$1,000 Reward Offered for information regarding the disappearance of Iowa kids Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, July 24, 2012:  Minneapolis based Vigilant Personal Protection Systems is contacting the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office in Waterloo, Iowa and the Evansdale, Iowa police department today to inform them that VigilantPPS.com will pay a $1,000 reward for information that directly leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the disappearance of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins. 

“We’re offering the reward and hope that other businesses and individuals match it.  News articles have stated that the FBI thinks these little girls are still alive, and together we need to get the attention of anyone who knows anything to encourage them to come forward.  This is an urgent situation that requires people to step up and become part of the solution.  Please consider getting involved financially in helping to bring these little girls home” said David Happe, Vigilant Personal Protection Systems spokesman.

Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, or Elizabeth Collins, 8, is urged to call the Evansdale, Iowa police department at 319-232-6682.

How NOT To Test Pepper Spray

We received in a new shipment of pepper spray earlier this morning.  As I state at the top of VigilantPPS.com, I won't sell a product to anyone that I would not recommend to a family member.  So, I wanted to test the trajectory of the spray.  I went into the kitchen at the office, and ran the water in the sink.  I shot the pepper spray directly into the drain.

  

The good news is the spray was powerful for the miniature canister size.  The bad news (for me) is that apparently pepper spray forms a vapor cloud.  Looking into the sink, I breathed in a small amount of the pepper spray vapor.  HOLY COW!  

The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum genus, including chilis.  Upon direct contact with eyes, respiratory system and mucous membranes, the active ingredients in the pepper spray will cause eyes to slam shut, coughing, and an intense burning sensation to the skin.

Fortunately for me, I did not take a direct blast to the face.  Just breathing this vapor in caused eye irritation, caused my throat to temporarily begin to feel like it was closing, and left a residual headache I am still feeling a few hours later.  Needless to say, the pepper spray we are about to launch will be an effective companion for self defense.

We probably won't have this on the market for a few weeks.  We need to find a case we can sell with this to ensure that the trigger won't accidentally discharge in your purse.  Once we find a decent travel case, we'll get it into the VigilantPPS.com store.  If you want to be notified when we launch it, shoot an email to orders@vigilantpps.com and we will let you know when we're ready to go.  

Just make sure, if you decide to test it, that you do it outside.  :-)

- Dave with VigilantPPS

Search fails to turn up missing Iowa girls; 'It's like they vanished,' official says

(CNN) -- As the search moved into its fourth day Monday for two girls last seen riding their bicycles near a lake in Evansdale, Iowa, authorities suspended a volunteer effort that drew hundreds over the weekend.

The girls -- 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook -- were last seen by their grandmother on Friday when the two, who are cousins, left her home to go ride their bicycles, authorities said.

FULL STORY HERE :

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/us/iowa-missing-cousins/index.html

How many children have been recovered through AMBER ALERTS?

Since 1997 through March 2012, the AMBER Alert program has been credited with the safe recovery of 572 children.

How many children are reported missing each year?

The U.S. Department of Justice reports

• Nearly 800,000 children younger than 18 are missing each year, or an average of 2,185 children reported missing each day.
• More than 200,000 children were were abducted by family members.
• More than 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members.

Teach vigilance.  Safety doesn't happen by accident.

June 3, 2012

One Year Later

A year ago, I remember my dad telling me to look up a story about a girl named Lauren Spierer. She was a beautiful, 20-year-old college student at the University of Indiana, and she had gone missing. People had come from all over the United States to search for her. I was sure that she would be found soon.


As of today, a year has passed since Lauren disappeared. There were leads at first of course, but none of them has panned out. I can't even imagine how hard this day is for the people that love Lauren. To have your daughter, your sister, your friend missing... their hearts are surely broken. I bet that not a day passes without them thinking of her, and that horrible moment when they received the phone call that something was wrong.


I am going to be a junior in college this year, so I know what it's like to think that you are on top of the world. We're in college; bad things happen, but not to us. It's a horrible truth that we have to face, but bad things happen to good people. Please stay vigilant. Watch out for yourself. Watch out for your friends. Simply being proactive by staying aware of your surroundings is (in my opinion) the best way to be safe. 


There is still hope for Lauren. Some one knows something about her disappearance. If you have any knowledge about what happened, please come forward. Someday, Lauren will be found.


-Rachel with Vigilant PPS

May 12, 2012

Making Your Kids Safer

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children created a safety campaign called Take 25 to encourage parents to take a simple 25 minutes out of their day to talk to their children about ways to stay safe. These tips were listed on their website as simple ways to protect your child from danger:

At Home

1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.
3. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
4. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
5. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.

On the Net

6. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
7. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child’s bedroom. Also, monitor their time spent online and the websites they’ve visited and establish rules for Internet use.
8. Know what other access your child may have to the Internet at school, libraries, or friends’ homes.
9. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
10. Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.
11. Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online.

At School

12. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
13. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.
14. Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

Out and About

15. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
16. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
17. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving home.
18. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
19. Teach your children to never approach a vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult.
20. Practice "what if" situations and ask your children how they would respond. “What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Who would you ask?”
21. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change of plans.
22. During family outings, establish a central, easy-to-locate spot to meet for check-ins or should you get separated.
23. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who they can ask for help, such as uniformed law enforcement, security guards and store clerks with nametags.
24. Help your children learn to recognize and avoid potential risks, so that they can deal with them if they happen.
25. Teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, they should make a scene and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.

Take 25 Website 

May 5, 2012

Project Safe Childhood

The United States Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood in 2006. It aims to prevent child exploitation through a combination of law enforcement efforts, community action, and public awareness. As quoted from their website, "the goal of Project Safe Childhood is to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. There are five essential components to Project Safe Childhood: (1) building partnerships; (2) coordinating law enforcement; (3) training PSC partners; (4) public awareness; and (5) accountability."

Our children need to be kept safe. Props to the government for this great program.

Project Safe Childhood Website