EVER WONDER ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO SELL OR INSTALL YOUR SECURITY?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

With Self-Controlled, Self-Installed security you never have to worry about the individuals in your home. You are in complete control of your entire security system. If you can hang a picture and check your own email then you too can install one of our professional grade systems, the exact same equipment installed by the “PROS”.
Door-to-door security sales rep charged with rape and attempted murder, but company who hired him says it had no information showing he was threat

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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—SecureWatch, an ADT authorized dealer based here, takes steps to make sure job applicants don’t have criminal backgrounds—such as paying a top-notch company to do background checks on them and searching the Internet for information about them, said company COO Paul Victor.

So the company was stunned to learn that a brand-new door-to-door sales rep it had hired—who Victor said had checked out clean—stands charged with raping and attempting to murder a potential customer in her home last week while he was working for SecureWatch in Tampa, Fla.

Rashad Hales, 19, of Tampa, was out selling security systems the evening of Dec. 30 when he forced his way into the woman’s home, raping and choking her and threatening her with a knife, according to news reports.

“This is beyond shocking,” Victor told Security Systems News. “We did all the damn right things and still this happened. So I guess the lesson is: You never know and think about the unthinkable.”

No information the company had about Hales would have predicted he would be a threat to anyone, Victor said.

Hales was only in his ninth day of working for SecureWatch—which has about 1,500 employees and which sells door-to-door throughout the Southeast, ranging from Cincinnati to Florida—when the attack allegedly occurred, Victor said.

Hales, a high school student working on his GED, was eager to have the sales job over the winter break, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Victor declined to name the company that SecureWatch hires to do background checks but said it is used by the industry’s top security companies and is “supposedly the cream of the crop.” The company reported Hales had no criminal background, Victor said.

“There was nothing. The guy was as clean as a whistle,” Victor said. “Then it turned out because of the level of access we had in our commercial background search, we didn’t see until I read in the paper that he had some juvenile offenses.” Hales previously was charged with misdemeanor offenses—battery when he was 14 and trespassing when he was 15, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Because background-check companies don’t always have access to all criminal databases, the Electronic Security Association is urging the passage of federal legislation that would allow electronic security companies to search the FBI’s database to determine whether job applicants have a criminal record, SSN reported recently.

However, it’s not clear in this case whether having access to the FBI database would have uncovered Hales’ juvenile records with the state, or whether they would have made a difference. “Having the immediate vision of hindsight, I would say absolutely I would never have hired him, but I don’t know if that’s a fair statement,” Victor said.

Because “14-year-olds sometimes do silly things,” he said, SecureWatch decides on a case-by-case basis if an applicant with a minor offense as a juvenile is suitable for hiring.

In Hales’ case, he said, the company made its hiring decision “based on history, and there was none.”

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CAA Seeks to Postpone San Jose’s Abrupt Move to Adopt Verified Response Policy

Posted on January 3, 2012 by admin

By Ashley Willis

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Police Department’s (SJPD) recent announcement that it will no longer respond to unverified alarms has caused the California Alarm Association (CAA) to contest the policy, which takes effect on Jan. 1.

CAA learned about the nonresponse policy after a member company from the Silicon Valley Alarm Association (SVAA) saw the posting on the San Jose Police Department’s (SJPD) Web site before Christmas. The announcement was a shock for the association, which worked with the police department for years on general alarm management issues, CAA Executive Director Jerry Lenander tells SSI.

“This came as a complete surprise,” he says. “The SJPD represented that they wanted to work with the industry and community, but we had no notice of the policy change until the posting on their Web site. It concerns us that this was done during the holidays when it’s really difficult to find people. If they are going to radically change their response policy, people have to give it consideration and make other arrangements.”

According to CAA, the sudden policy change provides no opportunity for alarm owners to arrange or fund private security guards to respond to alarms, and could potentially compel homeowners and business owners to undertake responding to alarms on their own. As it stands, the department notified alarm users about the policy change a few days before Christmas, Lenander says.

