security
When can you put booby traps on your property?
The jerry-rigged booby trap has been a staple of fiction for decades. Home Alone. Indiana Jones. Dungeons & Dragons. And from time to time, a property holder decides that lethal or potentially lethal force is appropriate to try to secure their property. Someone, whether an intruder, a guest, or the landowner, gets hurt (or killed), […]
San Francisco police seek help of private surveillance cameras
Giving police a new tool for investigating crime, San Jose, the Bay Area’s largest city, has approved a registry of private surveillance cameras. Currently, cops in California are looking to give police departments access to private surveillance cameras. In this public participation approach, residents and businesses can get their cameras registered with local police departments […]
These 3D-printed bump keys can pick any lock
Your valuables may not be safe anymore—not even if you keep your key safe. German engineers Jos Weyers and Christian Holler have found a way of making skeleton keys without even seeing the original key. They’ve put a new spin on an old technique: bumping. Traditionally, lockpickers have bumped key blanks in a lock using a […]
Southwest Airlines’ stowaway not considered a security breach
When a woman managed to board a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose, California to Los Angeles without a ticket last week, the real story was, of course, about the security breach. The situation brings up some obvious questions: How could something like this happen in post-9/11 America? Don’t we have better security than this? […]
St. Petersburg, Florida may allow electric fences
The city council in St. Petersburg, Florida was divided over whether it is okay to install electrified fences around properties in the city to safeguard them against vandalism. Some say, if used in conjunction with other measures, electrified fences are a good deterrent, while others are concerned by the threat they may pose to passersby. […]
July 4 festivities bring increased security
July’s approaching, and that means Fourth of July festivities are upon us. Before you know it, you’ll be relaxing at a barbecue, sitting by a pool, and gazing at fireworks. Sure, July 4 is a time to celebrate – but did you know that it’s also one of the most dangerous days of the year? […]
Mayor de Blasio calls for cameras in public housing
The murder of six-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto in a New York neighborhood has shocked the city. Security cameras that could have helped identify the culprit were not installed due to a delay in bureaucracy. “I think it was a bad strategic decision by NYCHA to not simply put those cameras in place immediately,” Mayor de […]
