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Swimming Pool Safety Tips

Many children drown in pools and spas each year.  It can happen very fast and you might not even hear it.  To prevent this, the Home Safety Council offers some tips.

1. If you have a pool or spa, install a fence that goes all the way around it.  The fence should close and latch by itself.  It should be least five feet high.

2. Always keep gates closed and latched.  Never prop a gate open.

3. When children are in or near the water, a grownup should watch them very carefully.

4. If you have a pool party, have grownups take turns watching the children at all times.

5. Never swim alone.  Even adults should swim with a buddy.

6. Learn how you would save someone in trouble.  Learn First Aid and CPR.

7. Make sure that anyone who cares for your children learns CPR.

8. Keep poolside rescue equipment close to the pool area.

9. Post emergency numbers and CPR instructions near the pool area.

10. The pump in a pool or spa creates powerful suction at the drain which can trap a swimmer under water.  

11. Teach children to stay away from drains, grates and filters.

12. Never leave toys in or around the pool when you are not there.

13. Teach children the “rules of the pool.”  Remind them often.

Criminal Dying to Escape

It’s been a while since we posted a dumb criminal story here on the HSS Blog.  So here it goes – A Philadelphia woman is accused of hiding in a coffin at a funeral home after escaping police.

Nicole April Kelly, 19, had been caught by police in connection with two outstanding warrants.  Saying she “just couldn’t do this,” she broke free and ran off.   She must have been dying to make a quick getaway, because she was found several hours later by the owner of Brown Funeral Home, whom she immediately attempted to bite, according to The Sentinel.

Documents state that police used several dogs and a helicopter in their search for Kelly, which lasted for several hours, until she was found hiding inside a coffin at the Brown Funeral Home by the business’s owner Dan Brown.  Brown then grabbed Kelly’s wrist and arm and kept her on the ground until the police came.

Drywall Burglaries

In Overland Park near Kansas City, Missouri, it seems they are having a problem with a rash of “drywall” commercial burglaries.  Apparently, there have been five such robberies in the past six weeks.  Overland Park Chief of Police John Douglas writes about it in his “Just the Facts” blog.

What’s a “drywall” burglary?  This term describes how a criminal enters a business from another business.  Here’s how it’s done.  The thief finds a vacant business that shares a common wall with an active business.  This is common in strip mall style buildings.  The burglar then enters the vacant store cuts through the plaster board or “drywall” big enough to gain access to the active business.  Once inside the thief usually goes undetected and can work to steal whatever the target item is inside.  Some safes have even been broken into.

In the last six weeks five Overland Park stores have been entered in this manner with significant losses report.  The crimes occur overnight and are not discovered until the following morning.  Other cities in the metropolitan area have experienced this same style of burglary and it is most likely the same burglars are responsible for all the crimes.

It’s important that if you own any type of retail store you should have a complete security system equipped with motion detectors.  These motion detectors are designed to signal the control panel and hence sound an alarm once movement is detected throughout a protected room.

Darth Vader Robs Bank

I guess being a galactic bad guy bad guy must not pay what it used to. 

Police say a man donning a Darth Vader outfit with mask and cape walked into a bank in Long Island, New York and pulled out a gun – not a light saber – and demanded money.

The “Star Wars” character was caught on a surveillance camera.  No word on how much he walked away with.  Luckily no one was hurt.  Police say the dark lord took off on foot.

Meanwhile, here’s another cornball story -

The Associated Press reports that a Pittsburgh-area man robbed a bank wearing a woman’s blond wig, fake breasts under a sweater, and clown pants.

Police say 48-year-old Dennis Hawkins was found sitting in a parked car covered in red dye from an exploding packet in a bag of money when he was arrested.

Police Chief Greg Geppert says Hawkins robbed the bank at gunpoint, using a toy BB gun he had shoplifted from a store.

Geppert says Hawkins then entered a woman’s car.  She got out, took her keys and alerted police.  Hawkins was found sitting in the car.

Flat-screen TVs are the No. 1 Target of Home Burglars

An Allstate Insurance survey of police departments across Texas found that flat-screen TVs typically are the top target in home burglaries, followed by laptop computers, jewelry and cash.  Some police departments reported a growing number of home burglaries tied to organized crime, such as street gangs.

“Most burglaries in your neighborhood are being committed by youths 18 and under.  They are not skilled professionals, but they will take advantage of an easy target.  Don’t make it easy for them,” Austin Police Department advises.

In addition here are some home security tips:

• Establish a good relationship with your neighbors and ask them to keep a close watch on your home if you have to be away for an extended period.

• If you travel on business or vacation, make sure you temporarily suspend all home deliveries or have someone pick up your mail and home-delivered newspapers.

• Trim bushes.  This reduces a burglar’s opportunity to hide behind shrubs before or after a break-in.

• Install outdoor lighting and motion-sensor lights.  Burglars don’t want to be seen.

• Even when running a short errand, look the doors of your home when you leave.