary Facts and Statistics…

* Property crime makes up slightly more than three-quarters of all crime in the United States

* In 2005, law enforcement agencies reported an estimated 2,154,126 burglary offenses-a 0.5-percent increase compared with 2004 data.

* An examination of 5- and 10-year trends revealed a 1.8-percent increase in the number of burglaries compared with the 2001 estimate, and a 14.1-percent decline from the 1996 number.

* Burglary accounted for 21.2 percent of the estimated number of property crimes committed in 2005. The average dollar loss per burglary offense in 2005 was $1,725.

* Of all burglary offenses in 2005, 65.8 percent were of residential structures.

* Most (62.4 percent) of residential burglaries in 2005 for which time of occurrence was known took place during the day, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

* Among burglaries of nonresidential structures when time of occurrence was known, 58.0 percent occurred at night.

* A burglary takes place in the U.S. every 14.6 seconds according to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program Crime Clock.

* According to the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June, 2006, “burglary offenses showed an increase, up 1.2 percent from the 2005 level.”

* Overall, in about 84% of all burglaries, the offender gained entry into the victim’s residence or other building on the property.

Source: Crime in the United States 2005 Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation Release Date: September 2006

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

Where Burglars Enter a House…

One survey in Pennsylvania showed that 81 percent of residential intrusions occur through the first floor.

34 percent of burglars entered through the front door;

23 percent through a first-floor window;

22 percent through the back door;

9 percent through the garage;

4 percent entered through a basement;

4 percent through an unlocked entrance;

2 percent through a storage area;

and only 2 percent entered anywhere on the second floor.

A study in Connecticut showed that 12 percent of burglaries occurred through an UNLOCKED door and that in 41 percent of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on.

Dominion Security is committed to protecting its clients both at home and while traveling. A free consultation will result in a protective detail customized to your needs and perceived threats. Contact info@dominionsecure.com today to find a security solution for your life.

Online Dating Safety

Safety in the online dating world is being urged in the wake of a case of sexual assault that all began with meeting on a popular internet dating web site.

A California woman has sued the online dating service Match.com, saying a man she met through the service sexually assaulted her.

Attorney Mark L. Webb, who represents the Los Angeles entertainment executive called "Jane Doe" in the suit, told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday he would ask a County Superior Court judge for a temporary injunction prohibiting Match.com from signing up more members until his client's demands are met.

Doe wants Match.com to conduct background checks on its clients and screen its members for sexual predators. The Web site said that is the responsibility of its clients.

"They are a very powerful and successful online dating service, and they have the means to do this," Webb said.

The woman said she met the man at a restaurant and that he appeared to be a gentleman. But after a second date, he allegedly followed her home and forced himself on her.

Doe went online after the attack and found her date allegedly had been convicted of several counts of sexual battery.

"This horrific ordeal completely blindsided me because I had considered myself savvy about online dating safety," the woman said in a statement released by her attorney. "Things quickly turned into a nightmare, beyond my control."

The Times said it was unable to get a comment from the Web site late Wednesday, but in a statement to a television station last week officials said they provide safety tips to clients on its Web site and that members are responsible for screening the people they meet.


provided by http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_8789.shtml


Dominion Group is dedicated to your safety. If you have any concerns you should contact via info@dominionsecure.com immediately. Our staff is ready to address your issues and develop a safe method for you to conduct your activities.

Internet Use and Safety

Age-based guidelines for kids' Internet use

If your children use the Internet at home, you already know how important it is to help protect them from inappropriate content and contact.

Windows Live Family Safety and the parental controls included in Windows 7 and Windows Vista can help you create a safer online environment for your children.

The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) helped Microsoft develop age-based guidance for Internet use with the family safety settings in both of these products. It's important to remember that these are guidelines only. You know your child best.

Up to age 10

Supervise your children until they are age 10. You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content, websites, and activities, and be actively involved in your child's Internet use, but Microsoft recommends that you sit with your child when they use the Internet, until the age of 10.

Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 2-10 year old:

1. It's never too early to foster open and positive communication with children. It's a good idea to talk with them about computers and to stay open to their questions and curiosity.
2. Always sit with your kids at this age when they're online.
3. Set clear rules for Internet use.
4. Insist that your children not share personal information such as their real name, address, phone number, or passwords with people they meet online.
5. If a site encourages kids to submit their names to personalize the web content, help your kids create online nicknames that don't give away personal information.
6. Use family safety tools to create appropriate profiles for each family member and to help filter the Internet.For more information, see Windows Live Family Safety, Windows 7 Parental Controls, or Windows Vista Parental Controls.
   
   Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer.
7. All family members should act as role models for young children who are just starting to use the Internet.

Ages 11 to 14

Children this age are savvier about their Internet experience, but it's still a good idea to supervise and monitor their Internet use to help ensure they are not exposed to inappropriate materials. You can use Internet safety tools to limit access to content and websites and provide a report of Internet activities. Make sure children this age understand what personal information they should not give over the Internet.

