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Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Ostrich and the Eagle..........

“THE OSTRICH & THE EAGLE”

As fellow instructor Brian Willis writes;

If you were to close your eyes and allow the image of an Eagle to come to mind that image would most likely be of a powerful creature soaring at great heights. The Eagle has served as a symbol of strength, power and majesty for decades.

Contrast that to the image of an Ostrich, with their head buried in the sand, as a symbol of those times in our life where we get caught up in that victim thinking and bury our head in the sand not wanting to face the world around us. For some people this is the way they live their life; for others it is occasional behavior.

When you find yourself in an important life and death situation, and you have a decision to make, you can choose to be an Ostrich or an Eagle.

We all make a conscious decision to be an Ostrich or an Eagle; the choice is yours and yours alone!


Stay Safe & Soar!

Andrew
www.personaldefensivetactics.com


PS Please visit Brian @
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training
Legacy of Excellence Conference
www.winningmindtraining.com

Please Donate to the Wounded Warrior Project!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Today Home Security is a high priority element.....

Home Security
Today Home Security is a high priority element in the lives of many Americans. The broad spectrum of media bombardment keeps us all a little paranoid. I believe it is better to be safe than sorry (thanks mom & dad) and to be the Eagle and not the Ostrich. There are a number of home security products available that ensure not only the safety of the family, but also the valued possessions and belongings. Home security is as important for an independent home owner as for an apartment owner. In this current financial downturn, people are looking for security options that can alert the police or fire station, in seconds. Especially useful for the head of the household, who may travel a lot and spend time away from home. There is added peace of mind; though we never stop worrying about the safety of our loved ones it eases the burden. Growing up in a family with 7 children, seldom was the home left unattended, and when it was we always had the good old fashioned watch dog. The new age of high tech security systems ensures peace of mind as well as security to the dwelling’s occupants and belongings. The new age security monitoring systems have video cameras, sound transponders, etc. Installed and streaming live on the internet, which allows the home owner the ability to monitor the home from virtually anywhere on the planet?
Things to remember; your safety begins and ends with you, and like your sub-conscious mind Safety never Sleeps…………………
Stay safe,
Andrew
Andrew@personaldefensivetactics.com

Sergeant Andrew Hopkinson spent over 20 years with the Village of Mamaroneck, NY Police Department, his father Lieutenant Henry Hopkinson spent 37 years retiring as the Deputy Chief. Upon retirement, Sgt. Hopkinson was immediately hired as a training sergeant for the town of Rye (NY) department of public safety. As an active shooter instructor and nationally recognized defensive tactics trainer working for two world renowned law enforcement training companies, Sergeant Hopkinson has trained hundreds of law enforcement and military units all over the United States and Canada. As a supervisor of the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department Marine Unit, he developed a “Maritime Defensive Tactics” program that was taught to numerous police marine units around the nation. He is a New York state municipal police academy instructor. A licensed New York State Security Guard he is also a certified Tactical EMT and a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. Sgt. Hopkinson worked at Ground Zero after 9/11 and was employed as a private security contractor in New Orleans Louisiana in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Sgt. Hopkinson is a Federal Bureau of Investigation certified firearms instructor as well as a New York state certified firearms instructor. A New York state certified general topics police instructor and a Monadnock MEB baton instructor, and teaches Water Survival to Police recruits in Westchester County, NY. He spent 10 years as a search and rescue underwater crime scene diver & dive team commander. Sgt. Hopkinson has received instruction in responding to terrorist threats and first responder actions at bombing scenes taught by former members of the Israeli Special Forces. He has also attended training on multiple terrorist school siege doctrine taught by westerners who were allowed to investigate the Beslan (Russia) school massacre in 2004. He is currently working and instructing for Michael Stapleton Associates, a leading Counter Terrorism and Explosives Detection company in NYC, where he is teaching Security and Counter Terrorism. He is a charter member of ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association) and a member of the International Counter Terrorism Officers Association.

Security and the Down Market............

Security: WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ASSET? THE MARKETS AREN'T YOUR ONLY RISK,

