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Unread 14-04-2009, 21:15
Mark Rozitis
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Laptop Safety in Atlanta

I work in news and do mostly the crime beat and severe weather so all day I am listening to four Uniden BC996's and one 396 and I hear and the emergency services calls all day long.

My best advice is never take the chance and not even for a second because it only takes seconds for the professional bandit to do something.

I always bring extra stuff of value into the event/regional that I'm covering because it's probably the safest place for my backpack and laptop but of course it is a well advertised public event so maybe a steel cable securing the valuables is still a good deterrent just in case.

As for the car or truck I wouldn't leave anything in there, doesn't matter what city you are in or what part of the city, keep in mind the professional bandits are very good at what they do.

I was downtown Toronto last summer at the court house and stepped a few feet away from my truck to buy an ice cream and a bandit on a bike rode up and got into one of the compartments on the truck while I was paying for the ice cream, right 25 feet away, I walked over and most of that ice cream went right up his nose, he ran and left the bike behind.

Lucky only 500 feet of video cable was in that box but if it was a laptop or camera it would have been picked up and gone in seconds.

Just amazing how fast it can happen and how quietly and it can happen to anyone anywhere in a big or small city or town.

I work with the constant mentality that a bandit could be right around the corner, I also am in the habit of covering things up and leaving things a bit messy when I leave the truck, and no visual distractions, even a coke can sitting on the dash can draw the bad guys eye to you're vehicle. in general though....I leave nothing removable of value in the vehicle and when I am transporting the laptop it is always covered and in the back pack out of sight for a reason.

Any planned indoor event the vehicles outside are at risk so don't leave anything in those vehicles.

As for inside, I personally am of the opinion that a first event is probably the safest place for you're equipment but still perhaps keep it tied down just in case.

The stuff we hear on the scanners everyday is just incredible as to how slick some of these crooks are and with the severe recession I would be just as worried about robbery as theft so low profile is the way to go.

I want the would-be bandit thinking all I have in my backpack is a stuffed animal

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