For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

https://www.sacsconsulting.com Solutions For A Secure Workplace Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:22:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/04/03/private-investigation-priority-asset-tracking/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/04/03/private-investigation-priority-asset-tracking/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:22:26 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8125 Read More]]>

Proper asset tracking can solve a number of personal and business challenges, including but not limited to:

• Divorce proceeding where you think the other party is hiding something;
• Unpaid child support where you cannot verify a person’s address or ability to pay;
• Unpaid receivables and collections for bills past due and
• Collection of judgements.

Let’s face facts: Even if a judge rules in your favor regarding a personal or corporate case that does not mean you will garner anything. Hire a private investigator to complete your asset tracking and then you will be in a better position to collect the money you so respectfully deserve or help put in place a process to keep track of all your corporate assets in the first place.

What is an Assets Tracking Investigation?

Asset investigations engage in a nationwide exploration of public records to locate individual property or real estate held by a person or corporate entity. These searches are used to expose the financial silhouette of an individual or company along with locating physical possessions. Searching for assets can be useful in matters involving litigation. There are several levels of an asset search from a basic search of public records to very thorough asset investigations by a private investigator.

Divorce

In many cases divorces can be very messing and full of deception. People will try to hide property, money, and financial records either before or during a divorce.

The first step in any divorce is to try and create a complete financial report of all the assets owned. These assets are normally categorized into three segments: marital, separate, and co-mingled property. It is important to have all assets listed and labeled correctly.

However, what if you think your spouse has a hidden account or you cannot find paperwork on his or her work mutual funds? This is where a private investigator comes in to find those assets that will make a difference in your financial outcome.

If you think your spouse is not forthcoming about all that you own, get your investigator involved early in the process. It can take up to two months (or even longer) for him or her to put the complete picture together.

Child Support

The father or mother of your children claims they cannot afford to pay you child support. Or worse yet, you cannot find them. The court is willing to garnish their wages, but without verification of employment or ability to find them, you are not able to collect.

A private investigator can uncover where the person is living and complete an asset discovery and verification process. They can even verify this person’s bank balance and present all of this evidence in court to the judge.

Corporate Asset Tracking

Asset tracking solves a number of business challenges; the most important being keeping track of where the asset is within the organization. Effective tracking starts with a process for checking inventory in and out of a department or building. For example, perhaps you have a cadre of tablets and laptops that can go from department to department or even home with employees. Having the ability to track where these devices are, can save you a lot of headaches, as long as the process is followed.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Determine what you are going to track.
   Not every single item within your company needs to be tracked. Determine your “must have” list for tracking. Must haves should include inventory, money, shipments and receivables – with a minimum dollar tracking figure in each category.
2. Choose an asset tracking system.
   This doesn’t have to be through a fancy software program; asset tracking can happen via paper, Excel spreadsheets or an app. The main thing to have everyone on board with the system.
3. Track assets as they come into the company by using unique numbers.
   Establish one central place for receivables and make sure those items are entered into the tracking system. Don’t track by serial numbers; establish your own numbering system.
4. Pull measurement reports once a month and randomly check against them.
   In order to make certain your system is working, once a month randomly choose 3-5 items and see if they are where your system says they are.

SACS Consulting Does Asset Tracking Investigations

When you hire SACS Consulting and Investigative Services, Inc. you reduce your cost of collections, increase your percentage of collectable accounts and reduce corporate liability and debt. Give the private detectives at SACS a call today at 330.255.1101.

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/04/03/private-investigation-priority-asset-tracking/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/02/18/5-things-you-need-to-know-if-arrested-by-the-police/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/02/18/5-things-you-need-to-know-if-arrested-by-the-police/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2015 16:34:12 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8111 Read More]]>Things You Need to Know If Arrested By The Police
We depend on the police to keep us safe and protect us from harm regardless of race, gender, or national origin.
The time may come when you are accused of committing a crime, but you need to know that you still have a series of rights guaranteed to you. You need to know what these rights are and how to protect yourself against false accusations.
In this blog we will be looking into what rights you have, ways to protect yourself and what can happen if your rights are violated.