When your kids are this age it might not be practical to physically supervise their Internet use at all times. You can use tools such asWindows Live Family Safety, Windows 7 Parental Controls, or Windows Vista Parental Controls.

Here are some safety tips to consider when you go online with your 11-14 year old:

1. It's a good idea to foster open and positive communication with your children. Talk with them about computers and stay open to their questions and curiosity.
2. Set clear rules for Internet use.
3. Insist that your children not share personal information such as their real name, address, phone number, or passwords with people they meet online.
4. If a site encourages kids to submit their names to personalize the web content, help your kids create online nicknames that give away no personal information.
5. Use family safety tools to create appropriate profiles for each family member and to help filter the Internet.For more information, see Windows Live Family Safety, Windows 7 Parental Controls, or Windows Vista Parental Controls.
6. Set family safety tools on the medium security setting, which should have some limitations on content, websites, and activities.
7. Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area where you can easily supervise your kids' activities.
8. Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer.
9. Encourage your children to tell you if something or someone online makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and remind your kids they are not in trouble for bringing something to your attention. Praise their behavior and encourage them to come to you again if the same thing happens.

Ages 15 to 18

Teens should have almost limitless access to content, websites, or activities. They are savvy about the Internet but they still need parents to remind them of appropriate safety guidelines. Parents should be available to help their teens understand inappropriate messages and avoid unsafe situations. It's a good idea for parents to remind teens what personal information should not be given over the Internet.

Here are some safety tips to consider as you guide your teens online:

1. Continue to keep family communication as open and positive about computers as you can. Keep talking about online lives, friends, and activities, just as you would about other friends and activities.Encourage your teens to tell you if something or someone online makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. If you're a teen and something or someone online doesn't seem quite right, then speak up.
2. Create a list of Internet house rules as a family. Include the kinds of sites that are off limits, Internet hours, what information should not be shared online, and guidelines for communicating with others online, including social networking.
3. Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and not in a teen's bedroom.
4. Investigate Internet-filtering tools (such as Windows Vista Parental Controls, Windows 7 Parental Controls, or Windows Live Family Safety) as a complement to parental supervision.
5. Help protect your children from offensive pop-up windows by using the pop-up blocker that's built in to Internet Explorer.
6. Know which websites your teens visit, and whom they talk to. Encourage them to use monitored chat rooms, and insist they stay in public chat room area.
7. Insist that they never agree to meet an online friend.
8. Teach your kids not to download programs, music, or files without your permission. File-sharing and taking text, images, or artwork from the web may infringe on copyright laws and can be illegal.
9. Talk to your teenagers about online adult content and pornography, and direct them to positive sites about health and sexuality.
10. Help protect them from spam. Tell your teens not to give out their email address online, not to respond to junk mail, and to use email filters.
11. Be aware of the websites that your teens frequent. Make sure your kids are not visiting sites with offensive content, or posting personal information. Be aware of the photos that teens post of themselves and their friends.
12. Teach your kids responsible, ethical, online behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip, bully, or threaten others.
13. Make sure your teens check with you before making financial transactions online, including ordering, buying, or selling items.
14. Discuss online gambling and its potential risks with your teens. Remind them that it is illegal for them to gamble online.
    
    This article provided by microsoft via http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/childsafety-age.aspx

Dominion Group is dedicated to providing security in all aspects particularly when children are involved. To find more information about protecting your children when using the internet contact Dominion Group at info@dominionsecure.com

Law Enforcement Focuses on Construction Site Theft

Opportunity and value come together on construction job sites all across America and thieves are making the most of it. Stealing heavy equipment is a thriving crime.

The total value of stolen equipment each year in the United States is in the neighborhood of $300 million to $1 billion. The range is so large because of incomplete theft data, but any number you pick within that range represents a big problem.

The thefts are happening so often because construction equipment and machinery are relatively easy to steal and easy to get rid of in a shadowy worldwide market, including a black market. Furthermore, each piece of equipment generally carries a high profit margin for the successful thief.

If that isn’t incentive enough, thieves get help from the unlikeliest of quarters: the contractors they victimize. Because many heavy equipment owners and renters are not taking the steps they could to safeguard their equipment, they are benign accomplices in the thefts.

That sounds harsh, but law enforcement and insurance industry officials tend to agree on this point: equipment owners or renters are falling short of doing all they can to prevent theft.

"Productivity is king,” said David Shillingford, president of National Equipment Register (NER). “Contractors say, ‘I want equipment that I can use, that my employee can jump on and start up.’”

Because contractors want it that way, manufacturers provide it and thieves take advantage of it. An example is the nearly universal keys for machinery that are readily available.

More exclusive keying of individual pieces of equipment obviously would slow some thieves.

“It is unfair to criticize manufacturers,” Shillingford added. “They respond to the market.”