Featuring Andrew C. Hopkinson, CEO of Personal Defensive Tactics LLC

Security and the Down Market…………….As the nation’s financial crisis makes headlines, many of your family’s clearer and present dangers may be flying under the radar. Wealth brings considerable attention and security exposure to families across the globe, and many take appropriate counter measures only after costly, disruptive, or embarrassing events unfold. However with drastic times come increases in, crimes to the person, strong armed robberies, home invasions and abductions. So with that said, your family is your greatest asset, they are often the weakest link in your security blanket.
According to security expert Andrew C. Hopkinson, CEO of Personal Defensive Tactics LLC, a threat management and security consulting firm, “A lot of high net worth families are led to believe that security is a function of how much they spend. Quite to the contrary, true security is a function of putting countermeasures in place that specifically address the types of threats a family faces.” Andrew goes on to explain that some appropriate measures come at little or no cost, but families are often sold expensive equipment or monitoring services based on fear tactics.
A better approach is to consult a security expert who can evaluate your lifestyle and exposure to threats. Areas of particular concern to many families include:
Personal Security
Protection of your home, family, valuables & possessions
• Monitoring of in-home service staff, trained personnel on staff; in CPR First Aid• Interior & perimeter monitoring, well lit areas are a deterrent…..
• Safeguard monitoring around swimming pools, driveways & play areas
Identity Theft Protection• Safeguarding against the loss of wallets and purses, proper home office document shredding!
• Monitoring credit bureaus for suspicious credit activity
• Implementing cyber-security measures to prevent hacking of personal information
Background Investigations• Comprehensive investigations of work history, criminal history, credit history, education and credentials of prospective domestic or corporate employees
• Deep assessments of character, integrity, and personal history through interviews of associates and former employers
Special Event Planning
Minimizing the risk of a crime, unwanted exposure, or terrorist activity through site planning, technology assessment, access controls, and transportation planning
• Providing incident response in the event of a threat, having trained personnel on staff; in CPR First Aid, Executive Protection/Personal Protection.


Security and the Down Market…………….

Global Travel Intelligence
• Assessment of your ‘value’ as a ransom target, bad guys will monitor private jet traffic……
• Assessment of the political, criminal, terrorist and kidnapping risk profile of each destination
• Recommendations of hotels, airports, travel routes, have an EP escape an evasion trained driver.
Cyber Security
• Establishing an information security policy, procedures, and access control
• Assessing network vulnerability, children are always online……
• Acquisition, deployment, and maintenance of information systems equipment
• Response, investigation, and management of cyber attacks
• Monitoring of compliance to existing laws, guidelines, and industry best practices
Stalking Mitigation
Consultation on prevention, detection, and avoidance, continue training household staff
• Advice on eliminating the stalking threat or ending stalker activity, if you see something, say something
• Coordination with Federal, State and local authorities
Workplace or School Safety• Threat assessments to your office, review of your child’s school safety procedures
• Violence avoidance, “The Ostrich and the Eagle” situational awareness
• Employee training, I will say it again; in CPR First Aid, Executive Protection/Personal Protection.

History has shown us what can and does happen in a financial crisis, ask your self this, Security, if not now then when? What are your greatest assets really worth? Don’t play the Ostrich……
Andrew C. Hopkinson
Can be reached Andrew@personaldefensivetactics.com

Sergeant Andrew Hopkinson

Sergeant Andrew Hopkinson spent over 20 years with the Village of Mamaroneck, NY Police Department before retiring in early 2007. Upon retirement, he was immediately hired as a training sergeant for the town of Rye (NY) department of public safety. As an active shooter instructor and nationally recognized defensive tactics trainer working for two world renowned law enforcement training companies, Sergeant Hopkinson has trained hundreds of law enforcement and military units all over the United States and Canada. As a supervisor of the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department Marine Unit, he developed a “Maritime Defensive Tactics” program that was taught to numerous police marine units around the nation. He is a New York state municipal police academy instructor. He is also a certified Tactical EMT and a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. Hopkinson worked at Ground Zero after 9/11 and was employed as a private security contractor in New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Sgt. Hopkinson is a Federal Bureau of Investigation certified firearms instructor as well as a New York state certified firearms instructor. A New York state certified general topics police instructor and a Monadnock MEB baton instructor. He spent 10 years as a search and rescue underwater crime scene diver & dive team commander. Sgt. Hopkinson has received instruction in responding to terrorist threats and first responder actions at bombing scenes taught by former members of the Israeli Special Forces. He has also attended training on multiple terrorist school siege doctrine taught by westerners who were allowed to investigate the Beslan (Russia) school massacre in 2004. He is currently instructing for Michael Stapleton Associates, a leading Counter Terrorism and Explosives Detection company in NYC, where he is teaching Security and Counter Terrorism. He is a charter member of ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association) and a member of the International Counter Terrorism Officers Association.

The Ostrich & The Eagle.......

"The Ostrich and the Eagle"

As fellow instructor Brian Willis writes;

If you were to close your eyes and allow the image of an Eagle to come to mind, that image would most likely be of a powerful creature soaring at great heights, a commanding presence. The Eagle has served as a symbol of strength, power and majesty for decades.

Contrast that to the image of an Ostrich, with their head buried in the sand, as a symbol of those times in our life where we get caught up in that victim thinking and bury our head in the sand not wanting to face the world around us. For some people this is the way they live their life; for others it is occasional behavior.

When you find yourself in an important life and death situation, and you have a decision to make, you can choose to be an Ostrich or an Eagle.

We all make a conscious decision to be an Ostrich or an Eagle; the choice is yours and yours alone!


Stay Safe, Soar!

Andrew
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