Practical Observation Post

We have been testing out these new Microsoft surface Go laptops. They work great and are fantastic for being on the go. https://amzn.to/2Rrvfoe

There have been multiple news stories about peoples wi-fi being hacked. Most of these are a result of an older unsupported router that people don't even think of. If the internet works why worry about it. Check this great deal for a great router. I am using two of these currently. https://amzn.to/2P3zLs9 This is an ad for an Amazon purchase. I do get commission if you click and purchase from this ad. Thank you for your support.

I have been asked multiple times what is a good HD camera system. The answer varies and starts with how many cameras you plan on having. A good plan is to have more ports on the system than you plan on using. Inevitably you will get your system up and running, cameras where you think you need them to cover everything and then realize there is a gap or a blind spot. If you are out of ports you are out of luck and would need to add another system to cover everything. If I think I need 5 cameras I will order an eight port system. Also for example if I need eight cameras I will order a sixteen port system. This is a great system that is loaded with cameras. The mix of dome and snorkel type cameras is good. The dome cameras are better for outdoor mounting where they are being hit with direct water. I am running three of these at various locations. https://amzn.to/2LnIq86 If you are looking for a system with all of the snorkel type cameras you may want to look at this one. It is ...

So you have a fantastic camera system that covers every inch of the exterior that you need to cover. Great. Now have you actually tested your angles and seen any gaps or bad angles? Have you considered that a simple hat could thwart the evidence you are trying to collect? Take a look at these pictures from friends of mine that had their vehicle broken into. They had video but could not get a clear picture of the face of the person. Consider low mounting a camera or two. Bring the camera down to neck level to defeat people trying to use hats to keep their face off of cameras. Test every one of your cameras. Do not try to look at a camera but try to keep your face off of the video to see where you need to point to get a better angle. Another consideration would be IR illumination. The IR units are like a floodlight that floods the area in IR light so the camera does not have shadow areas like the edges of the frame. You can see in the images the spotlight of the built...

Last year 6700 yes 6700 calls went unanswered last year in Minneapolis last year alone. Why? A shortage of police to respond to the calls. This is astounding. I live in a rural area that has county Sheriff coverage only. In the past when contacting 911 we were told there would be a wait between a half of an hour on one instance and two plus hours in another instance. Are you prepared to deal with whatever situation that arises until help arrives? This is not a self defense or home defense only post. This could be a medical emergency or a home invader. Do you have medical training and supplies to deal with the aftermath? Do you have a plan and means to defend a home invasion? Watch THIS link and ponder what would be your plan for dealing with these issues. Medical supplies can be purchased reasonably and training can be taken anywhere. Some examples of training would be a first aid and CPR class or a stop the bleed class. Make a plan.

Regular practice: How often should you practice a skill to consider it regular practice? In Illinois we have an interesting system where every five years you are required to re-qualify for your concealed carry permit. The amount of people who have not shot for the last five years is amazing. Typically I have around ten percent of any given class that has not practiced at all. If you received your driving license five years ago and have not driven since would you believe you were a safe driver? At the end of each class I give a renewal survey that analyzes a number of different factors including how often do they do live fire training and how often they do dry fire training. The survey is totally anonymous and it is an easy correlation between the practiced vs. unpracticed shooters.   Looking at the shooters that make the statement they get in practice a few times a year. They are typically fairly good shooters and have some small shooting errors but nothing major and ...