For its part, the SJPD maintains that it responded to 12,450 alarm calls in 2010, and of those, 98.4 percent were false alarms, SJPD Public Information Officer Jose Garcia tells SSI.

“We only arrested two individuals out of the more than 12,000 calls,” he says. “Less than 1 percent of the calls resulted in a police report being filed. Responding and investigating to those alarms wasted a lot of time and resources when a lot of the times it’s a mechanical problem or a user error.”

Compounding the strains on the SJPD’s resources, the city’s budget shortfall led the department to cut 66 police officers from the force while reducing employee salaries by 10 percent, according to Michelle McGurk, senior policy adviser and public information officer for the office of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.

“This proposal was approved as part of San Jose’s budget last June,” McGurk tells SSI. “We face another $25 million shortfall in June 2012. Given our budget situation, our police department is choosing to deploy officers where they are needed the most.”

CAA sent a letter to the mayor’s office asking him to postpone implementing the new plan until the city can research other options to help fund police response and generate new revenues. Additionally, CAA maintains that if the policy goes into effect on Jan. 1, many business and homeowners will be unprotected.

However, the department will continue to respond to alarms installed in banks and businesses that handle firearms, Garcia says.

A major concern for the alarm industry is that the information the police department has posted on its Web site — a report titled “False Alarm Response Audit” — is outdated, Lenander says.

“The fact that they relied on 2008 study caught my eye because we know that there has been a significant reduction in alarm calls because of enhanced call verification [ECV],” he says. “So that 98 percent false alarm rate is discredited because it’s not a valid measurement.”

To come up with an accurate percentage, SJPD would have to research and analyze false alarm data, similar to what the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) performed earlier this year, according to Lenander. By analyzing the data, the LAPD determined where the false alarms were coming from, which allowed the department to reduce its alarm dispatches from 150,000 to 40,000.

“Traditionally, the municipal governments are the biggest offenders,” Lenander says. “But once you start stripping some of those away, you really find out where your problem is and you can address it. Additionally, LAPD noted that if they eliminated all response to alarms, there would be no tangible savings in re-deploying patrol resources. So, for the SJPD to say, ‘We have to respond to more important crimes,’ is not really a proven fact.”

Neither the city nor the police department currently have any plans to work with the alarm industry to address these issues, Garcia says.

“At this point, the decision has been vetted through city hall and the city council,” he says. “All the council members are all aware of the policy change, and they essentially have concurred.”

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Installing Specialty Residential Security Systems Can Increase RMR

Posted on January 3, 2012 by admin

Mobile connectivity is breeding a world of consumers who expect full access and control of anything they want wherever they want it. High expectations, yes — but also high growth and profits for security systems/services providers that meet the demand.

By Bob Dolph | December 23, 2011 | Comments (0) | Post a comment
The TouchPRO wireless thermostat combines the trusted brands of Lutron and Honeywell. One can create energy-saving schedules using the Home Control+ app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, as well as Android devices. Courtesy Lutron

What would you do if you had an opportunity to install specialty residential systems that would utilize the majority of your existing installation and electronics skills; have a price and profit margin larger than typical security systems; and yes, could even add to your RMR base? If this type of business fell into your lap on a regular basis would you take advantage of the opportunity? Are you interested? Then by all means read further.

Consumer technology is expanding rapidly on two fronts — home and mobile devices. Today’s customer expects to be able to take advantage of the convergence of both of these technologies and services. A smartphone is a cell phone with software applications or “apps” that enable remotely interfacing with entertainment and automation functions in their homes.

Thusly, an alarm control panel no longer merely processes alarms – it is a centerpiece for today’s connected home. This scenario is no longer a luxury but becoming a requirement of today’s residential security, bringing many opportunities for dealers to branch out.

New Study Shows Market Is Ripe 

Not convinced this is a market for the standard alarm dealer? Then take a moment and listen to what your peers, and often competition, as well as your residential customers and prospects, are saying.