Your Rights and Responsibility

There are many hypothetic scenarios we could play out, but for the purpose of this blog we are going to look into what rights and responsibilities you have when placed under arrest.
You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise this right you must state this out loud. This can be associated with the 5th amendment pertaining to self incriminating evidence when answering questions.
You have the right to refuse a search of yourself and your property.
If you are not being placed under arrest, you have the right to calmly leave. First, you must make sure police are finished with their investigation. Then, you can leave.
If you are placed under arrest, you have the right to an attorney. You do not need to answer any questions until your attorney is present if you are afraid of saying something that might incriminate you.
You are to be treated humanely and should not be held unfairly if they cannot find evidence to incriminate you.
You have all of these rights no matter your immigration or citizenship status. These constitutional rights are guaranteed to you. However, you should act responsibly and failure to do so may cause you more trouble. Your responsibilities are:
Stay calm and polite. Do not obstruct or interfere with their investigation.
Don’t lie of give false information when being questioned, or asked for personal information.
Try your best to prepare yourself, and your family if you believe you will be arrested.
Remember everything about your encounter.
What You Can Do if Your Rights Have Been Violated

First and most important is to write everything down as soon as possible. It is critical to write down the details while they are fresh in your mind. This will allow you to accurately portray all the events that took place, and you will have a consistent story.
Once you have a written document you should try reaching out to the police chief. He is the person that directly oversees day to day operation among all officers. If he or she is unresponsive, or do not meet your level of satisfaction, then you can try contacting the mayor. He is the governing body that is on control over all things that happen within a municipality.
Finally, there are different agencies in place to handle civil rights violation. Your best bet is to write to your local state civil rights commission and file a written complaint. If you feel like they are not listening or have ignored your complaint you can write to specialty groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. In a last ditch effort you can even contact local media personalities to get your story heard.

SACS Consulting and Investigation Services, Inc.

Please give Mr. Dimoff a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about ways SACS Consulting and Investigative Services Inc. can help. We have trained personnel that can come into your police force, company or non-profit organizations to train about the importance of protecting your civil rights. Give us a call today!

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/02/18/5-things-you-need-to-know-if-arrested-by-the-police/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/23/is-it-okay-for-the-police-to-monitor-your-social-media-activity/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/23/is-it-okay-for-the-police-to-monitor-your-social-media-activity/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:25:50 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8104 Read More]]>

Is it okay for the police to monitor your social media channels?

Today, police have many tools when it comes to catching criminals. The next tool they utilize may allow them to never leave their desk, and may be able to predict criminal activity before it happens. With more and more people having multiple social media accounts, it is easier than you think to find out information about someone. On the horizon for law enforcement will be learning how to integrate social media monitoring software as a way to catch real life criminals.  We will be discussing different things to keep in mind when writing a policy on how to use social media monitoring systems and some examples of how social media has helped catch criminals in the past.

Policies and Procedures for Investigating on Social Media

Creating a policy that governs how an agency will use the monitoring software ensures that all employees align with the goals and objectives of the agency. To use social media monitoring responsibly, start off with a policy that has a mission to support how you plan on using social media to capture information when dealing with the general public. However, if you are a convicted criminal, or on probation, perhaps your policy states that all posts will be scrutinized.

When monitoring the general public, there could be three levels on to how you would be observed.

• Level one would be just like anybody trying to view your profile. If your privacy settings are strict and the police have no reason to monitor your account, they would not be able to view the content of your account.
• Level two would be a discreet status of viewing where the law enforcement agency identity would remain hidden when viewing different profiles because if their identity was found out it would damper the collection of evidence.
• Level three would be similar to an undercover police officer where they could have a completely fake profile and they would be able to view all content no matter the privacy settings.

If police collect enough evidence to potential indict someone on criminal charge they would need more evidence then just a post or a tweet. Police need a registered IP address to authenticate the user information, have a suspect’s confession, or witness statements.

Social Media Monitoring as a Crime Stopper

Some people are not very savvy and post on social channels about crimes they have already committed. An example of this can be found in Seattle, where 18-year-old Jacob Cox- Brown described his drunken driving accident on Facebook. The police could not charge him with DUI, but he was held accountable for failing to control his vehicle.

Another example of social media saving the day could be found when Oklahoma native Misty Van Horn was trying to sell her child for $4,000 to bail her boyfriend out for jail.

Police don’t always need to search profiles of the accused to find evidence. Social media can be handy when trying to collect information about a physical description, vehicle descriptions, and details of a crime.

How SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. Can Help Police Forces

SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. offers a SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY TRAINING PROGRAM and SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY TIPS. We have trained personnel that can come into your police force, company or non-profit organization to train your employees and volunteers about what to look for and how to report criminal activity.

Give SACS Consulting a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about our training and tips! 

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/23/is-it-okay-for-the-police-to-monitor-your-social-media-activity/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/06/what-the-latest-ny-police-shooting-says-to-me/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/06/what-the-latest-ny-police-shooting-says-to-me/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2015 15:30:46 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8099 Read More]]>

Will police officers continue to be targeted in 2015?