He said as long as safety and productivity are the top concerns of equipment buyers and operators, “security will remain lower down the list of features.”

This is not to say that reasonable precautions aren’t taken. But in the face of rapacious thievery, reasonable precautions evidently aren’t enough.

National Equipment Register was created five years ago in response to the epidemic of theft. Its role is to build a database of registered and stolen equipment. To that end, it has accumulated approximately 12 million ownership records and compiled a list of more than 70,000 reports of stolen construction and farm equipment. NER cross-references the two stacks of data to track down and recover stolen equipment. It works on this with the Insurance Service Office Inc. and such industrial partners as the Associated General Contractors of Americas (AGC), the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and the American Rental Association (ARA).

“We have recovered over $4 million in equipment,” Shillingford said. “Equipment that wouldn’t have been recovered otherwise.”

Recovery indeed is not the usual outcome when heavy equipment turns up missing. Slightly less than 10 percent of stolen machinery is returned to its owner.

Some 2,800 law enforcement agencies are using the NER data to help them solve crimes. Among these agencies is the police department of Canton Township, a suburb of Detroit, MI. The Canton Department of Public Safety sponsored a seminar earlier this month in partnership with adjacent Northville and Plymouth townships and the local CrimeStoppers organization.

The goal was to discuss and formulate “crime prevention strategies for worksites,” said Sgt. Scott Hilden. Hilden is in charge of Canton’s Crime Prevention Unit. Canton’s director of public safety, John Santomauro, asked for the program.

“We Nail Thieves” was the theme, which was effectively communicated in a poster distributed for public display. It warns that area authorities are serious about capturing and prosecuting anyone who steals from a job site. Construction thefts in Canton have declined slightly in recent years, but remain a major criminal activity.

Last year, the jurisdiction experienced 75 thefts totaling $278,000. Over the last five years, the loss figure is $1.5 million.

“That’s just the ones that are reported,” Hilden noted. Smaller equipment and materials losses frequently aren’t reported in Canton or anywhere else. It is considered too much trouble, an attitude perhaps strengthened by the low recovery rate.

Hilden and his fellow officers suggested ways equipment can be safeguarded. He invited to the PowerPoint seminar the contracting companies’ supervisory personnel. He wanted supervisors there because if the department’s suggestions are going to be implemented, someone with supervisory authority must do it.

Essentially, Hilden asked the contractors to assume more responsibility for their equipment. He said too many home builders, for instance, are almost casual about security.

“The thinking of many of the builders seems to be that they are going to lose a lot of equipment, so they’ll just make the houses more expensive to buy,” he said.

He hopes the seminar will discourage that attitude.

“A lot of the reason for the thefts is that they are a crime of opportunity,” he said. “Work sites are not patrolled, high value items are not locked up or put in safe places. There is no sense of security at the sites” after hours, which virtually invites thieves to try to steal something.

A variety of preventive measures were suggested. They include:

• Securing an equipment yard with chainlink fence, perhaps with barbed wire at the top;

• Hiring security guards to patrol a site;

• Lighting up the perimeter of a site overnight;

• Periodically checking job sites for unusual activity, especially on weekends;

• Using different types of locks and bars that can impede a thief from cranking up and driving away a piece of machinery.

If contractors follow these and other recommendations, Hilden is convinced thieves will have a harder time of it in Canton.

“If contractors will take this information and use it,” he said, “they are going to reduce the thefts on their sites. There is no question about that. I think the number of thefts will go down significantly.”

Far south from Canton, in Miami, FL, the Miami-Dade County Police Department is coming at the problem from two directions.

Unlike Michigan, Florida is a hotbed of equipment theft. It ranked fourth in 2004 in the frequency of such thefts, as ranked by NER. It was No. 3 the year before.

More ominous is that while Florida also was ranked third in 2003 in recovery of stolen items, in 2004 it dropped to No. 10 in recoveries. In other words, more stolen equipment in Florida is staying stolen.

Miami-Dade authorities established a task force in 1996 to deal with what is described as “cargo theft,” the expensive commodities that are stolen from warehouses and trailers. In 2003, such thefts in the county were in the $40 million range.

“Most of it was construction equipment,” Lt. Eddie Tetow, one of 25 people on the task force, said.

There is no mystery why south Florida has a generally high theft rate: The area has a constantly high volume of construction.

“The overriding factor [in one state having more thefts than another] is the amount of ‘targets’ available to thieves,” the NER’s 2004 report concludes. “Theft rates closely follow equipment volume; where there is more equipment, there usually is more theft.”

But there is another factor in the case of Miami-Dade: the port facilities.

“We’re a port city and the gateway to the Caribbean,” Tetow said, which helps explain why approximately 70 percent of equipment recovered by the police was stolen somewhere else.

As for the state’s falling recovery rate, the assumption of Tetow and fellow task force members is that some of the equipment is quickly being shipped overseas. Selling stolen machinery is relatively easy inside the country. The only reason thieves go to the trouble to export it, the NER report surmises, is because they can get more for the machinery somewhere else.

