Stopping Sexual Predators - True Story

Today, I was told a story about a man who took his two daughters, aged 8 and 10, to a mall in Chicago recently. 


As he was shopping with them he witnessed an older man on an escalator, holding a cellphone underneath the skirt of a young girl standing above him on the escalator. As "Jim" saw this, he shouted at the perp, but he was about 100 yards away in a really busy mall. He went to the escalator and tried to find the man, but by the time he reached the next level the perp was gone and was no where to be found. 


Jim just learned about SOS LINK this past Thursday and said that he could have used SOS LINK to take photos of the man (with the GPS location, plus a time and date stamp to provide to authorities) and have him identified. Because photos taken with SOS LINK are sent through a secure server, they cannot be tampered with (eg. photoshop) and can be used as evidence in a court of law. 


This is a true story. And it's happened before -- a "Man caught taking photos under girl's skirt". 


The sad reality is that technology continues to be used to abuse - but the good news is that we can also use the same technology to catch those in the act and stop them. 

Options for Back-Up

Just a quick entry today... 

Occasionally people will ask me why they need SOS LINK if they could just call 911.  Let me be clear - there is absolutely a role for 911 - but just not in every situation. 

Recently, a friend was involved in an altercation with a driver with road rage. He followed her, was swearing at her, threatening her.... so she called 911. This gentleman lived on her street and she was fearful. What did they say at 911? Nothing. They told her this was not an emergency. He actually had to cause some harm first. 

This really got me thinking about our idea of "emergency response" and what "help" looks like. 

 

Now, not to put down those who man the phones at our 911 response centers, but here are a few questions...When was the last time you called them? If you can remember - let me ask you this:

1. How many questions did you need to answer before you were connected to the help you were looking for?
2. Have you ever been told that the reason you were calling was not an emergency?

Well, I have called before, and told that my situation was not emergent enough. I have called and been told that police would be right over - when it took over 8 hours to respond. But sometimes I just feel like I need a little extra help - like, my Dad, for example. Hence, the need for SOS LINK.

My 31 year old friend claimed that she just wanted a little back up with that driver with road rage - maybe not police - but she felt she needed someone.  Would that driver have backed down if he knew that his picture was being taken? Possibly. Deterrents are powerful tools....

All I am saying is that it is nice to have options - even in an uncomfortable situation. Police? Friends? Family? Both? Well, you can have both. Yay for that.

Realtors & Working Alone

I will admit that there have been times, in the past, when I thought being a realtor was a pretty cushy gig. In the housing explosion over the past few years it was not uncommon for realtors to make $40,000 commissions on properties that sold in a number of days. "What a great gig!', I thought.

But as many realtors will probably tell you, that's the exception and not the rule. As a buyer's agent, you are required to: see multiple properties, arrange viewings that work for the seller and potential buyers, drive all over town, work long hours, and spend lots of time away from your family. So yes, there is some work there that we don't always think about. But here's the kicker: what about safety? 


When people are thinking about changing careers and they think about real estate, they don't necessarily think "oh, but that's a dangerous profession." That kind of statement is generally limited to police officers, fire fighters, crab fisherman (know the show "Deadliest Catch"?), and miners. Well, guess what? Real Estate is a dangerous business, too. 


This week, a man was convicted for sexually assaulting a real estate agent (read about it here) back in March. He acted like he was looking to buy property, and assaulted her when they were alone. This was not an isolated incident... he had been trying to set up other agents, too.  


Other sources confirm this alarming trend about violence against realtors. From Impact Safety:


"Violence in High Risk Professions:


An alarming trend of violence against real estate agents has emerged throughout the country in the last decade. Agent safety was cited as an important issue by nearly 90 percent of respondents in a 2003 Ohio Association of Realtors member survey. By comparison, safety concerns received no mention in a 1997 survey."

The bottom line is that we all, regardless of the 'perception' of safety (or lack thereof), need to do what we can to stay safe and think about prevention. Have a strategy/back up plan wherever you are -- and, maybe get SOS LINK, too. 


Cheers, 


Jill