Alarm systems, security cameras and other high-tech solutions are not always as effective or as convenient as promised. Criminals know they might be arrested, but they also know they're unlikely to be convicted unless certain measures are in place. That's the added...

In the 1960s, my mother quit her job as a  housewife and became a child transportation safety advocate. My father, a businessman, and us kids had to make a number of difficult adjustments. Who decides what technologies survive? In our lifetimes, we have...

This wonderful 6-foot chalk drawing was created by a very talented incarcerated offender at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchelleville, Iowa, where our conference, the Iowa Statewide Forum On Public Safety, was held. Additionally, the lunchtime tour...

Do you know anyone who has an alarm system, but never sets it? I do, and it amazes me. Alarm system subscriptions are expensive — When you see those alarm system advertisements, they lull you with free installation, but the real money is in the monthly subscription...

Summertime—warm weather, time outdoors and relaxing with family and friends. If only peace of mind were as easy as a cool breeze on a warm summer day. Burglaries and thefts also occur Unfortunately, summertime is also a time when thieves are busy while we are relaxing...

Not your ordinary brutal murder — Kitty Genovese was murdered on March 13th, 1964 in New York City just outside her apartment building. There was something different about her killing. There are the facts, which got muddied, but the story about her brutal death and...

Big Data yesterday and today — According to Wikipedia, "big data" is an amalgam of data sets that are so voluminous and complex that traditional data-processing application software is inadequate to deal with them. Well, I have important news. The FBI and its Criminal...

The police can't do it without you — The police need your help and are still waiting. "Operation Identification was established to reduce theft and increase the recoverability of stolen property," according to a report sent to the Unites States Department of Justice...

A commitment to our neighborhoods — Because of our ability to map the location of homes and businesses, we are proposing that for every pocket of 20 customers who purchase our security kit, a sign will be provided to the public works department to be erected in a...

A picture “ain’t worth squat” — A picture will never lead to a conviction. It might be worth a thousand words in journalism, but a picture "ain't worth squat" to law enforcement professionals. Ask any defense attorney if they can get a person off if the...