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As our country swore in a new president it is my hope that our nation can begin to climb out of this economic funk, employ more people and assist those who cannot help themselves. However, if you are able to work and employment is available, do so. Pay taxes, and attempt to live and live in the American Dream.

These are trying times for men and women . . . I once heard a statement that rang true with me; it goes like this. . . “ADVERSITY DOES NOT BUILD CHARACTER IT REVEALS IT.” The beginning always starts with you. Many of you have a profound effect on others and don’t know it. That’s ok. I know a woman who is 95 years old and lives life to the fullest. I asked her what her secret is to live such a long life. She said “everyday I find something to be happy about.” Find something to be happy about. It can be something very minor and insignificant like finding a favorite shirt that had been lost or maybe treating a loved one or friend to a weekend breakfast. This is a new era for our country and my friend, I hope for you too.

Peter J. DeCicco is the Author of this article.

Pete is a retired Police Officer with 25 years on the job experience. He has worked with the Maplewood New Jersey Police Department for 5 years and the Essex County New Jersey Sheriff’s for 20 years.

Pete holds a M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin and has done Graduate work at Stevens Institute with a focus in Industrial Psychology. He is currently working on his PsyD in Counseling Psychology at California Coast University.

Pete has also written articles on topics such as “Occupational Stress in Law Enforcement.”

Pete would like you to comment on is blog. He can also be reached at pdecicco@copcircle.com.

Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving? Where did Christmas go? And the New Year. . . what happened to 2008? Time waits for no man. No man can stop time. Try to make time longer. Try to make life more meaningful to you . . .for you and your loved ones. Make your time count. Don’t count the time. Don’t let time slip right on away. It’s your time, make it work for you.

Peter J. DeCicco is the Author of this article.

Pete is a retired Police Officer with 25 years on the job experience. He has worked with the Maplewood , New Jersey Police Department for 5 years and the Essex County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s for 20 years.

Pete holds a M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin and has done Graduate work at Stevens Institute with a focus in Industrial Psychology. He is currently working on his PsyD in Counseling Psychology at California Coast University.

Pete has also written articles on topics such as “Occupational Stress in Law Enforcement.”

Pete would like you to comment on is blog. He can also be reached at pdecicco@copcircle.com.

What I mean by “the reality of identity theft” is that we are all at risk and once victimized a significant amount of time and effort is needed to restore your identity. I am speaking of an average case. Severe cases can be devastating and consume your life. Restoring your Identity is not simply restoring your credit. Always keep in mind that your credit is only one aspect of identity theft.

What are the chances, the average, hardworking individual is going to routinely and consistently monitor their credit? Most of us work long hours to provide for our families whether you are the main bread winner or at home with the kids. Everyone is busy! And, when we are not busy working, we should be busy playing. It’s the American Way. If you have some free time, then, perhaps self monitoring is a good choice for you. However, as I mentioned in the previous articles, I am convinced there is no comparison to continuous monitoring services. And then, the unexpected happens, you get your first call from a collection agency and the saga begins.

I can’t stress enough that identity theft comes from out of the blue. It literally comes from nowhere and takes people by surprise. I know this from my years of experience as a police officer. I have taken the reports first hand from all types of citizens. It is a despicable crime where thieves usually get away and leave a trail of destruction in their path.

With a reputable and dependable identity theft protection service in place, your life does not have to be disrupted or put on hold in the unfortunate event you fall victim to this crime. Imagine your busy life; your life that does not allow you the time to consistently monitor your credit. Now imagine yourself in a maze of phone calls, letter writing, possible court appearances and dealing with collection agencies. With identity theft protection in place, trained professionals will do the work and you can continue your daily routine at work, at play and with your loved ones.

