Delta Protective Services Blog Feed

Guarding Christmas

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:40:45 GMT

"Guarding Christmas"

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
and I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone

New Law Addresses Misclassification of Independent Contractors

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:10:40 GMT

The issue of employers classifying security officer and protective agents as “independent contractors” continues to be on ongoing problem in California and is, generally speaking, illegal. To see an article about California State Licensing Requirements click here: http://www.deltaprotectiveservices.com/blog/7-blog/29-california-licensing-requirements-for-privates-security

Despite this many employers do this to avoid overtime, payroll taxes and workers compensations premiums and many security & protective personnel, desperate for income or just trying to “break into” the field accept these positions despite the risks. Some of these employers are based in California but many are based outside California and operate intermittently within the State. Since California offers no “grace period”, any security work done must be conducted by employees of a State licensed company and not by independent contractors.

This new law will hopefully encourage some unscrupulous employers to change their illegal practices in the hiring of security & protective personnel and help level the playing field for businesses following the letter of the law.

SENATE BILL 459 INCREASES PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS AT FAULT

On October 9, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 459, the “Worker Classification Bill,” regarding independent contractors. The law significantly increases the risks and penalties for misclassifying workers as independent contractors

The Meaning of Veterans Day

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:06:39 GMT

Dear Friends,

It is the

Have a great Veterans Day. Enjoy being with your family & friends and, if the opportunity presents

5 Tips to Protect Your Privacy

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:01:45 GMT

Identity Theft:
5 Tips to Protect Your Privacy

to obtain a free credit report every 12 months. Review all three of your credit reports and look for any suspicious activity, unusual or inaccurate names or addresses, or any inquiries that were done without your knowledge. In many states, you may place a 90-day "Fraud Alert"

SCAM Alert - "Terrible News..."

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:06:00 GMT

Friends,

This scam has been around for a while but seems more prevalent lately because I’ve received the below message from three of my friends in the last week.

Here’s the message to watch out for.

“TERRIBLE NEWS...HELP !!!

I'm sorry this is coming so sudden, I am in some terrible situation right now and need your urgent assistance. Some days ago,I came down to Scotland,UK on a short vacation,unfortunately I got mugged by some hoodlums. All my cash,credit cards and phones were taken at gunpoint!

It's such a traumatic experience right now I'm stranded and need help getting back home. I've been to the embassy and the Police here but they're not being helpful in any way. the good thing is I still have my passports. Just don't have enough money to get back home. Please I need your help here promise to refund you right as soon as I'm back home in a couple of days.

waiting to hear from you.”

What’s this scam all about?

The scammers hacked your friends email account and then sent this message out to EVERYONE in your friends contact list. The idea is to use the subject’s credibility and personal relationships with their friends to get

2010 Security Officer On the Job Fatalities

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:11:57 GMT

Private Officer International today released their year-end report of security officer deaths for 2010. According to Rick McCann, Founder/Executive Director, the association identified and confirmed 76 on duty deaths of security officers but estimates that the number is actually closer to 90. The discrepancy always comes from the way that security officer positions are classified by numerous federal and state agencies.

While the job title may be doorman or watchman or pool guard, they all perform security related duties but are not categorized as security officers on federal statistical records, the press release stated. A practice that McCann hopes will change soon so that those who die while in the performance of their security duties are properly recognized, he said.

The 2010 death total is up by 17 from the previous two years and McCann attributes that to the increased duties and responsibilities of security officers, the increase in proactive response rather than the old "Observe and Report" method previously used which means that more security officers are being put into direct contact with active criminal activity, violent offenses and increased dangers.

The Top 8 states for security officer deaths were:

California 8
New York - 8
Florida - 6
Georgia - 6
Read more...

Guarding Christmas

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:13:35 GMT

"Guarding Christmas"

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
and I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing
Read more...

Electronic “Pick-Pocketing”

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:57:47 GMT

There is a new threat to your privacy and credit rating. Thieves can use a mobile scanner to read the Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags embedded in your credit cards, debit cards, passport card, TWIC or enhanced driver’s license unknown to you, when walking by or while standing in a crowd. Once detected, this information can be immediately emailed anywhere in the world… Protecting yourself from this threat is difficult because the signals are hard to block.

One solution for protecting yourself from this potential exposure is: http://www.idstronghold.com/

Luckily, as a consumer, you have significant rights when it comes to credit card fraud. To learn more about your rights see the Federal Trade Commission website at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre04.shtm

Here is a video news story about this threat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyeWSivAfEA

Copiers Pose Huge Security Risk for Business

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:00:07 GMT

We recently became aware of a news item that has potential staggering implication for the safety & security of your business information including personnel & financial records; literally anything that has ever been run through your copier.

The risk comes from the hard drive that is an integral part of any digital copier. Typically, an image of each and every document that has been run through the machine may be stored on this hard drive. This includes documents that were copied, printed, faxed or scanned.

At the end of your lease when the machine leaves your possession these document images remain on the hard drive within the copier and are easily accessed by anyone with the correct software, available for free on the internet. This information is potentially damaging to your business and a boon for anyone involved in information theft. In cases of protected information like medical records & credit reports your business may be in violation of statues and subject to fines.

Delta Protective Services is taking the necessary steps to ensure that your information on our business machines is properly protected and will NEVER be released accidentally.

For more information about this subject please see the news segment which aired on
Read more...

The Winter Olympics – Eight Years Later

lborgens@deltaprotectiveservices.com (L. D. Borgens) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:32:37 GMT

In February of 2002 I was hired to provide uniformed & plain clothed, armed & unarmed private security services during the 2002 Salt Lake City (SLC) Olympic Winter Games. While I was away for 30 days my wife, Kimberley, ran our California based private security & investigative business, Delta Protective Services.

I arrived in SLC on January 28th, about a week before the Olympics were to begin. This week prior to the beginning of the Olympics was spent receiving mandated State of Utah security and firearm training and performing advance work on our assigned jobsites. I also worked with our team to help determine the best way to organized and deploy our team of approximately 50 uniformed and plain clothed private security personnel.

The first assignment that I worked on was for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) where
Read more...