When people ask me what I do and I tell them cybersecurity, they think it is only about hackers and technology. Surprisingly, though, a large segment of my education in cybersecurity was focused on physical security, because without strong physical security, no firewall, antivirus, etc., can protect a network from someone just walking in and taking control.
This past year has been tough for us all with
COVID-19, but it has not stopped criminals from taking advantage of our
community. What really pushed me into writing this article was the recent
violent crime that has plagued our community, most notably the brazen murder of
Efraim Gordon, the first time a Jewish person in our community has been
murdered since 1969.
In this article, I will go over ways to keep
yourself, your house, and your car safe – beyond the usual security tips like
locking your doors or making sure not to leave your laptop in plain view in
your car. That stuff is common sense, and if you are living in Baltimore and do
not take those precautions, you are literally inviting crime into our
community. Before I continue, I want to thank the NWCP and Shomrim
organizations, which selflessly work to protect our community and have created
strategic partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, which in turn has
made our area a safer place.
Crime
in Baltimore
Let’s start with what we know about crime in
Baltimore. Surprisingly, Baltimore had more violent crime and murders in the
1990s than in the 2000s. Following the death of Freddie Gray, however, crime
has increased to unprecedented levels, sometimes making the 1990s look good.
Furthermore, since most of the crime in Baltimore is related to drugs, the
crime levels in our community are much lower than, say, Mondawmin, and if we
teach our kids that drugs are bad, we shouldn’t have a problem getting involved
in drug wars. Baltimore County may be safer than the city, but per the County’s
own public safety metrics, between 2017 and 2020 there were 6,572 crimes
committed with over a thousand of those occurring on a street, parking lot, or
driveway. Unfortunately, there is crime everywhere in Baltimore City and
County. With the latest trend of teenagers committing violent crimes in the
community and being sent home only a few hours after their arrests, it’s no
wonder why we must begin to take security seriously for ourselves, our
families, and our neighbors.
Gun or Guard Dog?
So, how do you protect yourself and family
from the ongoing crime here in Baltimore? Let’s start with an alternative to
buying a gun! Recently, I have been hearing many community members talking
about firearms they have purchased to protect themselves from the increase in
violent crime. Although, handguns are by far the most effective method in
responding to crime, they also present many faults that can put you and your
family at risk. I won’t go into detail about all the common risks. However, I
want to focus on the risk I believe is the greatest, which is what happens
after you shoot a criminal. Once you shoot a criminal, you will be subject to
police reports and possible court hearings, and with the way the criminal
justice system is today, you may even need to hire a lawyer to defend yourself.
How do you protect yourself without a firearm
while keeping yourself and family safe? Let’s start with man’s best friend: a
dog. Barking dogs have been shown in countless studies to be effective in
protecting you and your property. A dog bark in the middle of the night will
more likely get you help than a gunshot sound, since passerby’s and neighbors
will not be afraid to investigate. This all sounds great, but how many of us
really want to buy a dog? Well, thanks to modern technology you don’t! Just go
on Amazon and search for “electronic watchdog.” You will find
that there are hundreds of different styles and models to choose from, some
with remotes and others that work with motion detection, most sell for less
than $100 dollars! The best part of these electronic watchdogs is that, when placed
by your front door, they can help you scare away would-be burglars,
door-to-door salesmen, etc.
Let the Light Shine!
Every time I take training and we focus on
physical security, the instructor always asks us, “What is the most effective
physical security control?” And as you guessed, it’s lighting. Lighting acts as
both a detective and a deterrent. Thanks to modern technology, this too has
become easier to incorporate into your home. For our home, I changed all the
outdoor bulbs to dusk-to-dawn LED lights; that way I no longer need to turn the
switch on and off daily. These bulbs are awesome, since they turn on only
during the night and keep electricity usage to a minimum. However, due to the
age of many homes within the community, many don’t have existing electric
wiring for outdoor lighting. In this case, I recommend purchasing a solar-powered
dusk-to-dawn LED light. It may be hard to find such lights since, in my
experience, about 95% of all solar powered lighting use motion detection, which
is problematic for Shabbos.
Nevertheless, I found Amazon to have the best selection of dusk-to-dawn solar-powered
LED lighting. The only drawback with solar powered lighting is that on
rainy/cloudy days, there isn’t enough effective sunshine for it to properly charge,
so either the light will not turn on at night or will be dimly lit, due to the
lack of energy from the sun. However, with an average of 213 days of full
sunshine here in Baltimore, this will only occur a few times annually and
mainly in the winter months.
Video Cameras: What Do They Do?
A video camera system is a passive control.
What do I mean by that? Well, just look at the recent wave of terror that hit
Israel. After every unsuccessful rogue terrorist attack, the video of the
incident is shared online and may bring comfort to us, but the cameras did
nothing to prevent the attack. That is why a video camera is merely a detective
control and should not be viewed as a deterrent or strong security control.
Still, a video camera system is something you
should install on your property. The days when video camera systems were
reserved for the elite are over, and I have seen many systems for under $150
that work wirelessly through your home internet connection. If you can’t afford
a video camera system, I strongly suggest that, at the very least, you purchase
a video doorbell, which
costs much less and provides good coverage for your front entrance. This is very
helpful against the various fraudsters that roam our neighborhoods from time to
time. Last year, a woman came to our front door saying she was from Baltimore
Gas & Electric (BGE). After looking at this person through my video camera
system and seeing how she was trying to hide her face, I told her we were
calling the police. She immediately walked away, and the police said I wasn’t
the first one calling about this individual. So, what was she doing? Most
likely reconnaissance and intelligence gathering for the would-be criminals. It
helps the criminals to know who opens the door and if there is a home security
system. Always be wary of strangers knocking on your door – and remember to
lock your door! I can’t even count the number of times I have seen doors wide
open or unlocked!