I tried to keep this article relatively short so hopefully you could spend some time on an excellent government resource site that covers identity theft. Click on the link below and read the information on the site. After going through the site, you will start to realize how complicated things become when your identity is stolen. There is also a video link on the site. View it! Real victims are on this video describing their hardships. It is implied that none of these people had a protection service in place.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html

We have put together a series of informative articles on this subject to help you make an informed decision about protecting your identity. I firmly believe our services will offer peace of mind and value to you and your family. Please check back for more articles on identity theft.
Best Regards,

Michael Ruglio
President
COPCIRCLE.COM

Note: Our identity theft services are for everyone. Special promotions and insentives exist for COPCIRCLE.COM members. Please inquire by contacting us at www.copcircle.com and click on the contact us link. Thank you.

Michael Ruglio is the author of this article. He can be reached at
mruglio@copcircle.com

There is some criticism and misconceptions today about identity theft protection. We will discuss a good amount of them in the articles that follow. For now, I would like to talk about one criticism that I disagree with. Some critics of this industry claim that identity theft protection is not necessary and the victim can fix his or her own problems for “free.” Let’s discuss this.

I feel the first part of this claim is false. In today’s times identity theft protection is needed. The second part of this critique, however, is sort of true. Yes, victims can fix the damage themselves for “free” without identity theft protection. However, by the time victims learn of the fraudulent activity, the damage to their credit and identity is significant and many times severe. This means a major disruption in the victim’s life. Is that really free?

It is important to know that most identity theft protection plans offered today is a combination of credit monitoring and victim assistance by individuals who are either experienced investigators or adequately trained in the field. I believe that most companies offering identity theft services deliver what they advertise.

The first line of defense against identity theft, regarding your credit, is not practices such as shredding your documents or using cash at times. I consider these actions best practices, however, the first line of defense against identity theft is credit monitoring. Not having identity theft protection is not having credit monitoring. Without credit monitoring, a victim will most likely not be aware someone is tapping into their credit until months later. By that time the damage has already grown to a significant amount of fraud. When one’s identity is stolen, the victim usually receives their first call from a collection agency and their credit is already damaged. I rather receive notification from a friendly monitoring service hours after the first fraudulent transaction, not months later from a curt collections agent.

Without protection, at this point the victim can start his or her journey of countless phone calls, weeks, months or possibly several years of frustration. Can you imagine not being able to buy a house or borrow money at a crucial time in your life because your credit is on hold? Because of the unfettered fraudulent use of your credit over many weeks or months you may have to make countless phone calls at work attempting to straighten out matters. Worse yet, you may not be allowed to make phone calls at work in the first place. If credit monitoring was already in place, criminals would not be able to get this far. And, in the event fraud was still able to be committed, identity theft specialists will do most of the work for you so you can concentrate on your job and family.

Still, critics may say victims can monitor their own credit, claiming we are all entitled to one free credit report each year. Another claim may be that a victim (or anyone for that matter) can place fraud alerts on their credit by using the automated systems of the three credit bureaus at no charge.
Let’s address the first claim of people monitoring their own credit. This simply does not happen in reality. Credit monitoring services notify you quickly, typically by email or phone, when unusual activity occurs on your credit report. The monitoring is constant and alerts are sent to you fast, many times within 24 hours of a transaction. Obtaining a free copy of your credit report once a year is not credit monitoring and to check your credit report everyday would cost you an arm and a leg. Remember, only the first report is free. Credit monitoring services are valuable and cannot be compared with an individual checking his or her credit report from time to time.

The second claim, that anyone can place fraud alerts on their credit, is not realistic either. Fraud alerts stay in effect for 90 days and are designed to protect those who have already been victimized. Placing a fraud alert on your credit is not a substitute for credit monitoring. It is a temporary safeguard.

We also have to keep in mind that tapping into our credit is not the only reason criminals steel our identity. It is only part of the problem. So even if critics are convinced that we can handle the credit monitoring and repair ourselves, there are many other ways one’s identity can be used; To name a few, opening a bogus company, obtaining a driver’s license or having a medical procedure done. As a result you may have to go to court for violations you did not commit, receive medical bills for an illness or injury you never had, or have a warrant out for your arrest? The list goes on and on. In the forthcoming articles we will address the many ways criminals can use your identity.

In summary, identity theft protection is a valuable service that provides everyday peace of mind, even if nothing happens. In the unfortunate event of a security breach on your identity, you will be glad you had protection in place before the fact.

