Six years ago. It was a perfect day. A sunny 72° with a light breeze. Paul Davidson and his daughter Christine route the mall, shopping for a dress for the snowflake dance. The last dance of middle school.
“I had accidentally left my wallet in the car,” Davidson, then 46, said. “I asked Christine to get it for me.”
That was the last time Paul Davidson saw his daughter.
Police say that it may have started as a robbery. There were signs of a struggle. Davidson’s car door was left open, and his keys were laying on the ground. Davidson’s wallet was gone. But there was some blood on the top of the car. An analysis of the blood showed that it was Christine’s.
There were people just 100 feet from where Christine was abducted, but no one saw or heard a thing. Christine Davidson’s whereabouts are still unknown.
But Paul Davidson has focused on making sure that his nightmare doesn’t become anyone else’s reality, by creating Safe Personal Alarm.
Davidson began working on the device a few years after his daughter went missing.
“The number one reason that leads to success will kidnappings is the victim isn’t or cannot make a noise,” Davidson, now 52, says. “The kidnapper tries to keep the victim’s mouth shut.”
Davidson had two main focuses when developing Safe Personal Alarm: to make it as loud and accessible as possible.
“The ability to easily make noise is crucial in a kidnapping situation,” police say.
The device easily attaches his two purses, keys, and backpacks. It’s also small enough to fit in your pocket. But it packs a wallop.
A single device is capable of creating a 125db to attract attention and scare away potential assailants. To compare, it’s the same volume as a military jet during take off.
It’s also simple to use. Rather than having a button that could easily be pressed by accident, the safety device has a pin. Once pulled, the device emits an ear-piercing sound for up to 30 continuous minutes, or until the pin is re-inserted. It can be used multiple times.
Davidson is hoping for more than just a kidnapping deterrent. He wants to help stop all kinds of crimes.
“It can be used for so many different things,” Davidson says. “Parents can give it to their kids as an extra layer of protection. Teenagers can use it so they can feel safe walking home. Women can know it’s there when they have to use the parking garage at night. I’ve given it to all the women in my life, including my 78-year-old grandmother. I like to know that she can use it to sound for help if she ever falls or feels threatened. I just wish I had come up with this years ago.”
Read more on safepersonalarm.com