It should be noted equipment theft is not solely an American problem. Such thefts are calculated annually in the millions of euros across Europe. Australia is plagued by it. In many developing nations, the equipment of the developers is targeted.

A second economic crimes unit in the Miami-Dade agency also is assigned to follow up on heavy construction crimes: the auto theft unit. It is concerned with stolen vehicles, obviously, but also jumps on the trail of stolen boats, motorcycles and construction equipment. Lt. Greg Terp echoes Tetow about Miami being a destination for stolen machinery.

“You have to understand,” he said, “that a lot of the stuff we see coming through Miami is stolen elsewhere. We see a percentage of that going abroad.”

He wouldn’t speculate what that percentage might be. The department recently was contacted, for instance, by the Houston Police Department regarding stolen heavy equipment. On the other hand, Miami-Dade officers recently worked with authorities in Mississippi to recover equipment stolen from Dade County.

Industry leaders who wrestle with the stolen equipment crime wave recognize there must be several answers to reducing it. After all, law enforcement agencies are effective in preventing thievery and tracking down thieves, but they cannot be expected to solve it by themselves.

Law enforcement and court systems need the right tools to capture and prosecute suspected thieves, for instance. North Carolina is a case in point.

Dave Simpson is the North Carolina director of Carolinas Associated General Contractors’ (AGC) building division. He said the equipment loss problem in North and South Carolina is “huge” and widespread across both states. The NER ranks North Carolina No. 2 in frequency of thefts for 2004. South Carolina isn’t far behind at No. 9.

The Carolinas AGC is going to the North Carolina General Assembly for help. The organization is lobbying for a bill that would increase penalties for the thefts. Simpson said it is apparent that thieves in his state know that if a piece of stolen equipment or stack of materials is worth less than $1,000, they will be charged with a misdemeanor. That is little deterrent. He wants job-site theft generally to be a felony. The AGC also wants tougher penalties for thefts in the upper end of the equipment value range.

Harsher penalties are not “a panacea,” Simpson acknowledged, but they can help convey the message that society is serious about protecting construction company property.

Shillingford noted that states could raise the ante for crooks simply by registering backhoes, skid steer loaders, bulldozers and other mobile pieces of equipment in the same way that cars and trucks are registered.

“There is no registration now,” he observed. “The equipment is just one of those commodities that isn’t titled.”

Consequently, identifying ownership is more difficult. The lack of identification plays into the hands of thieves who want to dump a stolen skid steer without having to come up with real or forged paperwork.

Skid steer loaders were the most popular machines taken by crooks in 2004, according to NER statistics. Almost a third of all heavy equipment taken was one brand or another of skid steer. Swiping of the handy little machines was up fairly dramatically from 2003. Tractors also are popular with thieves, as are backhoes.

Technology can help reduce the crimes, officials said. A variety of mechanical lock-out devices are on the market that effectively immobilize a machine. Also available are electronic signal-sending devices that, when activated, let police track a stolen machine.

Global positioning systems (GPS) are sometimes incorporated into a fleet of equipment, not as theft protection, but as a way of monitoring equipment usage.

Though it primarily is a management tool, the GPS equipment obviously also can help track missing equipment.

Such technology “shows promise,” Shillingford said, though he adds that “it is too early to see if that is going to work. He noted that the technology needs to be adapted to pieces of equipment that take a pounding off roadways and for long periods.

“It [incorporating technological security devices] is definitely going to have an impact in the long run.”

In the short run, the industry can look to low-tech solutions like chainlink fencing and security lights. Shillingford also acknowledged that just a tad more integrity on the buying end would help the situation. Re-selling stolen equipment is easier than it ought to be.

“If someone is offering a $20,000 machine for $10,000, it either is a bargain or it’s too good to be true,” he said. “Someone who buys it is not asking enough questions.”

The stealing of construction equipment is not going to be totally solved, of course. But it can become a less severe problem, officials said, if law enforcement agencies, industry organizations and contractors, will respond to it in smart ways.

“The drive to improve this will come from the insurance industry,” Shillingford believes.

Claims for stolen equipment eventually will require insurers to raise rates, which will encourage buyers and sellers of the equipment to ask manufacturers for more security features.

Despite NER’s discouraging statistics, Shillingford actually is hopeful. He believes the problem might be cresting due to the variety of initiatives being introduced.

“It is a problem that has been getting worse over the past 10 years,” he said, “and it is going to get better in the next five years.”

Written by Giles Lambertson

Dominion Group Inc. is committed to securing construction sites and preventing loss across all industries. Calling 516-554-9823 will result in a free consultation and Dominion Group will find a way to protect your assets.

