DO IT YOURSELF: Worry about personal security...

DO IT YOURSELF: Worry about personal security is up, and there are plenty of Orange County businesses that cater to the concern. . . . Take United Studios of Self Defense, where enrollment at its 18 Orange County outlets has jumped 15% in the past year. “People are starting to do something about crime for themselves instead of waiting for the police,” explains Jack Turner, who holds a third-degree black belt. . . . United Studios offers group sessions and private lessons in kempo, a Hawaiian mix of karate, kung fu and jujitsu that focuses on street protection.

MINOR THREAT: Harassing phone calls? Threatening letters? Promises of blackmail? A Huntington Beach company will interview relatives, neighbors and co-workers, dig up criminal and financial background, and provide a psychological profile to find out if it’s serious. . . . Says Michael Corcoran, a former U.S. Secret Service agent with a doctorate in forensics: “It’s one thing to hear somebody say the words, it’s quite another thing to see if they really mean it.”

BEWARE OF DOG: For $500-$800 a month, a German shepherd, Rottweiler or Doberman pinscher will bark and growl all night outside your home or business. . . . “Dogs don’t go to sleep,” brags Max Harper, “and they don’t eat doughnuts while they’re supposed to be doing their job.” Harper, above, owns two of Orange County’s three guard dog companies and was a consultant for the 1992 film “Man Trouble,” in which Jack Nicholson trained ferocious pooches.

I SPY: For the security-conscious, hot new items on sale at the Spy Factory in Costa Mesa include LocataKid ($69.95), a fanny pack with a shrill siren activated by parents’ remote control or the child yanking a plug, and the Russian KGB4 ($1,199.95), a laser-powered scope that improves night vision 75 times. . . . For executives, leather briefcases ($799.95) with voice-activated tape recorders or a 50,000-volt electrical shock: “It’ll dazzle you and daze you at the same time,” says employee Bill Peaker. “Last time anybody ever touches your briefcase.”