(Interesting fact regarding the importance of
“front door” security: When a company
needs to conduct a cybersecurity penetration test, they often send in
“testers.” More often than not, these testers are able to walk right into the
building and navigate to the network closet, etc., compromising the company’s
technical security through a physical means.)
Car Security
Modern automobiles are more powerful, more secure,
and safer than those of the last century. Nevertheless, car-jackings are
happening at an alarming rate, and living in a port city only exacerbates this
issue. What do I mean by that? Well in the fiscal year of October 2019 to
September 2020, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the
Baltimore field office stopped 157 stolen cars from being shipped overseas (Source: Fox Baltimore). Remember,
that’s what they stopped – not what actually got through. Obviously, there are
many criminal enterprises that profit from car-jackings, and there are thieves
who steal cars for parts, etc. The biggest threat we are now seeing from car-jackings
is the rise of juveniles conducting them – many of whom do not even know how to
drive.
Here are some things you can do to keep your
car safe and, possibly, to recover it if it has been stolen:
·
If your car does not have an alarm, consider buying a “blinking light”
– search for “fake car alarm” on
Amazon – and place it on your dashboard. This will make it seem like you
have an alarm and may deter a would-be thief.
·
Cover all electronics and/or valuable items in your car. I cannot even
tell you how many times we would get calls in a previous job I held from
employees who left their laptop in their car overnight only to have their
window broken and the laptop stolen the next day. Keep a small blanket in your car for this purpose and if you ever get
stuck in the cold, it could help you stay warm!
·
Buy a car-tracking device and place it in a hard-to-find spot in your
car. That way, if your car is ever stolen, you can point the authorities to it
easily. These trackers come in all shapes and sizes and can be placed in a
purse, wallet or even in the case of your smart phone. Search for “tracking devices for cars” on Amazon. (Interesting fact:
the Baltimore Police Department uses this same tool for tracking drug dealers,
etc., which has led to some interesting court battles over the convicted drug
dealers’ privacy.)
·
Do not depend on your smart phone’s “Find my iPhone” function! Criminals are not stupid, and when they steal
a smart phone the first thing they do is shut it down, thus disabling the find
function. While on the topic of phones, there is a feature on the iPhone
called SOS iPhone. I have tested it a few times, and although it offers a fast
way to call a loved one or the police, I don’t recommend it because, when you
activate this feature, the would-be robber may notice and get nervous,
resulting in harm to you.
Situational Awareness
If there is any section of this article that
I want you to remember most, it is situational awareness (SA). What is it and
why is it so important? According to Wikipedia, “SA is the perception of
environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the
comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some
variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, such as a
predetermined event.”
What does this mean in simple terms, and how
will this help me here in Baltimore? you may be asking yourself. To start, SA
is about focusing on your surroundings and the threats around you. Being
focused on your surroundings does not mean you need to be paranoid or crazy. It
means that you need to understand who is around at any given moment, what the
environmental impacts may be, and, in some cases, even plotting an escape
route. How do you achieve the omnipotent status of being SA? The simple
answer is that you already are. You must be at least somewhat aware of your
surroundings and what is going on to function. So the key is to train yourself
to heighten that awareness.
Here are a few tricks that you can do to
begin training yourself to automatically heighten your awareness (Source: 13
Personal Safety Situational Awareness Tips):
·
Keep a distance between yourself and others, act like a crazy person, or
cross the street if someone is approaching, etc.
·
Practice looking for exits, barriers, suspicious objects and people,
and any other unique elements that could be of importance to your personal
safety.
·
Those with malicious intent generally single out individuals who seem
meek, vulnerable, or unaware of their surroundings. Body language plays an
extremely important role in how you are perceived by others. Exuding an aura of
confidence, awareness, and capability, regardless of how you feel, can help
broadcast to any threats that you are an undesirable target, and increase your
personal safety.
·
Play out scenarios in your head beforehand. If you spot a situation in
your immediate vicinity that could pose a threat, such as a blind corner on a
sidewalk, ask yourself, “If there were a threat behind that corner, how would I
react? Where could I escape?” Premeditating such responses can help them to
become second nature in the event of an actual emergency.
·
Trust your gut. If you get the sense that something is wrong or doesn’t
add up, do not ignore it. Your instincts exist to protect you. It is always
better to be overcautious than to ignore warning signs that turned out to be
legitimate.
What We Can Do
Lately, we have been hearing about defunding
the police, legalizing drugs, and bail reform – all of which just elevate our
crime problem here in Baltimore. Personally, I always wonder what goes through the
minds of some of our elected officials when signing into law such damaging
legislation. Then I remind myself that these people (for the most part, not all
of them) live in gated communities or on roads that do not lead to the city and
its horrible crime problems. This year, during the Maryland General Assembly,
all the delegates representing me in Baltimore County voted for reforming the police
and other destructive bills. The way we can fight back against what’s going on
in Towson and Annapolis is with our vote! When we realize that each vote does matter and that each one of us can
challenge the longstanding “status quo,” things can change! Just think about
what happened in 2018 when Johnny “O” Olszewski won the Baltimore County
Democratic primary for county executive by only nine votes. That’s just one
short of a minyan, which we always
seem to find even in the hardest of circumstances.
Disclaimer: All safety and security tips,
suggestions, or ideas presented in this article are presented “as is” and have
not been reviewed or recommended by any law enforcement agencies. All
questions, concerns or comments regarding this article should be presented to
your local law enforcement agency.