Schumer wants efficient, safer border

We've been getting a lot of complaints from business... Is there something you can do to expedite commercial traffic to the US from Canada?
(05/18/11) Sen.Chuck Schumer says Homeland Security will begin tapping into Canadian military radar later this year to detect low-flying aircraft used to smuggle drugs from Canada into the United States.

Schumer also says a border security task force of several U.S. and Canadian agencies will be established in Massena by October. At a hearing he chaired in Washington yesterday, New York's senior senator questioned Department of Homeland Security officials about new initiatives to balance commerce with fighting drug trafficking. Ryan Morden has more from Washington.

The U-S/Canadian border has in essence thickened with more security provisions ever since 9/11. For example, Americans need to carry passports when heading north. Alan Bersin, a commissioner with US Customs and Border Protection, points out border security needs to be safe, but not too restrictive, “We recognize security and economic competitiveness go hand in hand.”
Canada is the US’s number one trading partner. Speaking in front of a Senate subcommittee on immigration and border security, Bersin says the dollar amount in trade is nothing to sneeze at, “We have a billion dollars a day of trade going north and south across the US/Canadian border.”

Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, chaired the hearing, and told Bersin he’d like to see border inspections go faster for commercial vehicles coming into the US, particularly in Buffalo, “We’ve been getting a lot of complaints from business leaders about the amount of time it’s taking commercial traffic to enter the U-S from Canada. Is there something you can do to expedite commercial traffic to the US from Canada?”

Bersin said Customs and Border Security personnel are working with their Canadian counterparts on a pilot program to get low risk cargo screened before it even gets to the border crossings, “One of the things we are exploring with them is the notion of pre inspection, the concept where we can separate trusted shippers and trusted shipments, even in advance of them coming to the port of entry and therefore permitting them to be released without having to go through the normal port of entry process.”

Schumer wants better security, too. The Canadian border is three times as long as the Mexican border. According to the Senator, drug smuggling has been an issue along the wide stretch, “Methamphetamines, exstasy as well as marijuana. These drugs are smuggled into the country with low flying planes.”

Bersin said an initiative to catch planes by integrating military radar-grade systems with Canadian radar feeds is expected to be in place by November. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton also testified at the hearing. He addressed a specific crime busting program known as the Border Enforcement Security Taskforce, otherwise known as BEST, “The Strength of the BEST taskforces model is that it involves the permanent co-located investigative taskforces of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”

There are currently three BEST teams along the northern border: Washington State, Detroit and Buffalo. Morton says a fourth one is coming online in the northern New York town of Massena by October. Schumer says priorities with the Department of Homeland Security are at times backwards that they “lets drugs in but keeps business out.”

Provided by North County Public Radio

Range Time

Everyday hundreds of thousands of Americans load their pistols and strap them to their waist before they leave the house for the day. In most States these people are licensed through the local sheriff and in some States these people simply have the ability because of their residency. Of course, some of these people are carrying their weapons illegally which can lead to a huge danger to others.

Pistol licensing is an enormous issue in today’s politics but that is not the topic of this discussion. The most important fact is the user’s ability to safely handle a weapon. You can perform all of the background and reference checks you want but if someone is not properly trained to employ a firearm they are going to hurt someone, perhaps unintentionally. Passing a simple shooting test one time is not the answer either. The only way to maintain proficiency with a firearm is continuous training. Carrying a firearm is a tremendous responsibility. One who desires to take on such responsibility must take the proper steps to prepare for the few seconds that it will all actually count.

Training is not only a must it can be a lot of fun. Talk to your local gun range, maybe they offer training sessions. Working with an experienced professional can improve your abilities and ensure you practice in a safe manner. They will know drills that can prepare you for the stressful and unpredictable situation that you will find yourself in if you ever need to fire a weapon in public. These experiences are priceless when the time that your skills are demanded arrives.

Call a shooting range to schedule a lesson or reserve a block of time. Remember that a real life situation where you stand in a proper stance with an already drawn pistol will probably never happen. You have to train the way you fight. If you carry an inside the waist holster in a suit, you need to go to the range in a suit. You can also perform a lot of dry-fire exercises in your own home which saves a lot of money on range time and ammunition but at some point you have to put it all together.

For a recommendation on ranges or training methods contact Dominion Group Inc. via email info@dominionsecure.com or call 516.554.9823.

Osama Bin Laden DEAD!

The Obama administration used DNA testing and other means to confirm that elite American forces in Pakistan had in fact killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials said Monday, as the world absorbed the stunning news.
The officials said the DNA testing alone offered a "99.9 percent" certainty that bin Laden was shot dead in a daring U.S. military operation in Pakistan. Detailed photo analysis by the CIA, confirmation by other people at the raid site and matching physical features like bin Laden's height all helped confirmed the identification.
Said one official: "There should be no doubt in anybody's mind, this is Osama bin Laden."
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Still, it was unclear if the world would ever get visual proof. Bin Laden's body was quickly buried at sea, and administration officials were weighing the merit and appropriateness of releasing a photo of bin Laden, who was shot in the head.

