Someone Spying? So are the Teddy Bear and the Potted Plant

See the cuddly teddy bear over on the shelf? Well, it sees you too. “Right here in the camera, behind the left eye.” said Marvin Badler, the owner of The Spy Mart a Monmouth County company dedicated to the proposition that what you don’t know can hurt you and what you do know can protect you from being caught off guard.

“There’s a wireless camera transmitter in here.” Mr. Badler said, holding the teddy bear in his arms and pointing to it’s furry little head. “ It can send a signal up to 300 feet away , so you don’t even need a wire to attach it to a VCR.

Mr. Badler a licensed Private investigator since 1961 and former chief investigator for the New York City Department of Correction, was demonstrating some of the item he sells from The Spy Mart’s showroom. “See that planter over there.” Mr. Badler said, pointing in the direction of an ordinary-looking potted plant. “There’s a camera in the pot. We build it last week. I was shopping with my wife, I saw the planter and came up with the idea.”

Mr. Badler’s business is answer to a challenge: how do you find out what someone is up to without his finding out what are you up to first? “Most of my customers are law enforcement types.” Mr. Badler said, referring to police, private detectives and prosecutors investigators. Investigators who come to avail themselfs of the latest in clandestine surveillance technology. But we also have a lot of private-sector people and businessman who come in because they want to record their own telephone conversation or because they’re afraid of their business are being bugged.”

Paramilitary Atmosphere

The Spy Mart, which Mr. Badler opened about two years ago, is on the second floor of an office building in Marlboro, New Jersey. Mr. Badler, a tall, burly man with a penchant for 10-gallon hats, also runs his private investigation and security business from the location. The atmosphere is decisively paramilitary, with a secretary and an assistant calling Mr. Badler “sir” in terse formal exchanges.

He instructed the secretary to call him on a telephone atop one of glass display cases that line the walls of the showroom. The phone rang , and Mr. Badler lifted the receiver. “This is a prototype.” he said, telling his assistant to pick up an extension in another room. A red light on the phone blinked on. “See? The phone went dead.” Mr. Badler said holding the receiver our for a visitor to verify that the phone was quite dead.” “What happened was, if I’m talking and somebody gets on the line with a listening device or comes in the room with a transmitter , the light goes on and the phone automatically disconnects the conversation.” He intends to market the new telephone to other spy shop around the country. The price? About $750.00. Many of the devices in The Spy Mart showroom, including the phone that goes dead, are items Mr. Badler designed himself and then built out of components available at any well - stocked electronics store.

“This is a microphone in a button.” he said, holding out for inspection what appeared to be, well, a button with wire attached to it. “You can put it on a selves of your shirt and attached it to any tape recorder.” he said. “It’s battery powered, and you can change the actual button so it matches the buttons on your shirt.”

He then showed me a pen that, he said, has a tiny microphone inside. Even upon close inspection, nothing about the pen appeared unusual. “The microphone is behind that hole,” he said, indication a hold bout the size of a period at the end of this sentence. “It’s supersensitive, too.”he said, asserting that the tiny microphone is about 10 times more sensitive then the microphones built into microcassettee recorders now on the market. “See the calculator?” he said, pointing to a credit-card-size calculator. “That’s a transmitter. But it’s not for public use, only law enforcement. It’s not FCC approved”.

Mr. Badler’s clandestine eavesdropping devices fall into two general t for public use: hard-wired, like the shirt button microphone, which plugs into a microcassettee recorder, and wireless, like the calculator that transmits to an FM receiver some distance away.

Behind the Picture Frame

Some of the wireless transmitters, like the one that replaces an ordinary electric wall socket, can transmit up to a half mile away, drawing power from the house current. Others, which use tiny batteries for power and are about the same size as a sugar cube, transmit for a less distance but are handy for surreptitious placement in vases, behind picture frames and attached under tables and other furniture.

“Again,” Mr. Badler said, “these are for law enforcement, not for public use. It’s illegal to record audio unless you are a party to the conversation.”

But if that’s’ the case, who might use the teddy bear camera with a video camera for a brain? “Anybody,” Mr. Badler replied. It’s not illegal to videotape.”

In fact, he said, the teddy bear was designed for clients who wanted to be able to keep track of how a child’s nanny was treating the child when the parents weren’t home. The teddy bear was set on a high shelf in the chid’s room and connected to a video recorder locked in the parents room. The cost? “Around $1,000.00, not including the ,VCR.” Mr. Badler said. “And there are ways we can make them work in total darkness.” Mr. Badler pointed to what looked like a clock hung on a wall. He instructed his visitor to look at the a video monitor just underneath the clock. On the screen was an image of a confused reporter looking at himself looking at a video monitor. “Now watch this,” Mr. Badler said, switching off the office lights, The image on the video monitor dimmed slightly but remained clear and distinct. “All we do is introduce a small infrared light source - we can hide it anywhere in the room - and it will bounce around and illuminate the room like it was daylight.”

