Month: December 2012

Some Safety Tips If You Are Shopping This Holiday Season

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safety

The Holiday Season is here and time to think about safety.  The malls, shopping centers, and toy stores are the busiest they will be all year.  This also means that the amount of robberies and crimes that occur around these places increases with their business.  Parking lot robberies happen in malls and parking garages more than anywhere else, so it is important to be informed of what to do in case you are involved in one.  Here are some safety tips if you plan on doing some Holiday shopping this year :

1.) Bring a friend!  If you don’t have a husband or wife, try to find a friend of yours who also needs to get some shopping done, and ask them to accompany you.  This way you don’t have to walk to your car alone when you are leaving with all of the presents you just bought for your friends and family.  There’s safety in numbers!

2.) Wallets are replaceable!  If you do encounter a criminal in the parking lot or garage, and they ask for your wallet or your shopping bags, give it to them!  Even if you think you are bigger or can overpower the robber, there’s no telling what he could resort to.  Also, when you do give this person whatever they are asking for, do not hand it to them.  Toss it away from you so that you have time to run to your car when he or she is going for that, chances are they’re more interested in that than you.

3.) Take Escalators/Elevators, No Stairwells!  You should always take the elevator or escalator instead of stairwells.  While it is a better workout, walking up and down the stairs, they are horrible places to be alone in, and a lot of crimes take place in them, especially at night.

4.) Pay attention!  When you are walking back to your car, be vigilant.  Look at your car, if there is anyone sitting in any of the cars parked near your car, be aware of them.  Always look under your car to make sure there is no one under it as well.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.

5.) Don’t hang around!  When you do get back to your car, leave.  Some people have a tendancy to sit in their car for a little and maybe check what they got or  balance their checkbook, but it’s a bad idea.  This is the perfect opportunity for someone to get in your car and cause trouble for you.

We hope these safety tips help you out during this Holiday Season.

New Location in Bel Air, MD!

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Absolute Investigative, Fingerprinting and Security Services – Bel Air.In case our visitors didn’t know, we recently opened a second Absolute office at a separate location, in Bel Air, MD.  You can find the address, contact information, a map, and directions on our

In case our visitors didn’t know, we recently opened a second Absolute office at a separate location, in Bel Air, MD.  You can find the address, contact information, a map, and directions on our contact page.

Our headquarters in Towson is still very much up and running, and you can visit either location for any of our investigation, security, or fingerprinting services.  Now you don’t have to drive all the way to Towson if you live in or around the Bel Air area in Maryland!  Our hours of operation for the Bel Air location are as follows :

  • Monday : 9:30A.M. – 4:30P.M.
  • Wednesday : 9:30A.M. – 4:30P.M.
  • Friday : 9:30A.M. – 4:30P.M.

Be sure to stop by if you need fingerprinting, security services, or private investigation!

Private Investigation: Then & Now

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private detective
Sherlock Holmes, the most well known private detective of all time.

Sherlock Holmes, the most well-known private eye in show business. Usually, the first thing people think of when they hear “Private Investigator.”  He made and still makes it look cool to be a private eye.  For those who don’t know, a private investigator is someone who offers investigative services to people, businesses or organizations.  Usually, whoever wants to take advantage these services has some uncertainty or something “fishy” that they want to have investigated, and the private investigator does this for a fee.  You may have heard these investigators referred to as private eyes, private detectives, investigators, agents, spies, and sometimes P.I.’s, all of which are acceptable.

Then:

Private investigation has been an age-old occupation in America and began in the 1850’s.  Alan Pinkerton, a historical figure in this industry, was the very first private investigator in the United States.  He got his start simply by being a good Samaritan and informing local police of a group of counterfeiters nearby.  He was deputized for his act of valor, and from there decided to become a full-time police officer.  After working in the field for some time, Pinkerton noticed an increase in crime in Chicago and took it upon himself to do something about it.  He opened the nation’s first private investigation firm – Pinkerton National Detective Agency – and his services were very popular.  His firm was used by citizens, businesses, and even the U.S. Government.  Pinkerton’s company was his legacy and is still around as a subsidiary of global security group: Securitas.

Now:

Private investigation is still a very widely used service in the U.S. today.  Private detectives are used in criminal and civil cases all the time, like child custody, alimony and divorce court cases.  One of the most popular reasons to hire one today is to investigate adultery.  Unfortunately, cheating spouses are a very common topic in the private investigation field, and one of the most lucrative. On a business level, private investigators are sometimes hired by potential investors to make sure the investment group they’re about to give money to isn’t a pyramid scheme, and everything is legitimate.

So, even though every private investigator isn’t as witty and slick as Sherlock Holmes, it is still an important industry, and one of the ones that helped shape our country.