We’ve increased the spread of our message through social media, and believe it is a great resource for law enforcement to do the same. Several examples in the story, which can be found at http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/19/3972529/dfw-area-law-enforcement-agencies.html, demonstrate how that happens. In one instance, a local department began posting their most-wanted felony and misdemeanor lists on Facebook. The tips they received led to eight arrests.

In another, police in Cleveland, OH, sent a Twitter message on an Amber alert. It was retweeted, as followers of the police department sent it to their connections, and the individual was quickly found.

We support public protection. SIAC and many other members in our industry work closely with law enforcement to help them do their jobs more effectively. Social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter, applied intelligently, help police departments do their jobs better and foster stronger relationships with the citizens they serve. It’s good to see police departments taking new steps to catch the bad guys. SIAC is proud to do its share to help.

Jon Sargent, our excellent West Coast representative, is one of the people who contributes repeatedly to our credibility. Day after day, week after week, year after year, Jon meets with elected officials and law enforcement leadership in a forthright way to share information and find alarm management solutions.

His successes are too many to count. One thing he does relentlessly is share what we have accomplished in other jurisdictions so other cities have clear examples of what has worked elsewhere. The shows folks what we’ve done, how we’ve done it, and how our programs can be effectively implemented in other localities.

He frequently uses our “Law Enforcement Video on Alarm Management,” to demonstrate our successes. You can access it at www.siacinc.org, and it is a great example of how we share information and build credibility. The video demonstrates the support law enforcement gives us across the country, and how SIAC is available to help collaborate on proven solutions.

Sharing this type of information builds credibility. Officials nod their heads when they see the video. They ask questions. We want that. It’s how to build successful relationships. Trust and credibility are what it’s all about. Watch the video. Download it. Help us expand our credibility.

We have a new page on our Web site with information on success stories in driving down unwanted alarms. Go to www.siacinc.org. Click on “Media” on the left hand side. Go to “Success Stories.” You’ll find six cities listed there that have shown measurable improvements since implementing SIAC-recommended changes to alarm management practices.

Marietta, GA, Olympia, WA, Oakland, CA, Kirkland, WA, Montgomery County, MD and Phoenix, AZ are all listed. What makes that group special? First, they’ve all shown measurable, demonstrable and consistent improvements in cutting down those alarms that no one wants.

More importantly, it shows the diversity of our industry’s success in working together. These cities are all across the United States. Though most verified response campaigns are centered out West, the success stories come from all over. Regardless of your city’s location, or the political climate, our recommended procedures prove successful.

Steal from us. Click on the page. See how the community improved alarm management. Then, if you need help in your area, get in touch with us. Let’s work together to make things better.

We agree. The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) has been working closely with local officials over the past several years to help move this process forward. We’re pleased to have been able to provide them support. The goal is a good one: Improve communications from monitoring centers to police departments. By speeding the transmission of these communications, and reducing errors, this helps apprehend more criminals, and reduce unwanted alarms.

According to the story in SSN, Richmond has logged more than 15,000 alarm calls under ASAP with no errors. The protocol has also reduced call processing times to 15 seconds or less, which has led to faster emergency responses. We salute this effort by local officials. It’s been piloted in Houston, TX, and York County, VA, in addition to Richmond.

Vector Security, United Central Control (UCC) and Monitronics have all participated in these pilot projects. We salute these companies as well. We are confident that industry leadership, coupled with commitments from local jurisdictions, will expand this effort in the years ahead.

PDQ submissions include a major section to detail what the company is doing on this “customer training” front. We’ve received excellent submissions over the years. We believe one activity holds a lot of merit for every company in the industry: Setting up an online training link for the customer before the alarm system is activated.

This may sound draconian. It is not. Instead, it is a common sense approach to not only make sure the customer understands the system and uses it effectively, but also creates a stronger bond with your customers.

By establishing a simple, straight-forward online test with 5-10 quick questions, companies can ensure that the core tools of the security system are understood by the consumer. This helps them run the system without accidently causing an alarm, lets them get used to the features, creating a stronger connection. We won’t say your customer is going to “bond” with his or her security system, but if they understand it better, along with all the features, they’ll be much more comfortable using it, and perhaps want additional services from you down the road.