A regular customer of The Spy Mart, a private investigator who declined to give his name, described yet another product that make use on infrared light. “I bought infrared filters for the headlights on my car.” the investigator said, explaining that he used the filters while staking out errant spouses for divorce clients. “I sit in my car with a video camera , aim the headlights at the house or motel and wait. The infrared filters light up the place like it was daytime. I can see them, but they can’t see me.”

The investigator said The Spy Mart was more then a high-the toy store for real-life Sam Spades and amateur spies.

Marvin doesn’t just sell you things and send you out the door,” the man said. “He tells you how to use what you buy. He gives suggestions. You tell him what you want to do and he’ll figure out how to do it.”

And for those new to the business of espionage and counterespionage, Mr. Badler also offers a small library of arcane books with such titles as “How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found.” “Get Even: The Complete Book of Dirty Tricks,” “How the Underdog Gets Justice” and “Methods of Disguise.”

Though The Spy Mart caters to law enforcement officials, Mr. Badler said, a growing segment of his business involves executive and business manages concerned about employee theft and corporate espionage.

“We have a lot of small businesses installing hidden video systems,” he said, adding that it is illegal to install such equipment in areas where people are entitled to expect privacy, like dressing rooms and bathrooms.

Worries About Wiretapping

“We also sell lot of systems to people who think their businesses or home items he showed his offices are being bugged or wiretapped by the competition,” he said. “And we help people who want to record their telephone conversation. A lot of insurance brokers are now recording customer conversation, which is legal.”

Though the market for surveillance devices for law enforcement never seems to dry up, he said, the market among business customers tracks the economy. “When things are bad out there for business, then business is good for me.” Mr. Badler said. “When the economy is bad, people are stealing more, and there are ad thins going on.”

One of the last items he showed his visitor was is personal favorite. “This is a bug detector,” he said, opening a case that contained a small electronic control panel. He took a small wand with a wire attached to it of the case and pointed the wand at the calculator, which really a hidden transmitter and was supposed to be virtually undetectable. The bug detector flashed and beeped and electronic warning.

“It’s one of my most popular items,”he said.

Alarm Sirens- There is both inside and outside sirens. Many towns have a noise ordinance, which should prevent your installer from putting yours outside, unless you are on a ranch where you need to know what’s going on while your out in the barn. You would not want a neighbor running over to your place during an alarm as they might be confronting a dangerous situation. It is better to let the police do that instead.

An inside siren is one that simulates a doorbell and placed high on a hallway wall, or a large siren is often placed in your return air vent. This will let a burglar know that they have violated an alarm so that they will hi- tail it out of there. It will also let you know that your system has been violated so that you can release the hounds, load your gun or hide under the covers, whatever you select as an appropriate response.

(HOT TIP!) Sirens are measured in decibels and wattage. A large siren would be 30 watts or more and at least 100 decibels. If you settle for a non- descriptive commitment such as “It will be loud” you may have authorized a smaller and less expensive siren to be installed. They are all loud, but the louder the better when it comes to scaring a burglar away.

Alarm Contacts- Contact switches are magnetic switches used to protect doors and windows for the most part. There are three main styles that are used by most alarm companies. They are recessed contacts, surface mount contacts and roller-ball contacts.

Recessed contacts are hidden in the window tracks and door jams so that they can’t be seen when the window or door is closed. The switch is on the fixed or non-movable side of the opening and a magnet is placed on the movable side. When the magnet meets the switch the circuit is complete and the control knows it is closed. Recessed contacts are more complicated to install unless they are placed during the construction phase of your home or business. A good installation technician can install recessed contacts in your home after construction as long as they have an unfinished basement, accessible attic or closet to run the wires in.

Surface mount contacts function the same as recessed ones however they are visible when the doors or windows are closed. They come in three main sizes being large, small and micro. They come in the colors white, gray and brown so they can blend in to the door trim or window- sill they are mounted on.

Roller-ball contacts are in the hinge side of your door jam and the spring- loaded ball is pushed in when the door is closed completing the circuit. These are more likely to need replacement in a few years as they are considered a moving part.

All types of recessed and surface mount contacts can be hardwired directly to your control panel or you can get them in a wireless version. Wireless contacts have a transmitter tied to them or built into them that sends a radio signal to a receiver in the control. The transmitter is surface mounted and comes in two colors, white and brown. If white and brown are not your desired colors, you can paint the switches and transmitters to match your decor.

