Tag: CAA

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.—California Gov. Jerry Brown on July 31 signed AB 1616 by Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian into law, bringing false alarm fines to the alarm permit holders, not alarm companies, unless the alarm company is responsible.“This bill would prohibit an alarm company operator or an alarm agent from being liable for civil penalties and fines assessed by a city, county, or city and county for false alarms not attributed to alarm company operator error, improper installation of...

Here at Security Systems News, we cover a variety of topics related to the physical security industry. As a result, we get to track trends in the industry; we see when they first come up and we see when they become more prevalent. The matter of false alarms is one that I can say I've been watching since I started with SSN. Some municipalities have sought to fine alarm companies for users' false alarms. In late 2014, shortly after I joined the publication, I was speaking with the Security Industry...

In October, the City of Chico, Calif., passed an ordinance to fine alarm companies for false alarm dispatches. The California Alarm Association and SIAC responded, citing precedence in Fontana, Calif., where a similar ordinance was overturned. Now, the City of Chico has opted toward the standard action of fining alarm users for false alarms. Jon Sargent in November told Security Systems News that SIAC remained available to help revise the ordinance. SIAC is pleased with the outcome, Stan Martin,...

CHICO, Calif.—The California Alarm Association (CAA) and the Sacramento Area Alarm Association (SAAA) are filing a lawsuit against the city of Chico, Calif., after the city on Oct. 21 unanimously passed an ordinance that fines alarm companies for false alarms.“Here's the bottom line: Innocent parties are being fined for the conduct of others that's beyond their control, and that's the core of why we have to fight this, and we can't allow this to take place anywhere.” Jon Sargent,...

SAN FRANCISCO—Leaders from four security companies will speak at an executive symposium at the California Alarm Association's 2012 Winter Convention, to be held here Dec. 5-8.The symposium, slated for Friday, Dec. 7 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., will include Todd Santiago, CEO of 2GIG; Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint; Tim Whall, CEO of Protection 1; and Bruce Mungiguerra, VP of sales and dealer development for Monitronics.This will be the 11th year in a row that the convention lineup has included the symposium....

OAKLAND, Calif.—AT&T's move to partially disable its 2G service here at the end of August got the attention of California Alarm Association members, but the frequency blackout did not affect operations in the field, according to CAA Executive Director Jerry Lenander.AT&T, which announced on Aug. 3 that it would phase out its 2G networks nationwide by 2017, temporarily shut down its 850 MHz frequency on 16 cell towers in Oakland after city officials notified the company that the towers were...

FRISCO, Texas—Add Sacramento to the list of SIAC success stories.The Security Industry Alarm Coalition, working with the California Alarm Association and Sacramento's police department, announced last week that SIAC's best practices have been incorporated into the city's revised alarm ordinance. The guidelines include annual permit fees and enhanced call verification to reduce false dispatches and maintain police response.Rich Whitlock, Northern CAA vice president, said the revised ordinance...

The alarm industry was caught off guard at the end of December when the San Jose (Calif.) Police Department implemented a non-response policy for unverified alarms. Now the California Alarm Association is regrouping and is rallying members to discuss what comes next. To that end, the Silicon Valley Alarm Association, a CAA affiliate, will be holding a lunch meeting next week, with the San Jose situation at the top of the agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Silicon...

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The police department's new non-response policy for unverified alarms, announced the week before Christmas and put into effect Jan. 1, ignores data on enhanced call verification and rolls out a “welcome mat” for burglars, alarm industry officials say.The San Jose Police Department announced the policy change on its website in a posting titled “Verified Response Protocol Information.” Citing a 2008 department study that found that more than 98 percent...

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.—California recently became the 35th state in the nation with carbon monoxide legislation. As of July 1, all existing single-family homes with an attached garage or a fossil fuel source are required to install CO alarms within the home. Previous legislation already mandated the detectors in new homes. The law is a way for the industry both to increase business and its knowledge and expertise regarding the devices, according to John Hopper, president of the California Alarm...