You can grieve over police officers losing their life in the line of duty or you can be upset with them in cases like Ferguson. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can respect police officers and still want them to be held to high standards.

Two New York police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjin Liu, were shot while sitting in their police car on December 20, 2014. These two officers did nothing to instigate an attack on themselves. Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot the police officers out of pure retaliation for the death of Eric Garner. I will be looking at what signals the suspect gave off and what I think jointly needs to happen to unite communities after this type of tragic incident.

Warning Signals and Behavior of an Active Shooter

Brinsley was a 28-year-old African American male, and a Brooklyn native. He was a troubled person from a young age; first attempting suicide at age 13, and again last year. He was arrested 19 times in Ohio and Georgia. The arrests ranged from shoplifting to felony possession of a firearm of which he served a two year sentence. Brinsley  was released from prison in July 2013. He never had a stable home life – living in Boston, Atlanta, and Baltimore.

Before he shot and killed officers Ramos and Liu, he warned the public about his future plans on Instagram. “I’m putting wings on pigs today”, “They take 1 of ours let’s take 2 of theirs”, with hashtags #shootthepolice , #RIPEricGarner, and #RIPMikeBrown.  Clearly Brinsley was not in a good place in his life, but his friends said  they would not have seen him committing such a heinous crime. Furthermore, earlier in the day, around 6 a.m., Brinsley shot his former girlfriend, who lived in Baltimore, in the stomach. He knew his time was limited so he made a beeline to New York. During this time he made Instagram posts regarding the police. Shortly after around 3 PM he killed officers Ramos and Liu.

Moving Forward

Different events such as Ferguson have led to a loss of respect for members of our police force and an increase in discomfort for minority groups across America. Political figures and community leaders from BOTH sides of the debate need to stand together to let the public know that violent behavior is not the solution to combat this uprising. If leadership from the minority groups does not step forward and declare violence (looting, destruction of businesses, physical attacks and strongly denouncing all shootings against law enforcement) is NOT the answer there is little hope to bring joint solutions and positive change! Ignoring the violent behavior will only push the debate in the wrong direction. This country will not come together and find solutions  with community leaders who seem to incite violence and hatred instead of working towards coming together. Retaliation for the death of Michael Brown and Eric Garner will not benefit the situation at hand. If people are unhappy with the current laws in place or how they are defined, they should change them through the proper channels. Our system is set up in a way that our laws can be modified or changed. If the people affected want immediate action then peaceful protests can be supported by our government and will garner support from BOTH sides of this debate and concerns towards viable solutions within society and the law enforcement community.

We need to better utilize some of the new tools we have available including social media channels to predict who is potentially at high risk for committing violent crimes. causing destruction, etc.

Another problem that is needs addressed is that many young people are not taught to respect the law. They feel hatred instead. What are the parents, teachers, etc. roles in this? As a nation, shouldn’t we be making a stronger effort to teach our children to respect laws and the police?

Secondly, we need the general public and people who are aware of specific individuals with criminal intent to use violence to cause destruction, harm, and killings to step forward and notify community leaders and law enforcement officials of these certain individuals’ criminal intentions to prevent and support more feasible joint solutions.

If we want to bring these communities together, it will take a unification of civil rights leaders, politicians, and heads of law enforcement to unite common people. If our leaders show they can work together to solve these issues, then the supporters from both sides will follow.

SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. Position on this Matter

Tim Dimoff is President of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. and is available for media interviews about this subject.

In addition, as a former police officer and a national law Enforcement “Use of Force Expert,” Mr. Dimoff  is fully aware of the dangers that come with the territory. He does not support retaliation for past actions, such as the actions of Brinsley.  How we move forward is what defines us. Please give Mr. Dimoff a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about ways SACS Consulting can help you and your organization recognize and defuse the growing threat of violence and aggression in our society.

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2015/01/06/what-the-latest-ny-police-shooting-says-to-me/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/12/11/12-tips-to-determine-if-workplace-bullying-is-happening-to-you/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/12/11/12-tips-to-determine-if-workplace-bullying-is-happening-to-you/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2014 19:32:29 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8087 Read More]]>

Are you saying no?

Workplace bullying can be defined as repeated unreasonable actions of an individual(s) directed towards an employee(s), which are intended to cause health risks, intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine.

It is estimated by the Orlando Business Journal that work place bullying costs over $180 million per year in lost time and productivity. Other effects can be litigation and increases in turnover, absenteeism, and higher workplace dissatisfaction.

