Your Two Cents (Or Four Cents in Today’s World)

SIAC sends its thanks to all our weekly faithful readers of this blog. When we are out and about at alarm management industry functions, people come up to us and let us know they appreciate the issues we raise in this forum. Most recently, several members from the electronic security industry came up and stated their appreciation during the Leadership Summit in January, held in Las Colinas, TX.

We work hard to come up with subjects that create opportunity and deliver meaning to companies and the leadership from our industry regarding improved alarm management practices and how to work effectively with law enforcement. When we receive positive feedback, we know we’re running on the all cylinders.

We also recognize there’s more out there for us to cover. To do a better job, we need to hear from you, so please comment when you want us to address a specific issue. You can submit comments through the blog or go to our Web site, www.siacinc.org, or follow us at www.twitter/siacinc.

To improve, we need to constantly examine our approach, and be willing to adopt. When it comes to our blog, one of the major areas where you can help us cover the things that our industry wants and expects is by giving us ideas for new subject matter, particularly on new ways to improve alarm management practices and relations with law enforcement. So, please, send us your two cents. We’re listening.

Another Success In Georgia

Another community in Georgia – Fayetteville – is implementing an abbreviated version of the model ordinance. It’s one worked to put together with the Georgia Chiefs of Police (GACP), and has proven successful elsewhere in the state. SIAC’s Glen Mowrey has been instrumental in getting this model developed and implemented, with the cooperation of law enforcement officials in specific communities.

Local officials voted recently to pass it, and then the provisions need to be implemented by the police department. We’re confident it will continue to move forward, based on Glen’s strong work, and the relationships he’s developed there.

What’s important for companies in the electronic security industry to take away from these successes is that one good thing leads to another. Once we start demonstrating results, we can share those lessons elsewhere. In this case, the GACP model ordinance is getting buy-in from communities across the state.

Georgia and other states use versions of our national model ordinance. The core provisions – permits, fines, two-call verification, CP-01 standards and a cutoff of response after too many false dispatch calls – are typically included in each state version, though the format can be modified to meet state and local conditions.

That is the beauty of the model ordinance and this simpler version – its adaptability. Glen’s steady and consistent work across the country working closely with law enforcement has led to wide applicability and community success in reducing unnecessary alarms. We hope to keep spreading that word.

Making Things More Complicated Than They Should Be

One of the questions SIAC has to ask itself as an organization is whether we make things more complicated than they should be. Implicit in this question is: How do we best do our job for the electronic security industry? Part of the answer to that lies in supplying companies with useful tools and information.

If what we provide is overly-complicated or hard to apply, then not only are we not successful, but the companies and state/local associations using our materials can’t be successful either. So a large part of our motto revolves around staying flexible, and keeping things simple.

We see that around the cities of North America that seek to reduce unnecessary alarms. We provide roadmaps to these communities and the local leaders from our industry to use in carving quick solutions to meet their specific demands. Not every jurisdiction is the same, so prescribing a complex answer is not the way to go. Instead, we strive to provide a framework that be modified effectively with local input.

One area of the country we’ve worked on a lot the past two years is the state of Arizona. Maria Malice, the President of the Arizona Alarm Association (AZAA), presented us with a $1,000 donation from AZAA during the Electronic Security Association (ESA) meeting at the Leadership Summit last month in Las Colinas, TX. We appreciate Arizona’s donation, and Maria’s kind words expressed publicly in the industry forum.

We’re pleased to help Arizona make progress in a number of cities, and look forward to helping other states in 2012, and the years ahead. Visit our Web site for more information, www.siacinc.org. Our “Hot Topics” feature recent news you should find easy-to-use and interesting. If not, let us know.

Illinois Shows The Benefits Of Public Involvement

Here at SIAC, we consistently tout the benefits of electronic security companies knowing what is going on in their community, and getting involved with elected officials and police departments. We advance our presence, build good relationships and enhance public safety when companies step forward in this way. The end result goes to the bottom line of companies in our industry.

Our efforts are focused on improved alarm management practices. There are also times we help on similar or related issues. Recently, in Elk Grove Village, IL, the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA) achieved another milestone for our industry by working with the village council on fire monitoring-related issues. After testimony and discussion, the council chose not to advance a plan that originally mandated the use of the local government’s selected product supplier and monitoring service. We believe IESA’s efforts, and the decision made by the Elk Grove Village Council, warrant additional exposure because of how this played out – through dialogue, discussion and the sharing of information to reach a quality decision.