Doors are the most common point of entry and should be protected by your system. I always recommend contacting every perimeter door in your home or business

Window contacts can add up in a hurry as most homes have many windows. I have always felt that window contacts give the homeowner a false sense of security because of the fact that a window has to be opened in order for them to work. If your window is locked (and it should be) when you are away or sleeping, a burglar has to break the glass or remove the glass to unlock it. If they break the glass and the alarm does not sound, why would they open the window? Instead they would most likely clear the broken glass and climb in. That is why your money is better spent on motion detectors and/or glass- break sound detectors.

If you have children, window contacts can be a valuable tool. They will keep your youngsters from opening the window for a stranger. And they will also make your teenager sorry you ever read this. (If they tell you all they want for the holidays is a magnet, the jigs up!) Window contacts are often better at keeping people in than they are at keeping burglars out. If you do choose to use window contacts you may like the fact that the surface mounted versions can be set up so that you can keep your window open a few inches for ventilation and still be armed.

For many years, novels and films have given us apocalyptic views of how easily mankind could disintegrate into ruthless barbarity once removed from the constraints of law and order, and the comfortable smooth machinery of “civilization”. But all that was just fiction, right? Not really. The reality is in the news.

While the people of New York City responded predominantly with goodwill and a heroic attitude to the World Trade Center attacks, it is important to keep in mind that the basic structure of the city – the services, facilities, and general day-to-day functions – were still intact. The disaster that has befallen the gulf states is an entirely different kind of animal. The entire city of New Orleans has been utterly devastated. Many peripheral communities and cities have been essentially washed away. There is no source of free-flowing fresh water, food sources have been severely depleted, virtually no energy infrastructure remains, although line crews from neighboring states are working feverishly to get power restored to critical facilities like the water supply system. Tens of thousands of people have lost their possessions, their homes, their jobs, and their entire way of life. As some of the survivors have put it, they are literally “adrift”.

While many people do have a positive, strong mental and psychological orientation, allowing them to forge ahead and find a way to carry on within the boundaries of law and moral principles, many others do not.

Poverty-stricken communities already have a tendency to have higher crime rates under normal conditions, due to obvious environmental factors. Many people in this environment often become dependant on the “welfare-state”, deriving some of their income, access to services, and food allowances from government-sponsored systems. In a “civilization-destroyed” scenario, these systems cease to function. In times like this, people who ordinarily would not resort to outright theft or robbery do so, and the more violently criminal-minded become even more ruthless and barbaric.

A disaster on the scale as that of the gulf states, where the ability of the government (local, state, or federal) to control affairs is seriously diminished, creates a ripe opportunity for the desperate and the criminal to exploit the misfortunes of others. And they’re doing it. Armed gangs roaming the demolished landscape, reports of rape inside the overwhelmed astrodome, boundless pillaging of every storefront or home left standing; these are the stark images that tell us just how fragile our domestic peace really is.

America is truly a great nation, populated by many great people. But there is bad among us, too, waiting for the opportunity to seize upon the misfortunes of others, whether for profit or just for plain pathological gratification.

The best way to turn your home into a fortress is to carefully and strategically consider all your options. First you need to make a layout of your property and look at an aerial diagram of your home. Then you will need an aerial of the neighborhood, you can go to Google maps for this. Aerials pictures can provide you with possible escape routes of burglars. Drainage ditches, side roads, school playgrounds and wooded areas. You can also get an idea of every possible way the burglars might try to park a moving van without being seen or without being noticed. Often burglars look for areas where they can park a van or pick-up undetected for hours while they load up your prize possessions.

Some people believe they are safer when there is more shrubbery and such, but in fact it could make things much worse. Having a wall or a gate is great but not if the bad guys have the gate code and know when you are away. A simple slip of the tongue to landscaper to an employee who tells a friend at the all-night bar and pool hall could mean disaster to your personal belongings. For instance the landscape owner tells his employees to skip the Johnson’s Residence for the next two-weeks so come in later on Wednesday this week and next week. Then the employee talking to friends on Tuesday night at the pool hall tells his friends he can stay out all night because he doesn’t work early on Wednesday. The Johnson’s are away and then he goes on to tell his buddies what an incredible house, yard and garage you have? He mentions the back gate, perhaps gives the code perhaps not? Then his buddies or acquaintance gets with some friends and has two-weeks to plan the break in and take all your stuff, load it up, undetected. You see the problem.

So how can you make your home into a fortress to protect your family while you are home and to protect your stuff when you are away? First you need a top-notch alarm system covering all obvious entries and a motion alarm for inside the house, which goes to an alarm company. Watch out some burglaries are inside jobs from the security company itself. Sometimes it is best to have two sets of alarms, think of triple redundancy? Resetting the gate codes when you are away is also smart. If your houses catches on fire the fire department will ram the gate, but no one will have free access to your property.