You may be accidental condoning the bullying by not taking proper steps to prevent this from happening. This will be damaging to your company culture, and lead to more employees being dissatisfied with their job. In this blog post, I will be discussing the motivation of a bully, how to identify if you are being bullied, and advice for victims that suffer from bullying.

Behavior and Motivation of a Bully

Bullying comes in many forms such as:

•             Verbal Abuse

•             Spreading Gossip/Lies

•             Threatening Behavior

•             Humiliation

•             Work Inferences/Sabotage

•             Persistent Criticisms of Employees’ Work

•             Insulting Workers’ Habits, Attitudes or Personal Lives

•             Reminding Employees of Mistakes

Behaviors like this tend to be directed towards people that are eager to please, are non-confrontational, and a threat to their authority. There is a misconception that victims of bulling are vulnerable, weak, or thin- skinned. This is not usually the case because many times the people targeted are tough competitors, go-getters, high performers, and well liked people. Bullying has a hidden motivation and that is control.

Are You Being Bullied?

12 tips to find out if you are being bullied:

1.            Your work is never good enough for the boss.

2.            Your boss makes you feel humiliated.

3.            You constantly feel anxious and agitated at work and dread the start of a new workweek.

4.            Your co-workers stop socializing with you.

5.            Someone is constantly interfering with tasks you are trying to complete.

6.            You are yelled at in front of others, but punished for yelling back.

7.            Human resources and other bosses say there is “nothing they can do” about the bully’s behavior.

8.            Your requests to transfer positions or office locations are denied.

9.            You constantly feel stressed about work, even when you’re at home.

10.          You feel exhausted on your days off and uninterested in activities you once enjoyed.

11.          Your family suggests you “leave work at the office” and your doctor asks about what could be causing your new health problems.

12.          You start to think you somehow caused the bullying.

Advice for Victims

The same thought process is used with any problem in your life, and the first step is to acknowledge what is going on. Next, you need to identify what type of abuse is taking place. Then, you should research your options and review company policies to find out what sort of action to take. The final step is to present your factual case to the highest level person possible. When presenting your case stick to the facts and try not to let your emotion get involved. You never know; your case might be the reason your company is looking for to dismiss the bully.

Bullying can be reduced by the training and awareness programs we offer, and by implementing strict anti-bullying policies. This will create an environment that make victims feel that they can come forward when they feel like they are being bullied. These steps will help to create a less stressful work atmosphere that will lead to an increase in productivity and job satisfaction.

Give SACS Consulting a call today to learn more about the ways we can help: 330-255-1101. 

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Should Police Personnel Be Armed with Cameras?

We live in an era of technology with access to information at the touch of a button. Our cell phones are equipped with cameras that can document anything we choose, so why aren’t police personnel required to wear cameras? You would think for the greater good that police, for investigative purposes, would want to wear cameras to document the daily encounters they have. Having body cameras to document the truth would have helped in cases like Ferguson, or more recently the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. In this post we will be talking about the positive, negative, and policies that could result from requiring the police to wear body cameras.

Positive effect of body cameras

There are numerous reports every year about police officers stepping over the boundary as to what they are allowed to do. Furthermore, there are many cases where the officer’s reports are different than what the suspects said happened. To protect both sides it seems like having video documentation would be the answer. Video does not lie – and it would put an end to these disputes. By requiring officers to wear cameras it would help to promote greater transparency for the police which have taken a bad rap lately.

Other benefits would include greater evidence collection, holding officers accountable, provide accurate documentation between the police and the public, and to use videos as training tools to improve performance.   Currently all police cars are required to have dashboard cameras, but that still leaves blank areas considering the many incidences are not performed in front of the police car.

Negative effect of body cameras

Although it may seem like the positive effect of having police wear body cameras outweighs the negative effect, we still need to consider both sides. If the police are constantly recording everything they saw would that be an even greater infringement to our personal privacy? Many people would say yes it is. What if a potential suspect did not want to be recorded? In the heat of the moment during an arrest they would not have the ability to turn off the camera, so they would be recorded. Knowing that the officers’ actions are being recorded may hinder their performance due to the fact they could be afraid of doing something wrong. It may also change how the community perceives the police; for the better or worse.

New Policies

If police were required to wear body cameras there would need to be many policies and laws put in place.