SIAC supports this type of atmosphere. We emphasize the aspect of “working together” to achieve a goal. We believe there is much in common between private business protecting communities and the emergency services provided by local governments. Certainly, we do have to challenge local ordinances at times. That is part of our job. It should be a last option though, after we’ve exhausted other alternatives

In ElK Grove Village, the IESA didn’t need to get exhausted. They did the right thing, encouraging their members to attend the village meeting and share their perspective on what the best options are to service fire monitoring systems. With their input, village officials agreed to a common solution. We applaud their efforts.

A New Year’s Gift From ESA

We went to thank the Electronic Security Association (ESA) for selecting one of our blogs as a “Top Ten” story of 2011 in their online newsletter, the “ESA Integrator.” It’s an honor to be selected. We’re pleased that the issues we cover have a wide application in the electronic security industry, and attract the attention of leaders.

Their selection was interesting. The common thread in the piece we wrote was about progress in alarm management practices in three communities in different parts of the country – Eau Claire, WI; Duluth, MN; and Union City, TN. Each showed sustained progress in reducing unwanted alarms. Each employed different techniques. Each community established and enforced standards.

We worked with officials in each of these communities, sharing our best practices and making suggestions. We’re glad to see the progress they made, and importantly in these cases, we’re also glad to be able to tell others about it.

Success breeds success. Other communities can learn from these examples. Perhaps that’s why our blog was selected. Maybe that’s why it got more exposure than other blogs.

We do note a trend in the blogs SIAC posts: When you talk about getting things done the right way, and offer constructive solutions, people listen. We’re glad ESA gave us extra exposure. They’re helping our industry develop stronger companies by publicizing and emphasizing this type of information.

Seventh Year For The Police Dispatch Quality Award

We’re entering the seventh year for the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) award. Wow! It seems like yesterday that we started on this journey, working with co-sponsors Honeywell and Security Sales and Integration magazine, along with the Installation Quality (IQ) program (http://www.iqcertification.org/), and the False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA). Then, as now, we look to publicize and reward the best alarm management practices in the industry.

Why did we get started down this path? There were a number of reasons. First, we felt an award was a great way to recognize alarm reduction techniques being utilized by innovative companies. Secondly, it was our belief that by sharing best practices, the security industry in general would benefit by reducing unnecessary alarms.

That’s the short story. We believe the award has accomplished that goal, though we also would like to see more entries, which would demonstrate greater industry involvement in an important long-term goal for our growth. Past winners – Custom Alarm (2011), Brink’s Home Security, Vector Security, Alarm Detection Systems, Inc. (ADS) and Broadview Security (now ADT Security Services) – gain visibility and a selling point for current and future customers.

We salute these companies. Please spread the word by sharing this link: www.siacinc.org. Any company interested in submitting for the award will find entry information there on SIAC’s Web site. Pass this blog post on to others in the industry. Pull together your company data, and send in your application. The deadline is February 28.

Two Hot Spots

 

We’d love to able to say we’re starting 2012 on an upswing, that every community in America is safe, and all alarm systems are being managed effectively. But as reality would have it, that’s not the case.

As seems to happen during the holiday season more than it should, SIAC was brought into two new battles against Verified Response (when police will no longer be first responders to alarm signals): In San Jose, CA and Las Cruces, NM. Sadly, it seems that during the holiday season, when you hope for some relaxation and quality family time, a sudden policy or ordinance is dropped into the hopper. This syndrome also seems to occur when many in our industry are at annual conferences, like ESX of the CSAA annual meeting. It makes you think.

Regardless of conspiracy theories, SIAC digs in, pitches its resources into the fray, and helps the local or state association make inroads on mutually agreeable solutions with local authorities. In these two cases, our results have been mixed.

San Jose appears committed towards its VR path, with implementation already occurring. We worked extensively with the police department to share information on alternative successful solutions, mostly to no avail. We’re hopeful the industry can have a continued dialogue, and perhaps an extension for companies to prepare for VR.

In Las Cruces, we are engaged with the New Mexico Electronic Security Association (NMESA), working together so we can educate and interact with local officials on the best way to proceed. We’ll continue to be involved in both cities, and keep you posted. Remember to monitor the “State Activity Report” on www.siacinc.org.

As happens elsewhere, what these two cases demonstrate is our need to get help from you – security industry members who follow these issues closely. For your company to be successful over the long-term, our industry (you, us, state and local associations) needs to get information on potential alarm ordinances or policies early in the process. The more we have to react, the less we have a voice. So keep your ear to the ground. Keep us posted. Let your local and state association know when you hear something new. Then we can all get active earlier and more effectively. That helps everyone, including local officials, its citizens and the community, because it allows the best solutions to come forward.