Photographic evidence will surely follow.

Dominion Group Inc. is proud of all of the brave and hard working men and women responsible for the death of this terrorist. God Bless all of you!

Violence in the Workplace

Health care and social service workers face an increased risk of work-related assaults stemming from several factors. These include:

• The prevalence of handguns and other weapons among patients, their families or friends;
• The increasing use of hospitals by police and the criminal justice system for criminal holds and the care of acutely disturbed, violent individuals;
• The increasing number of acute and chronic mentally ill patients being released from hospitals without follow-up care (these patients have the right to refuse medicine and can no longer be hospitalized involuntarily unless they pose an immediate threat to themselves or others);
• The availability of drugs or money at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, making them likely robbery targets;
• Factors such as the unrestricted movement of the public in clinics and hospitals and long waits in emergency or clinic areas that lead to client frustration over an inability to obtain needed services promptly;
• The increasing presence of gang members, drug or alcohol abusers, trauma patients or distraught family members;
• Low staffing levels during times of increased activity such as mealtimes, visiting times and when staff are transporting patients;
• Isolated work with clients during examinations or treatment;
• Solo work, often in remote locations with no backup or way to get assistance, such as communication devices or alarm systems (this is particularly true in high-crime settings);
• Lack of staff training in recognizing and managing escalating hostile and assaultive behavior; and
• Poorly lit parking areas.

Information provided by http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3148/osha3148.html

Visit our website at http://dominionsecure.com or call Dominion Group at 516.554.9823 to learn more about protecting yourself and your employees at the workplace. We specialize in defeating these threats and educating your workforce to ensure everyone's safety.

Police Involved in Long Island Murders?

This is a real possibility but there is nothing to substantiate such a claim. What can be inferred from the nature of the crimes and what the police have released is that the killer is sloppy. He did not cover his or her tracks well and will most likely be found relatively soon. Had it not been for winter and snow fall this case may have been closed long ago.

Should people be worried about a cop on Long Island killing women? No. This or these killers used what are referred to as ‘drop phones’ to communicate with the victims. This means that they purchased a phone and minutes for the phone using cash. Many phone companies such as Verizon and Sprint have taken steps to stop anonymous purchasers. There are many providers however that still make this very simple. The fact that this technique was used means nothing; the killer(s) may have watched an episode of NYPD Blue and learned about it. Terrorists around the world use similar techniques and they don’t have near the exposure to technology Americans do.

If one is seriously concerned for their personal safety a free consultation can be acquired by calling Dominion Group at 516.554.9823 or emailing info@dominionsecure.com. Visit our site at dominionsecure.com. We strive to provide excellent customer service and take pride in providing peace of mind to all clients.

HOW IMPORTANT IS SECURITY AT A BAR OR NIGHT CLUB?

Many bars do not feel the need to hire security for their establishments. Maybe they don’t need security because their clientele are not the type to throw fists or slap cocktail waitresses. The fact of the matter is security companies do much more than throw out unruly patrons. Still not every bar really needs a security force but the experience and expertise of a quality security company can provide a great return on the investment.

Before a security company such as Dominion Group initiates a contract a thorough audit of the establishment is conducted. This alone is priceless to a club manager or owner. Dominion explores every square foot to determine safety threats. Believe it or not, the most serious threats to safety do not come about from the over intoxicated UFC wannabes. On the contrary, the club itself may create the greatest danger. When people are seriously injured or killed in a bar or club scene it is because an emergency event occurred and patrons were not able to exit the building. Dominion Security Specialists examine all exits, to include that fire exit in the back that hasn’t been open in over a year, to ensure all doors and alarms are working properly. A grease fire in the kitchen creates a terrible time to find out that the cooks cannot exit the kitchen through the emergency exit.

Long Island security companies such as Dominion Group also extend a medical benefit that is nonexistent without their presence. We believe that all of our security should have the ability to deal with the most common medical problems. Training to conduct CPR and care for a neck injury is paramount in our regimen. Knowing how to apply the proper treatment and when it is necessary is a skill that must be practiced and Dominion strives to keep all personnel current in training and does not hesitate to perform stringent testing to measure effectiveness of training. Our pool of staff filled with NYPD and EMT provides a great enhancement to our ability to serve. Nothing can replace a hospital but the crucial minutes between the start of a medical emergency and the arrival of an ambulance can make a world of difference. We will not fail in these critical moments.

Beyond the life-threatening situations, the security company extends service to ensure all patrons are comfortable and feel that they can relax in a potentially hostile environment. Dominion provides Security Guards trained to diffuse situations rather than escalate to a physical level. The goal is to remove any problems before they arise and allow everyone to enjoy their evening. Even a small venue benefits from the specialized care a Dominion Security Specialist can provide.

Call 516.554.9823 for a free consultation and obtain a quote for a security presence at your venue. You may also visit http://dominionsecure.com to learn about our other services throughout New York and Long Island.

