Good safety tip regarding car keys...

[krept]

This was passed on to me by someone I know and I'm not sure what forum this belongs in, but I think it's a good thing to know. (I know it works VERY well because when my 15 month old son goes for the car keys, it's the first thing he pushes).

Basically, this applies to some of the newer model cars that have a remote lock/unlock/panic button feature.

Clearly this won't solve all the problems but in my opinion it is yet another good step to take in a system of layered defenses.

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Next time you come home for the night and you go to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation.

Start keeping your car keys next to your bed on the night stand when you go to bed at night. If you think someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house, press the panic alarm on your car key chain. Test it! It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar, or rapist, won't stick around.....after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their window to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. Try yours to make sure it works before you rely on it. Just know that you must press the alarm button again to turn it off.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....

This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[steve_db]

thanks! that is good advice.
I'm going to pass this on to my wife.
She works in a less-than-safe area and I keep trying to encourage her to get her ccw.
She likes to shoot at the range, but keeps procrastinating taking the class and applying for her ccw.

I've even offered her a nice .380 or j-frame...
I'd be willing to buy her any piece she wants...
but...

[rocky]

Great tip. too bad my vehicle is too old to have the panic button on the key fob.

[David III]

My wife does that when I'm away. She really needs to do that all the time (or I do with her keys). My truck's too old for alarms.
She used that feature once -- said she heard all this noise outside and hit the button and flipped on the floodlights. Her truck horn is going off, the dogs are barking and going crazy, and right in the middle is a little raccoon staring at all the lights.
All of that would definitely make me jump if I were a bad guy.

[P95Carry]

Such a simple idea and yet - ''why didn't I think of that''!!!

Well worth the mention and for sure another potential weapon in our alertness and response armory.

[Mtbiker]

In most cases people don't listen to car alarms. Yes it may get the attention of the BG but it's doubtful that the neighbors will even notice. If you're relying on creating whitnesses out of nearby people, that may not happen.

[LenS]

Witnesses no, but busybodies staring outside at 0-dark-thirty wondering where the noise is coming from is a distinct possibility.

It's still a good idea, regardless if anyone sees a perp (or will admit it) or not.

[Old Chief]

The neighbors may not notice but the BG probably will not want to take that chance. The noise has a potential of attracting attention and that is the last thing the BG wants, and he knows that someone is aware of his presence. Thanks for the tip.

[krept]

Yes, again I see this as just another "layer."

I personally see this as a good phase inbetween "that was the dog" and "OK, that sounded bad, time to call 911."

In my past experiences, I have actually never had to call 911 because I thought someone was attempting to gain access to my house. Perhaps dumbly, I have always investigated the situation myself with the appropriate tools because I do not want to waste LE time because of a bump in the night.

One real benefit I see is that it could serve as a distraction to a would-be perp... i.e. it gives you a little more time to shake the cobwebs out and be prepared... hangun/phone/light, etc. Instead of creating a big scene with the police rolling up with lights on, the worst case scenario if you are wrong is that the neighbors just think you have an overly sensitive alarm.

In thinking more about this, it might be a very good idea to bring up if anyone serves in a neighboorhood watch program. In other words, the people not only know this is another "layer" but they also know if they hear an alarm such as this, to just be more aware.

As a side comment regarding normal neighbors, one time when I was at work our cat broke a vase and activated the glass-break on our home alarm. 45 minutes later I received a call from the PD saying there was no sign of entry and when asked, they said that none of the neighbors had reported the alarm. :(

[amlevin]

Good idea. Now if one would just make a key fob that gave of the smell of a spent pistol round when the panic alarm was used.

Something about the smell of burned gunpowder when chasing off a burglar.

[dr_cmg]

Maybe we ought to set up an inexpensive alarm system to sell that uses a panic button like the car fob, a little MP3 player and an outside powered speaker. The MP3 player would have a recording of a 12 ga. pump shotgun having a round jacked into the chamber.

I can think of nothing scarier than to be approaching a house in the middle of the night for less than good reasons and hearing that "SOUND" from out of nowhere. The car horn/alarm might make me think for a second or two, whereas that distinctive clunk clunk of the 12 ga. will do more than cause me to think. If the BG doesn't leave you have had time to execute a real loading of the 12 ga. and stand ready to introduce him to the nuances of buckshot.

[quantum36]

I was at a pistol traing class (Tactical Response) first of this month. We were shooting from prone position (lying on stomach) when my car alarm went off! Somehow I mashed the button on my keys which were in my pocket.

[havegunjoe]

As P95 said, "why didn't I think of that". Sometimes ya got to wonder how something so simple could escape all of us. I'm going to put the extra key ring in my nightstand when I get home.

[.45acp]

Good Tip and here's another:

I always instruct my wife when answering the door (after checking) to always announce loudly before she even get's close - "I've got the door Hon".

This way before she even get's close enough to check and see who it is then whoever it is thinks that at least one other person is home.

[randytulsa2]

It's an excellent idea and I will start tonight (my wife's car has such a gizmo, my 1995 Toyota Tacoma...uh...doesn't).

Similar to the idea of having your cell phone by the bed in case some particularly farsighted BG decides to cut your phone lines before dropping in.

Thanks, krept!