Fighting DWI with Technology

As police departments work to protect motorists from themselves by trying to control the number of drunk drivers on our nation's roads, technology is lending a hand.

The breathalyzer test, which has been around for years, isn't always the most accurate and can take a lot of time. Since alcohol residue in the mouth can artificially inflate the results of this test, motorists in many jurisdictions have to wait 20 minutes before the test. In the case of road block, this can create a backlog of people awaiting the test. Enter the TruTouch 1100. This machine uses a beam of light that can be noninvasively applied to the skin. The machine analyzes the compounds in a person's body and can measure blood alcohol levels with remarkable accuracy. Because it's applied to the skin there is no waiting period and the results are instant.

Another device, already in use, is an ankle bracelet that can tell when the wearer has consumed alcohol. It is used on repeat offenders of DWI laws as a monitoring device. If alcohol is detected, the wearer can be brought in for questioning.

Is Dragon Skin the Future?

It certainly seems that way, aside from an on-going flap with the Army, which I'm not going to get into here but you can read about for yourself in David Crane's article THE BEST: Dragon Skin.

If you don't know, Dragon Skin is Pinnacle Armor's hard, flexible body armor that seems poised to make previous body armor systems such as Interceptor, the current military standard, obsolete. It's both hard and flexible because it works a lot like the scales of fish, lizards or, of course, dragons. The heart of the armor consists of disks made of a ceramic composite. The disks are arranged like scales in an overlapping pattern. This pattern affords total coverage while remaining flexible. For the first time there's a practical body armor that allows the wearer a comfortable range of movement while covering the front, back and even sides of the torso.

But how hard is it? These scales can stop an impressive range of ballistics. From Pinnacle's website:

Ballistic Capability
MIL-STD SOV-2000™
The MIL-STD SOV-2000™ Level III flexible body armor system will defeat the following rifle rounds that normally fall into the Level IV category and all lesser threats.

7.62 x 39 mm 122 GR, steel case mild steel core: 2300 - 2400 fps.
5.56 x 45 mm 65 GR, M855 (SS109 Green tip): 3200 - 3300 fps.

Additionally, the SOV™ - D.O.D. 2000 flexible Level III system exceeds the MIL-P-46593A fragmentation requirements around the high power rifle defeating areas.
MIL-STD SOV-3000™
The MIL-STD SOV-3000™ Level IV & V flexible body armor system will defeat the rifle rounds listed on our ballistic chart in those threat categories.

Additionally, the SOV-3000™ flexible Level IV & V systems exceed the MIL-P-46593A fragmentation requirements around the high power rifle defeating areas.

Besides its flexibility and ability to stop an impressive array of balistics, Dragon Skin is actually relatively lightweight. Depending on the specs, it can weigh between 16 and 17.2 pounds.

The possibilities of this armor seems almost limitless. Looks like the future to me!

NIK System of Narcotics Identification

The NIK System of Narcotics Identification is the only internationally recognized standard for field testing questionable substances. NIK earned the ISO 9002 seal of excellence for quality control and is the only field test that has done so. The system identifies the street and narcotic drugs most commonly found with state-of-the-art wet chemistry.

Professional Supplies For Less carries kits for all commonly abused drugs including Cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin, Methamphetamine, LSD, PCP, and more.

This reliable system has been ruled as sufficient to meet the people's prima facie case burden in most jurisdictions.

10 Steps to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Here at Professional Supplies we spend a lot of time thinking about personal and professional security. But personal financial security shouldn't be overlooked. If you've ever worried about identity theft, here are ten steps you can take to protect yourself.

1) Protect your social security number. This is paramount. Your social security number is the key to your financial identity. Do not write it or have it printed on your checks. Do not give it out unless you are comfortable with the person or company. In most cases it is wise to ask why they are requesting it. You can also offer an alternative identifying number such as your driver’s license number.

2) Track your spending and regularly balance your books with your bank and credit card statements. Often identity thieves will start small to test the wariness of their victims. If you regularly track spending you can detect identity theft early and prevent too much damage.

3) Track your credit reports. If your social security number is the key to your financial identity the credit monitoring companies are the door. The federal government mandated that the three major credit bureaus make credit reports available to consumers once a year. This means that once every 4 months you can, and should, request an updated credit report from one of them. For more information about this service, visit AnnualCreditReport.com.

4) Keep track of personal documents and mail. Any important documents should be kept secure and locked. Any mail that you receive with personal information should be shredded before it is discarded. This includes the ubiquitous credit card offers that seem to arrive daily.

5) Secure your computer. If you keep bank records, make purchases online, or receive email with any personal information make sure that your computer has a good security program with virus blocker and a firewall.

6) Know with whom you are doing business. Be wary of websites that don’t list a contact number. If you haven’t heard of a company before, check with the Better Business Bureau before giving them your credit card.

7) Avoid phishing. Phishing is the practice of emailing people and tricking them into giving out personal financial information. The most deceptive form of phishing is to emulate a well known company or financial institution by fraudulently using their name and graphic logo. The recipient of the email is asked to click on a link and resubmit their information. If you ever receive an email like this, do not click on the links. Instead, type in the institution’s website into the address bar of your internet window and login to your account if you regularly use their online services. If there is a problem with your information there will usually be a message there. Alternatively, you can call the company directly and explain that you received the email then ask them what you should do.

8) Use common sense when choosing a password. Do not use obvious passwords like your birthday or mother’s maiden name. These may be easy for you to remember but they are also relatively easy for identity thieves to find out. Choose keywords which are more obscure or even nonsense. If you find that you have trouble remembering them and need to write them down, keep them locked up with your other secure documents from #4.

9) Do not give out personal information to callers. This is a scam similar to #7. Identity thieves will call and pretend to be from a financial institution. If anyone calls and asks for information that they should already have do not give it to them. Instead, explain that you will have to call back. Then call the institution’s regular phone number and explain the situation.
Always ask questions. No person or company has a right to your personal financial information. Anytime you are asked for this information or you feel compelled to share it ask why and make sure that you understand the answer.