Yet another Tsunami expected in Japan

7.4 earth quake hit Japan 25 miles off the coast, read  more  here

Protecting your Vehicle

Have you ever heard a vehicle alarm in a parking lot? Did you run over to see what was going on? Probably not. Like most people, you probably continued on your way saying to yourself, someone needs to turn that off. Although the sound may scare off a freshman criminal, veteran thieves know that they don’t really draw much attention and it only takes them a few seconds to steal the items they are searching for. How can you protect your vehicle then?


Choosing a secure parking location is the first step. Parking on the side of the road is pretty much asking for someone to break-in to your vehicle. Although parking in a highly trafficked and visible space is better than a dark alley with no onlookers. Many garages offer attended parking but even this does little to deter a quick thief.


Making your vehicle a less desirable target can be one of the best strategies. Leaving the GPS suction cupped to the windshield is an advertisement for criminals to break your window. The same applies to cash, jewelry, or other valuables lying out in plain sight. It is easy to put these items in a glove compartment or even under a shirt or in a bag. This takes about 10 seconds to accomplish but people get lazy and end up losing such valuables every day.


If you are worried about someone tampering with your vehicle than you have some serious security issues and need to contact a professional. Dominion Group Inc. is experienced in vehicle surveillance and tracking. We can determine if your vehicle is being tracked and teach you how to inspect for the most common tracking devices. Furthermore, we can install such devices on vehicles you own to provide you the peace of mind of knowing where your vehicle is at all times. Car companies are becoming more diligent in anti-theft but determining if a tracking device is installed requires further action. Don’t hesitate to conduct a free consultation and determine if further action would be beneficial. Call Dominion Group Inc. at 516.554.9823 or email info@dominionsecure.com.

Follow Up: Patrick the Miracle Dog

The individual accused of mistreating Patrick the Miracle Dog has been arrested on 4 counts of animal abuse. Kisha Curtis was arraigned on Thursday 3/31/11 and faces a $10,000 bail. The link attached provides further information on contacting the NSSPCA if anyone has any further information regarding the investigation.


Patrick the Miracle Dog

ON THE SET OF “CELEBRITY CLOSE CALLS”

Dominion Group Inc. was fortunate to sit in on the taping of “Celebrity Close Calls” which airs on the Biography channel Monday nights 10 pm est. This particular episode they were shooting was about Gary Busey and the motorcycle accident he was involved in on December 4, 1988 which he was not wearing a helmet. His skull was fractured, and doctors feared he suffered permanent brain damage. The motorcycle accident was reenacted by a stunt-man who luckily knew his craft very well.

We’d like to thank Alan Bruckner and the rest of the crew for showing us around the set.

CPR - THE PROPER WAY

Most of us have learned over the years (from Red Cross, Police or Military training) how important the proper use of CPR is when witnessing a possible cardiac arrest or being requested to assist in the application of CPR. This new CPR method is revolutionary, since it does not require mouth to mouth resuscitation and the method of chest compressions has changed dramatically. Thanks go to my old friend Ron D - a retired cop from Oregon and brother in arms for sending me this video.

Continuous Chest Compression CPR
Every three days, more Americansdie from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person's chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It's easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Please watch this new CPR procedure at The University of Arizona web site. This video was originally posted on YouTube April 2010.

THE PATRICK MIRACLE

An extreme case of animal cruelty has dog lovers up in arms. “Patrick” named by the Humane Society of Newark was brought to Garden State Veterinary Specialists where he is in the care of veterinary doctors. If you would like to donate to The Patrick Miracle click here.

Dominion Group Inc. has tried reaching out to the Humane Society for further information on the case and the individual guilty of this atrocity, we will update here when we have further information.

Using Firearms For Home Defense, Bad Idea?

Firearms are always a big topic when talking about home security or home defense. I personally carry a firearm and have several in my home; this does not mean I recommend everyone else do the same. I have experienced extensive training in the use of such weapons and have employed them correctly in real life situations; I am very comfortable with their use and am confident in my ability to keep them secured within my home. Many people do not have this level of training or ability to operate yet think that buying a pistol is the best way to defend themselves. This is the wrong answer in every situation.

Anyone with experience using firearms will tell you every time; the absolute best firearm for home defense is the shotgun. I use one myself and recommend the same to everyone who asks. Without serious training one will not be able to properly employ a pistol in a high tension situation, i.e. a burglar entering your home in the middle of the night. A shotgun is a simple weapon to operate and is approximately 275 times* more likely to hit the target in one of these tense situations.