Of course, SIAC also likes that this type of training will reduce those unwanted alarm activations. A well-trained customer is good for you, local law enforcement and beneficial to our industry. Give it some thought. You’ll benefit, along with your customers, and the local community, as those alarm signals decrease.

Do you have an online program? Let us know by responding to this blog. We’d like to hear about the critical questions you ask.

That’s a colossal positive statistic for the electronic security industry and one we should be proud of. Examples abound. In Phoenix, 95.55% of permit holders had one or less false alarms (84.9% had zero). In Montgomery County, MD, 89.7% had one or less (85.8% had zero). This means our industry is doing a great job policing itself and working closely with customers so they understand their systems and operate them properly.

We’d like to see those statistics become a larger and larger national trend. It’s certainly possible with the help from local and state associations, as well as industry leadership. We need everyone to step forward and work locally on strong ordinances.

The vast majority of new ordinances are being set with one or two free false dispatches. But we also need to recognize that local politics do prevail and some want the flexibility to set this number higher.

At the state level, 10 state police chiefs associations have adopted an ordinance with one or two free dispatches as the limit, before establishing penalties. Police resources and manpower are at an all-time minimum, and we must recognize the threat of non-response is real. Our support of a 1-2 limit per year also shows law enforcement that we understand what they are going through and will work with them towards solutions. This enhances our relationship.

Our focus should be the chronic abuser. Lowering the number of freebies gets them to corrective action more quickly (fines). We believe it’s the way to go, and encourage you to join us in the effort to target chronic abusers.

“What’s the big deal?,” you might ask. If you are using Twitter to tell your friends and other followers of the spectacular filet mignon you just had on a Riviera River boat cruise, guess who else might find out? Burglars, that’s who. They know you’re overseas somewhere, enjoying the scenery and no one is home to watch the shop. Bingo, they’ve got an opportunity for a break-in.

A recent United Kingdom survey confirms this: Burglars do monitor Twitter. The survey of convicted burglars shows that they are adapting to use new technology. According to their findings, 78% of burglars believe social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Four Square are useful tools for thieves targeting specific properties. Another 74% reported that Google Street View was playing a role in home thefts.

Protect your home and be smart about your social media use when you are traveling, vacationing or away on business. It makes sense in helping to keep burglars away from your home and property. It will also reduce the potential for false alarm, and we’re all for that.

SIAC does not prescribe solutions. We earn your dollars by listening and sharing what we’ve learned. That way, each jurisdiction can pick from the tools available to reduce those calls.

It might mean tweaking their already-implemented fine system to raise the penalty from $50 to $75 to get the attention of violators. It could mean only allowing one free false alarm instead of two. If the community has a cut off of police response after four unnecessary dispatch calls, they may want to drop that down to three.

Each of these steps has been successfully applied in cities across North America, reducing demand for police resources, while maintaining public protection. Sometimes cities take it one step at a time. Sometimes they combine three or four changes for a larger impact.

The point we’d like you to share with others is that improving your local alarm ordinance can be done in many ways. One step can make a difference. Certainly, implementing the model ordinance, with its proven alarm reduction results, is SIAC’s recommended approach. Regardless, any single step taken to improve alarm management practices is a step well taken. We’ll support you, and we’ll work with you to get the best results. Visit us at www.siacinc.org.

These points are fundamental reasons companies enter the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) award contest. Brink’s Home Security/Broadview (currently ADT Security Services), a two-time winner, along with Vector Security (Pittsburgh), Alarm Detection Systems, Inc. (Aurora, IL), Altronics (Lenexa, KS), and Custom Alarm (Rochester, MN), have all registered the benefits of winning the PDQ award

They reap good national publicity. Their story is heavily publicized, including a feature story in Security Sales and Integration (SSI) magazine. They are recognized at ESX, to be held this year in Nashville, TN. Why not join Custom Alarm, Vector, Alarm Detection Systems, Altronics and Brink’s/Broadview, and submit your application today?

Winning the award demonstrates you’re on top of your game, and your program is a great example for others. That’s a huge benefit to your company, and our industry. Check out the application form here: http://www.siacinc.org/PDQAwards.aspx. We’ve extended the deadline to March 30, so you still have over two weeks to pull together a quality submission.

SIAC is a sponsor, along with SSI, Honeywell, the Installation Quality (IQ) program and False Alarm Reduction Association. That’s good company to be associated with. Take the time today to check it out. It’s one more example of SIAC working for you.