Tag: Security Industry Alarm Coalition

DALLAS—The Electronic Security Association (ESA) has announced Kevin Stone, COO and executive vice president of Doyle Security Systems in Rochester, N.Y., as the association’s chairman elect for 2023-2024. As the association’s current chairman, John Loud, finishes his term, Stone will serve as chairman elect from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.  “The future of a thriving ESA depends on a leader who can help drive excellence and embrace our members to have...

AKRON, Ohio—A new policy set to take effect here in March requires security alarms to verify criminal activity prior to police response.Like similar actions in other cities, the policy has its camps of proponents and detractors, and its reception puts into sharp relief some competing philosophies about how to manage false alarms and provide the most effective strategies for response.Not only that: The debate raises fundamental questions about the value proposition of alarm systems in general....

This morning I had the opportunity to chat with Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition. He proved to be a valuable font of information about the current state of the alarm industry, in particular the three-pronged relationship involving alarm monitoring companies, law enforcement and municipal governments—all of which play huge collaborative roles in responding to legitimate alarms and mitigating false ones. When I asked him what he considers an ideal alarm...

Giving your customer list to law enforcement makes sense. That statement seems to fly in the face of convention for the alarm industry, which hasn't exactly been cozy over the years with the boys in blue. But Dave Simon, writing recently for the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, makes a compelling case for doing so. Simon argues that there are far more benefits to cooperating with law enforcement than erecting barriers. Despite concerns in the past that sensitive information about customers could...

“It's a good day in Georgia.” That was the reaction from John Loud, president of the Georgia Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association, after Gov. Nathan Deal signed enhanced call verification into law on May 6. GELSSA, with an assist from the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, had been pushing for ECV for years and finally saw it brought to fruition with House Bill 59. It wasn't an easy process. As HB 687, the initiative made it through the Georgia House last year and through state...

It was what the Colorado Springs Police Department calls a Priority Three alarm: A minor incident “requiring a response that is dispatched based on the availability of patrol units.” What followed was the nightmare scenario dreaded by police, alarm companies and alarm users alike. According to CSPD spokeswoman Barbara Miller, a security alarm was triggered at the home of David Dunlap and Whitney Butler at 11:10 a.m. on Jan. 14. The alarm company, ADT, then called Dunlap's cellphone and...

Imagine Scott Harkins, president of Honeywell Security Products, lumbering about in an inflatable sumo wrestler suit. Envision Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, stalking around in a long cape as Count Dracula, looking for blood as well as donations to SIAC. And then picture Patrick Egan, president of Select Security, scarily attractive in drag as a red-lipsticked brunette in an elegant gown. Those attending the Honeywell First Alert Professional Convention...

TOLEDO, Ohio—One month after implementing two-call verification for incoming alarms, Habitec Security reported a 20 percent decrease in false police dispatches and is on track to cut the rate even further, according to company President John Smythe.Habitec, based here, made the move to two-call verification in March to handle its 16,000 accounts, split roughly 60/40 between residential and commercial. Smythe said the initiative made an immediate impact and that the company is improving its...

American Public Media's “Marketplace” weighed in on false alarms this week, with the featured guest delivering a decidedly unfavorable verdict for the security industry: Alarm customers might be better off relying on a dog. Program host Kai Ryssdal interviewed Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics.com, who cited a litany of figures and study results that don't reflect well on alarm companies. Here's a bit of what Dubner had to say on the show, which aired on National Public Radio: —“We...

FRISCO, Texas—The Security Industry Alarm Coalition is giving its members access to an upgraded online database to help them keep pace with ordinance changes that could affect the way they do business.While SIAC has provided a state-by-state list of ordinances in the past, the database now allows members to be automatically notified via email when a city has been added to the list, or when policy changes have occurred in their municipality.The “State Activity Report” is continually...