• Cameras would need to be “continuously on” so there would be any gaps in the video.
• There would need to be laws that specified whether or not the cameras recordings were public record, or used for investigative purposes only.
• Cameras should never be used to secretly record anyone, and officers should have the ability to turn the cameras off in their down time.
• Audits of the recordings should not be used for punishment of officer, but used as a training tool.
• Officers should be able to view their own recordings to better their performance. Confidential conversations about pending cases should not be recorded.
• Under no circumstance would anyone be allowed to edit the video once it is captured.

Moving Forward

In October, Cleveland City Council passed legislation for the police department to spend 1.6 million dollars to equip hundreds of police officers with body cameras in the early part of 2015. After the shooting of 12 year old Tamir Rice many council members and civilians would like to see this happen sooner rather than later. It will be some time before every officer on the force is equipped with these cameras due to the amount of money it will take. In the meantime, state and city governments should be formulating laws, and policies regarding the use of body cameras.

Tim Dimoff is President of SACS Consulting and available for media interviews about this subject.

In addition, as a former policeman, Tim is fully aware of the pros and cons of body cameras. Please give Tim a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about ways SACS Consulting can help you and your organization.

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/27/should-police-personnel-be-armed-with-body-cameras/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/15/should-marijuana-be-legalized-in-ohio/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/15/should-marijuana-be-legalized-in-ohio/#comments Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:50:41 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8072 Read More]]>

Should This Be Growing In Your Backyard?

Written by Guest Blogger, Jeremy Robinson

Legalization of marijuana is an issue that citizens from every state seem to have an opinion on. Should it be legalized for medical uses only, or should it be used for recreational use as well?

Back in the 1960’s, marijuana was called the “gateway drug” because the propaganda at the time was, if you smoked, all of a sudden you would want to drop acid, shoot up heroin and become a hardcore drug addict. Now the times have changed, cannabis (the plant of which marijuana is derived) is seen as an herbal remedy to cope with conditions that arise from serious sickness, and as a form of relaxation.  We will be discusses what is on the horizon for this plant that has caused so much controversy.

Current Status

Taking into consideration the recent election there are four states that allow marijuana for recreational use: Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. These states are considered to be the first movers with the legalization for recreational use of the plant.

There are 5 more states following suit in 2015 with bills in legislation: Maine, Nevada, California, Massachusetts, and Arizona. It seems like the West Coast is the epicenter for this movement. Southern and Midwestern states seem to be multiple years out from legalization with bills for medical use yet to be approved or even taken seriously.

Ohio’s Stance On Cannabis

State Rep. Robert Hagan (D-Youngstown) introduced HB 153 and HJR 6 in 2013 that would allow cannabis similar to other bills approved, and in place in over 20 states. The bills did not pass their first hearing, and they have not been passed by the Health and Aging Committee which is a necessary step. Currently in the state of Ohio possession of less than 100 grams (or about 3.5 ounces), giving 20 grams or less of marijuana to another person, or growing less than 100 grams of marijuana are each considered  “minor misdemeanors.” Each one of these offenses is punishable with a maximum of $150, and you cannot go to jail for this offense. Ohio governor John Kasich thinks we should not legalize medical marijuana because the overall medical community has remained reticent on the issue. This seems to be the stance many of the elected officials feel in our state even though I would say a majority of the population within the state would support the legalization for medical use.

The Future of Cannabis

I predict the future of cannabis to be of one very similar to gambling. The idea of gambling was frowned upon in the beginning and now all but two states allow some form of gambling. Legalization of cannabis will vary from state to state on levels of usage, amounts allowed to obtain, and growing quantities.

I support the legalization for medical use because there has to be compassion behind the thought a serious ill people who can benefit from the plant. It may be some time before all states approve the plant for medical use because the American Medical Association calls cannabis “a dangerous drug” and “public health concern.” Despite what they may say more and more states are approving legislation for use, and I belief the key to success will be to study those states to find out what works for them. By observing what does and doesn’t work we will be better able to install an effective system for our state that keeps the marijuana in the hands of the right users.

SACS Consulting and Investigative Services Inc. Position on Cannabis

Although recreational use of marijuana may become legitimized over time, it is important to remember this is still a drug and like alcohol, it has no place in the workplace.

SACS Consulting is a leader in the development of policies for companies who chose to participate in the Ohio BWC’s Drug Free Safety Program (DFSP). Give us a call at 330-255-1101 to learn more about how we can help your organization.

]]>https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/15/should-marijuana-be-legalized-in-ohio/feed/ 0 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/05/social-media-posts-protected-by-the-first-amendment-part-2/ https://www.sacsconsulting.com/2014/11/05/social-media-posts-protected-by-the-first-amendment-part-2/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2014 20:30:29 +0000 https://www.sacsconsulting.com/?p=8058