Beyond the ease of use, the shotgun is a versatile weapon which enables you to use different types of rounds. This can reduce the chances of pass through. Maybe you live in an apartment, say you fire a handgun and miss your target, that round will continue until it hits something that stops it. It could easily pass through a wall and hit your neighbor sleeping on the other side (certain rounds can reduce this possibility). Buying a high number shot ammunition for your shotgun will allow you to miss and reduce the chances of such pass through. For those with a fear of killing such an intruder, less than lethal rounds are available for shotguns. A bean bag round will cause significant pain to the receiver of the shot but most likely will not kill the target. This allows a homeowner to gain control of the situation without the dread of taking a life on your conscious. A final point I always make about shotguns, the sound of a pump action shotgun being racked is generally enough to scare off any intruder. You don’t even have to have a round, perception is reality, and that sound strikes fear.

Other alternatives to firearms consist of pepper spray or tasers. These are legal for use in some states and outlawed in others. Obviously, it is the responsibility of the user to determine if the use of such a tool is permitted in their location. These can be useful tools when properly employed, training is still required.

For more information or a customized training event contact Brian at 516.554.9823 or email info@dominionsecure.com. Training can be conducted in Long Island, New York or can be arranged at a facility near you.

*Figure is based on the average spread of a 12 gauge shotgun at 3 meters compared to the size of a 9mm pistol round. This does not take into account the increased control over a shotgun compared to a pistol which would increase this number significantly. Trained users would experience a slimmer difference in hit percentages.

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Personal Security at Your Home

If there is one place in this world that you should be able to feel 100% safe, it is inside your own home. Whether it is a condo, apartment, or a multilevel house, you should have a sense of security when you are home. Of course many of us do not always have this feeling, it may be due to the neighborhood we live in, the new neighbors that moved in, or our own paranoid self-conscious. If you are feeling any of these, there are several ways to increase security within your castle.

When I was younger, a teacher of mine told me he hung a moose head just inside his front door, suggesting that a burglar would move to the next house assuming that he had a gun and knew how to use it. I was not sure I agreed with the logic at the time and to a certain degree I still find it a bit ridiculous. However, perception is reality and making someone think that breaking into your home is a bad idea is just about as good as really making it so.

Using a moose head in your foyer may not suit you, placing ADT or some other well known security system’s stickers on your windows and doors may be an alternative. Presenting the illusion that you have a security system, even if you don’t want to spend the $30 or more a month, plus installation, can be a great deterrent to the opportunistic burglar. If you want to subscribe to the idea that a burglar avoids homes in which the occupants have firearms, a nice National Rifle Association sticker on your front door may serve your purpose well.

Burglaries are more common in empty homes rather than when someone is home. You would probably rather someone break-in when you are gone anyway, who wants to experience something like that. A good idea is to either leave lights on or purchase an inexpensive timer which will turn the lights on at a certain time each evening if you get home a bit later. Keep the doors and windows locked. It is nice to get fresh air, many windows these days have a method of opening a few inches and locking so that someone cannot simply crawl in through the open window. Depending on the area, a closed window may not be enough to stop a criminal. You may need to install steel bars over windows and the door. It should be remembered that even the strongest barrier is only as strong as what it is attached to. If you take a seriously sturdy bar and attach it to sheetrock, you will find that it is quickly removed.

To reduce the visibility of barricades (maybe you want extra security without the appearance of a jail or prison) there are a few inexpensive steps you may take. A simple door stop can be used to prevent a door from being kicked-in. This consists of a bar attaching against the inside of the door and attaching to something inside the home, behind the door. This will absorb significant impact and will most likely prevent entry as the perpetrator will move on after a few unsuccessful attempts. Arranging landscaping to prevent easy access to windows is another tool to discourage entry. If they cannot walk up to a window it will significantly lower the chance that someone will even attempt to break-in. People tend to take the path of least resistance, making your home just a little more difficult to breech could be the difference between being a victim and sleeping peacefully.

These suggestions cannot guarantee safety or that your home will not become the target of a criminal. I make them in order to provide an added layer of security which is non-existent in most cases. A security audit of your home by a professional should be performed if you have serious security concerns. These measures are intended to deter opportunistic criminals, if someone has deemed you or your home a target, a significantly higher level of security should be explored. Dominion Group Inc. prides itself in offering state of the art security systems and solid advice to clients. Nothing can match a customized audit of your security needs from a professional with years in the industry. Visit Dominion Group Inc. or call 516.554.9823 to learn more.

Living in New York city or Long Island? We can arrange a free consultation onsite.

The next discussion will explore self defense within the home. Are firearms a necessity or dangerous weapons to be avoided?

Farrah Montgomery FOUND!

Thank-you all for your concern and sharing Farrah's flyer in an effort to bring attention to her disappearance. Farrah was being held against her will in Texas by several individuals. Her captors viewed information about her disappearnce on the internet, fearing being caught these individuals released her-enabling her to contact police.

Thanks to Rescue Ink for their assistance to Dominion Group Inc. in the effort to find Farrah Montgomery.

The suspected captors are being held by the authorities in connection with this case. Thank-you to everyone who made an effort to find Farrah, we could not have made it happen without you!