This service is very affordable, even for those on a tight budget. For the price of one lunch, you and your family can be protected each month. I see identity theft protection as an insurance against something that could happen to you. Just like car insurance or home owners insurance, I believe identity theft protection is just as important. Unfortunately, most people do not realize this until they are already victimized.

We have put together a series of informative articles on this subject to help you make an informed decision about protecting your identity. I firmly believe our services will offer peace of mind and value to you and your family. Please check back for Article #3 in this series which will be published January 4, 2009.

Best Regards,

Michael Ruglio
President
COPCIRCLE.COM

Note: Our identity theft services are for everyone. Special promotions and insentives exist for COPCIRCLE.COM members. Please inquire by contacting us at www.copcircle.com and click on the contact us link. Thank you.

Michael Ruglio is the author of this article. He can be reached at
mruglio@copcircle.com

COPCIRCLE.COM is excited and proud to offer the following service: Identity Theft Shield. We are offering this service to both our members and non members.

Identity theft is when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud and other crimes. Identity theft is a criminal activity that is on the rise and growing at an alarming rate. As police officers, my associates and I bring 16+ years of experience and knowledge regarding this matter. There are various ways in which you can fall victim to identify theft and the best defense is to protect your identity ( including your name and credit), before its too late.

The reason we have chosen to get into this business is because we have seen firsthand, the damage this crime does to hard working people, just like you. In the past, there was not much recourse for victims, other than reporting the crime after the fact and spending endless hours, even weeks and months trying to repair their good name and credit.

We offer identity theft and credit monitoring services to protect you from the costs associated with identity theft and help you clean up your credit when someone steals your identity.

We have put together a series of informative articles on this subject to help you make an informed decision about protecting your identity. I firmly believe our services will offer peace of mind and value to you and your family. Please check back for Article #2 in this series which will be published December 28, 2008.

Best Regards,

Michael Ruglio
President
COPCIRCLE.COM

Note: Our identity theft services are for everyone. Special promotions and insentives exist for COPCIRCLE.COM members. Please inquire by contacting us at www.copcircle.com and click on the contact us link. Thank you.

Michael Ruglio is the author of this article. He can be reached at
mruglio@copcircle.com

What’s Copcircle.com all about?

According to UCR reports there are over 1.5 million sworn law enforcement officers employed in the United States. This number reflects both police and corrections officers. Although we consider ourselves part of one large brotherhood, in reality the system is extremely fragmented. Lines of communication across jurisdictional boundaries are not as free as we would like them to be. However, being a part of a culture that is nearly two million members strong is a privilege.

Copcircle.com aims to strengthen relationships among officers across the country through the technology of the Internet. To the best of our knowledge, copcircle.com is the first social web site of its kind for the law enforcement community. Members can build their own web site; create their own unique groups with forums and many other features. Each member can create their own social circle and invite non-members in as long as they are sworn or retired law enforcement officers. At the same time, members can be a part of a vast network of brother and sister officers.

What makes us so unique? First and foremost, not just anyone can join copcircle.com. There is a verification process. Members MUST be sworn or retired law enforcement officers. Second, the site is semi private. We are considering making it 100% private in the future. Non-members do not have full access to your entire site or the ability to access information you have chosen to make private. Other members do not have this capability either if you choose. For example you can make photos only available to your friends. You can allow just your friends to post on your blog or anyone to post on it. It’s up to you.

If you are concerned about your identity don’t be. You can make your profile for your site as limited as you wish, using aliases or nicknames.

In addition to our social network, we offer online event promotions. If you are having a law enforcement event, we can help create a space for your attendees to go for information and even register or RSVP. Just go to copcircle.com and then click on the events link to find out more. Many more useful pages will be added in the coming months such as employment opportunities and informative blogging.

Copcircle.com is in its infant stages and we are still working out some minor issues. Overall, the social network is up and running and working well. In the coming weeks you will see our home page www.copcircle.com develop with more detail and better explanations of how things work. Visit www.copcircle.com and request a membership today. It’s free!

Best regards,

Copcircle.com