Big guns are nice too. We are not talking anything illegal but you should have a very powerful set of weapons to kill encroachers who might also be armed. Figure out where in advance the bad guys might seek refuge once they get close to the house and try to enter. Be sure to shoot to kill with each shot. Gun safety is using two-hands. Think on this.

Alarm System Window Screens- Window screens are the ultimate perimeter device. The windows in your home look as if they have normal screens on them, however the actual screen mesh is an alarm circuit. The frame also has a contact point in it, so the screen can’t be cut or removed without violating the system if it is armed. The window can be opened for ventilation and protected at the same time. Now that’s a great perimeter device!

(INSIDE SCOOP!) Have your screens put on a 24- hour zone. (always on even if the system is off) You will not be able to bypass your always on zones from your keypad. You will need to call in with your password when you remove them for cleaning.

Screens are very expensive, (often $125.00 to $200.00 each) for each opening, but you don’t have to do every window. You can do one on each side of the house or in the master bedroom only if you like the concept of ventilating the house with fresh air while your system is armed. More importantly think about putting one in your children’s rooms if you can afford it. The peace of mind you will get from having your most precious concern protected will be well worth the expense.

Some alarm companies will measure your windows and create a brand new screen. More often they will mark your existing screens as to which window they came from and bring them with them to be re-built. This assures a correct fit and saves a step so that you will save time and hopefully money. Screens come in different frame and mesh shades and colors so be sure to review this with your security consultant when you order them.

Screens take some time to have built. Alarm companies will often wait for them to be returned to them before scheduling your install. Be advised that the screens may slow your install start time down by a couple of weeks. If your alarm company is willing to install the rest of your system, and return at a later date with your screens I would do just that. Could you imagine how hard you would be on yourself if you were burglarized while you were waiting for your screens to be built and an alarm to be installed?

(INSIDE SCOOP!) Hold back a substantial portion of your screen money until the screens are installed. No matter how noble your alarm company’s practices are, nothing seems to put a spring in a for profit company’s step, like money.

When I think of protecting your window with a screen in the same room that is protected by a glass break detector, while a motion detector looks on at the whole thing, I think of an elderly gentleman who wears a belt along with his suspenders. It is not a bad idea to overlap your security layers, but you still want to be aware of where to draw the line. A cunning salesperson can run the register up in a New York minute if you’re not on the studious prowl for redundancies.

Life insurance is typically taken out to offer valuable financial protection for your family in the event of your death, upon which a payment is made to your financial beneficiaries, heirs or family members. The extent of this payment will depend on your insured sum and earnings. Life insurance and life assurance may be interlinked in advertisements, though bear in mind the two policies are different. Life assurance is a form of financial protection which is also an investment, as you should always get a pay-out at the end of the term of the policy. Life insurance on the other hand is simply financial protection for your family, avoiding the issue of debt in the event of your death.

According to an article by the Fair Investment Company, the British life insurance industry shrank to almost half the size of the pensions industry last year and according to the Association of British Insurers, less than 50% of UK households hold a life insurance policy.

In their most recent newsletter about this issue, the Association of British Insurers found that 25% of mortgage holders had insufficient life insurance to cover their debt. The ratio of new life insurance policies to new mortgage loans was apparently 68% in 1994, but by 2004 this had dropped by half to 33%.

The absence of mortgage life coverage poses a serious risk for the dependants of homeowners. If banks were to embark on wide scale repossessions as a result of this absence of life insurance, this would impose a risk on their loan books and reputations. The Association of British Insurers also state that one of the main reasons behind the increased gap between mortgage loans and insurance is the emergence of people remortgaging their property to take advantage of equity release through a rise in value, without insuring their borrowing. In their report it was stated that around 63% of new mortgage loans were remortgages or further advances, compared to 34% in 1994. Egg reported at around the same time, that three out of four of these new loan homeowners had no intention of insuring this additional debt. This is particularly worrying if couples are remortgaging their property later in life – towards retirement, given that should anything happen to the breadwinner, the partner would be left with significant debts without the capability of paying the loan back.

Reasons for the downward trend in life insurance take-up include:

* Relaxation in lending policy – increased competition in the mortgage market means that lenders are not forcing life insurance policies on their customers

* High house prices have stretched homebuyers, in particular first time home-buyers, in terms of their mortgage repayments, that the additional costs of a life insurance policy are deemed too expensive

* There are more households with no dependents

If you’re interested in researching a life insurance policy, make sure you shop around. UK websites such as moneynet ( life insurance ) provide life insurance and life assurance information guides, as well as providing price comparison research for the different products. In the states, the website LowerMyBills.com also offers a similar service.

Because of the various factors listed above, people have also become less familiar with the term life insurance and without the awareness there is little recognition of the importance of this type of insurance. However as speculation increases that UK households are not coping with their debt, so should the awareness of life insurance as an essential product in the personal finance portfolio.