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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We know the last three years have been trying economically, and in those circumstances it’s always harder to raise funds for non-profit entities such as SIAC. Thankfully, we’ve been able to sustain our mission, find some newer avenues of support, and keep our message on improving alarm management practices at the forefront of issues in our industry. It hasn’t been easy, and we’re not where we were three years ago, but we’ve been able to focus on the core issues, minimize some of the areas where we put our resources, and still get the job done.

We hope you’ve seen the results. That’s part of the reason we put out this weekly blog – to keep you informed. We also Twitter at www.twitter/siacinc, so follow us there, too, if you aren’t already.

Recently, at the California Alarm Association (CAA) meeting, we received a $30,000 pledge from CAA thanks to a $15,000 matching donation from Bay Alarm. We want to give them a special thanks for publicly supporting our mission through their actions and donations. We’d also like to thank another recent pledge, this one from Tri-Ed Distribution, as they increased their donation 50%, from $10,000 to $15,000.

Have a safe holiday season, joyous Christmas, and our best wishes for you and your business over the new year. We’ll start blogging again January 9.

Overall, throughout 2011, we’ve been pleased with the reception we’ve gotten, the verbal and financial support given by members of the electronic security industry in North America, and our successful interactions with law enforcement – the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and National Sheriffs Association (NSA). At the CAA Convention, we were once again overwhelmed with thanks, and we want to take this time to thank all of you who help us on this national challenge we face to constantly and consistently improve alarm management practices in our industry. We can’t do it without you, and we’re glad you’re there supporting us, and offering insights.

In particular at the CAA Convention, there was a small, but illustrative example, of how SIAC gets the job done. It doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t make headlines. But it yields positive results for “YOU” – the companies making up the electronic security industry.

This case occurred in Cathedral City, CA. It’s a simple story. The city had been pursuing verified response, so police would not have been the first responders to alarms. We work to change these types of ordinances and policies across the country. Here, our California team, spearheaded by Jon Sargent (ADT/SIAC rep), got the city’s position reversed beginning in January 2012. The police chief developed this new alternative, which will use reserve officers to respond, after collaborating (and we use that word with pride) with Jon and other CAA dealers. Working together, we got it done!

We hope to continue this record of quiet success in the new year. We don’t always make the headlines. But we are providing you with results year after year. When we get a reversal of a verified response policy or ordinance, we believe everyone benefits because the community is safer, citizens are better protected, unnecessary alarms are reduced, and police resources are freed to work on the highest impact crimes.

Because of that, we’ve added a link to our Web site at: http://siacinc.org/Training.aspx. You’ll find two files to download that will help your company with solutions THAT WORK! Please click it on, read through it, and share it with your colleagues. We need to disseminate the message on improved training to every company in the electronic security industry.

One of the simple messages we should all take away from this ongoing problem is that every company needs to accept this responsibility to provide the right training, and put the right people in place to ensure customers get what they want and need. Customers need to know how to operate their alarm systems effectively. Employees for security companies need to be able to explain that information easily, in simple terms, and reinforce key operating principles. Because we don’t always have “communicators” in positions to speak with customers, some of the message is lost in translation. Hence, the need for training.

Better trained employees will improve your customer connections, reduce unnecessary alarms and grow your bottom line. Trained employees are good for your business. Don’t believe or accept “customer error” as a “not my company’s fault” excuse; accept responsibility, be part of the solution. Check out our Web site. Take the next step.

Oh, and by the way, did we mention ECV or two-call verification is the number one solution to reduce unnecessary dispatches caused by user error, addressing the issue AFTER the user error occurs? Our updated website also contains information on these preventive solutions. One more reason to go to www.siacinc.org.