lost 150 pounds take her routine to another level. how to use social media to make sure companies hear your complaints, loud and clear. meet the smallest protectors as puppies take on the big role within the transportation security administration. first, a bizarre crime has thieves making a clean get away in maryland. they are stealing the best selling laundry detergent from area stores. pat collins explains what's behind the rash of soap shoplifting. >> reporter: you are watching people steal tide? >> that's right. tide. the laundry detergent. sometimes it gets ugly. they are trying to keep him from

leaving the safeway store. >> reporter: from this safeway store alone, how many bottles of tide have been stolen? >> we don't know the exact number, but it's in the thousands. >> reporter: don't be misled by the casual attire. they are all over this laundry soap scheme. they say this is how they do it. they come into the store like a regular shopper. they locate the detergent. hum up to the tide and start loading it into a car. one, two, three, four, sometimes as many as 20 bottles of tide laundry detergent. they have all sorts of thefts caught on tape. here is a guy who took time to stop and get top shelf bar soap. what are the thieves doing with all the stolen soap?

they are selling it to people at flea markets. they are selling it to people at convenience stores. they are selling it to people at nail salons. they say they are even selling it at truck stops. hey, buddy, want to score some side? there's serious money involved. last month, they arrested a guy with a car full of tide and $96,000 in the bank. >> it's been profitable for him. >> it's tax-free money. >> reporter: not for him anymore? >> no, sir. >> reporter: there are a number of rings involved here. police are out to collar those rings. i'm pat collins, news 4, prince gorges county. >> you might want to think twice before hitting the gas.

they are cracking down on speeders. chris gordon shows how the courts are getting more hands on to keep the roads safe. >> reporter: these people aiming laser speed guns along traffic in alexandria are not police officers, they are prosecutors and defense lawyers who fight each other in court over speeding tickets. they got hands on tickets clocking vehicles where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour while learning the advantages and disadvantages of laser technology. >> the way they challenge officers in court. it's a piece of equipment, a technical piece of equipment. the only way to do it is understand how it works. >> reporter: they got a better understanding of how police officers work, their training and the accuracy of the technology they use.

>> it helps the officers observations. they doubt what the officers see. it helps for them to be able to see an actual reading of their speed rather than the officer's word. >> first, we are going to learn about the radar speed detecting. >> reporter: she sponsored this speed detection program to educate lawyers because the stakes are high for drivers charged with speeding. >> the better prepared both sides are, the better justice is served. >> reporter: alexandria police write thousands of traffic tickets. technology helps them stick. the goal is to get drivers to observe the speed limit and make the roads safer for all of us. >> fines for speeding can cost as much as $250.

drivers caught going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit can be charged with reckless driving. tsa forces might surprise you. puppies are part of the transportation safety administration. julie carey shows us how they are helping to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the process. >> reporter: playing in the grass where flight 77 hit the pentagon, these puppies hardly look like the front line in the fight against terrorism. they are the tsa's future dogs. >> they have all the raw potential. we do it by good breeding. >> reporter: the tsa puppy program was launched after 9/11. every puppy is named after a victim of the terrorist attack. these two are the last names of a port authority manager and fbi

agent both killed at the world trade center. their special names are tattooed inside their ear. it's also a gesture that touches the relatives. lisa met the puppy named for her husband that was killed inside the pentagon. >> it seems like this puppy has completed a circle for my family. >> reporter: scott manages the program in san antonio. >> as soon as they are born, we expose them to the different odors they are going to be looking for. >> reporter: formal training doesn't begin until they are a year old. they make promising recruitinre. >> a dog that likes it -- >> reporter: puppies that make

the cut go on in a bomb career. train stations and passenger planes. >> i think they are an invaluable part of the detection we have. >> reporter: 500 puppies have been bred for this program. half of them are working in the field. others are making more puppies. at the pentagon, julie carey, news 4. it helped president bill clinton lose pounds but how healthy is a vegan diet? the roster of comic stars coming to town to honor will [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

maryland's athletic director is asking fans to become more respectful at football games. he got several complaints at the home opener against miami. school officials say it paints maryland in a bad light. fans have a responsibility to represent the school with class, dignity and respect. when it comes to bad customer service, these days there are more options than complaining to the company or telling a friend. now, you can tell the world, thanks to the internet. how social media is giving consumers a louder voice.

>> when something goes wrong, it's annoying. sometimes you have to tell someone. >> reporter: this woman wanted to tell someone about her lousy bagel. >> there was this much cream cheese on it. i paid $3 for a bagel. >> reporter: she complained publicly on twitter. >> if i took a picture of it, up loaded it to twitter and said seriously, what's going on here? >> reporter: ten minutes later, she heard from customer service. they said we want to make this right. give us your address. they mailed me three or four coupons. >> reporter: she was on to something. when her flight was delayed, she tweeted when i said it was hard to say good-bye to detroit, it didn't mean i wanted my flight delayed. they responded saying sorry for the delay. do you need help rebooking?

if so, what is your confirmation number. lisa says social media complaints on twitter, facebook or blogs can get quick action because they are public, not private. >> it compels a business to quickly and efficiently solve the problem. >> reporter: it's digital outreach team of ten people mention it online around the clock. >> when they find these mentions on a blog or forum or twitter, we then respond. typically, there's a public profile. >> reporter: the comcast team that responds has the access it needs to fix the problem. >> our goal is to reset a modem, reset their box and make their television work. make the broad band go to speeds they deserve. >> reporter: when customers are

satisfied, statements like this can make companies look good. delta recognized the thank you tweet with a you are welcome, thanks for the public tweet praise. >> now i tweet back and forth with them. i think we're friends. i like to think we are friends. >> liz crenshaw, news 4. coming up next, how a d.c. woman shed 150 pounds and shows us how she's keeping it off now. experts break down the pros and cons of state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue.

[ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

the county is trying to get students to eat their veggies. the public school system wants them to add 15 to 20 salad bars to free and reduced priced meal programs by the end of the year. a report showed they were not doing enough to eat healthy.

salad bars are a great way to encourage healthy eating. they offer more options. when president bill clinton was president, he loved fatty foods. the former president is looking slimmer these days after becoming a vegan. more and more people are converting. doreen has more on how healthy going vegan can be. >> he wanted me to bring my numbers down for diabetes. >> reporter: for more than two years, this woman tried to lose weight and control her diabetes. doctors put her on medication. she says she doesn't want to be taking drugs forever. now, she's trying a different approach to managing her health. she's on a vegan diet. >> more energy. >> reporter: she was already a vegetarian. being a vegan is more restrictive. the diet is completely plant

based meaning no animal product at all, including dairy and ig. >> it is a complete change. if you do it, we can get rid of all the cholesterol and animal fat. you are going to be slim and healthy like the others following the vegan diet. >> reporter: he is the president for responsible dieting. he says if former president bill clinton can live a vegan life, then anyone can. >> he looked terrific when chelsea got married. the reason he did it was for a healthy heart. he doesn't want to have heart surgery, again. diet can do the same thing. >> reporter: it can help people lower blood pressure and lose weight. it's not always an easy change to make. it requires a lot of meal planning and cooking. vegan foods like dairy-free

cheeses can help. just because it's vegan doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. >> if it's in a package, it's still processed food. >> reporter: she's a registered dietitian. it can be packed with calories, sodium and sugar. rebecca says her vegan diet is really paying off. she's gone from a size 18 down to a size 10. her daughter, eric ka was so impressed she's now a vegan, too. >> obviously, i lost weight. that was good motivation. that was five months ago. it gets easier every day. >> doreen gentzler, news 4. >> they say vegan diets can be very healthy. you have to make sure you are monitoring vitamins and miner s minerals. well, we all know regular exercise is crucial to losing weight.

what happens after you shed those pounds? a lot of people hit a plateau and get stuck. meet a washington woman who lost 150 pounds and is working to get to the next level. we asked her, what's your work out. >> i weighed, at my heaviest, close to 300 pounds. i loved food. i wasn't participating in physical activity or anything like i should have. it was almost a decade later, in my early 20s, when i was 21. i had an a-ha moment. i started walking. i did what i could, maybe 20 minutes a day, up to 345 45 minutes a day. right now, i'm in the stage of maintenance. >> to go to the next level, you have to do something different. she came to see us. >> you can plateau and start to

gain weight back and it's like what am i doing? you need to mix up your work out and different things you are doing with your body. it gives me variety. every day, he has us doing something different. it's never the same. >> we are not limited to four walls of a gym. we are limited by our determination and imagination. four, three, two, one. we may run through the city. we may do a spin class with no bikes or we may do a straight ab workout or armageddon work out where it's straight weights, bice biceps, trikreps. if you leave talking on your phone, you didn't work hard enough. when you come in, everybody knows who you are. when you leave, you are going to know who everyone is. >> it's taken me out of the

plateau i was in. this boot camp gave my body variety. it made me realize i'm strong and i can do things i never thought before with my body. >> solid and fun. who knew. corey offered outdoor boot camps throughout the region. for more, check out www.nbcwashington.com. next up, the legacy of some of our nation's heroes lives on through a special honor for their childr

get ready to laugh. several of our nation's top comedians are about to take stage here in washington to celebrate will ferrell. the kennedy secenter announced. jack black and larry king are among those going to honor

farrell. he starred in seven seasons of "saturday night live" and had several seasons of box office hits. he's the brains behind funnyordie.com. the marine corps handed out college scholarships in the hopes of writing a new chapter in the lives of children who have learned the costs of war. we have the story. >> reporter: they are the next generation of leaders. unique because they are born of american heroes. they represent 1600 marines and navy coremen. >> these kids are squared away, motivated and often the first in their families to get to college. over 50% of ours are. >> they award ed scholarships fr those wounded or died serving.

she was 9 years old when her father died. >> he died doing what he loved, protecting me so we could all be free. >> reporter: he's double majoring in economics. his dad serves in vietnam. >> it allowed me to enjoy college and focus in on academics as well as dealing with friendships. >> reporter: this 23-year-old, a marine sergeant. on thursday, the first living marine in 40 years to receive the medal of honor. >> it's really about those guys. they gave so much. the price paid for this medal is unbelievable. it's for them and their families. >> reporter: he mired a heavy machine gun after they were ambushed. he didn't expect to live. he helped to save 36 lives.

as he wears the names of his training mates that died, he's got the matching scholarship of children from injured marines. >> it's the way to go. it's what i feel like i should do. >> reporter: they will celebrate their 50th anniversary in may. he hopes the country will help him raise $2 million by then. that's all for news 4 this week. i'm jim handly. thanks for joining us. have a great week. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

fios. a network ahead. [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

>>[male & female singing] ♪ in the waves ♪ or under the sun ♪ it's a wide world ♪ of wonderful fun! ♪ excitement pops ♪ in from every door ♪ with friends ♪ and family on the shore! ♪ but these three friends ♪ will make you smile ♪ and cheer the action ♪ on their island ♪ the adventures are terrific ♪ on the shores of the pacic ♪ ah! ♪ now's the time ♪ to join in the fun