Earlier this year, the Electronic Security Association (ESA), formerly NBFAA, revealed the results of an extensive survey designed to assess security dealer/systems integrator offerings at present and where they are headed in the near future. The consumer part of the survey gauged the interest levels and awareness of integrated systems features and functions, as well as receptivity to various providers. The survey was conducted in April/May with input from 149 ESA members and 520 consumers.

Here are some selected results:

  • Installing companies projected 415-percent and 280-percent growth from 2011-’13 in energy information and HVAC control, respectively. These were the priority areas of home automation and typically reflect an increased interest in intelligent control of home system functions.
  • 35 percent and 25 percent of alarm companies identified their biggest obstacle as not knowing how to sell/market home automation and energy management, and home networks, respectively. There appears to be a large opportunity for vendors to train resellers here.
  • Installing companies anticipate 44 percent of their residential projects will include remote/mobile control features by 2013. That’s a forecasted increase from 28 percent today. This is a big one everybody, so make sure you have your marketing plans in place quickly.
  • 74 percent of consumer respondents are interested in adopting new technology after it has been around for a while and shown a trend.
  • 79 percent of consumers trusted security companies to offer services and do a good job. This is a biggie! Take advantage of this huge vote of confidence. The next closest group was computer/IT companies at 33 percent. Homebuilders and remodelers were at the bottom of the ratings.

Getting Up to Speed in a Hurry

What can we do to get ready for delivering new nonsecurity residential systems? Security dealers need to visit the parallel technology universe of home automation and entertainment, and mobile/remote services to learn new skills and find new vendors of these popular technologies.

In the past, the most exotic things security dealers had to interface with would normally be fire sprinkler systems and phone systems. Now they have to deal with HVAC, audio, computer networks, Internet and cellular communications, and more. These systems can be larger and often involve scheduling work with many other contractors. The scope of some systems such as home entertainment can easily dwarf the scope of typical alarm system installations.

In order for personnel to step into these “big league” projects, new organizational tools and skills, such as project management (PM), have to be learned and executed if the dealer is to maintain profitability. Simply put, the more you know about a project, the better you can manage it.

One organization security dealers may want to become familiar with is the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association or CEDIA (cedia.net). Its education and training programs can help overcome the large obstacles of nonsecurity product knowledge and installation skills.

Similar to other trade organizations, CEDIA also offers certifications, such as the Electronic Systems Project Management (ESPM) program. This program is a descendent of PM strategies from the Project Management Institute (pmi.org). PMI serves practitioners and groups such as CEDIA by providing standards that stress the best PM practices. One important reference document from this organization is the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). PMI also offers its own certification programs such as Project Management Professional (PMP).

Recently, in a CEDIA PM training seminar, a few key project management pointers were emphasized. These included the five phases of a project: Initiating or launching the project; planning project objectives; executing the work; controlling and ensuring the objectives are met; and closing with acceptance of the project. Additional emphasis was placed on the understanding of the project’s “Iron Triangle,” which proportionately pits project time, cost and scope against each other to maximize project quality.

Products, Providers and Profits

One of the biggest demand areas in the ESA survey was mobile services. Customers now want to not only arm/disarm their alarm system via their smartphones, but they also want to be able to turn the thermostat and lights up and down remotely. This is now being provided to resellers through services such as the emPower program from Alarm.com

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Report: Consumers Willing to Spend $10 a Month on Smart Home Services

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

SAN DIEGO — Smart home cloud-based services revenues, which include home monitoring and energy services, will reach $5.8 billion worldwide by 2015, according to new research. Titled “Smart Home Sensor Networks,” the report by technology research firm ON World Inc. states that 38 million households worldwide will have a smart home system by 2015. “Demand for energy solutions has invigorated the smart home market,” ON World Research Director Mareca Hatler says. “It’s resulted in cloud-based innovations that make smart home services accessible for the average household. Of the more than 500 consumers surveyed for the report, four in five respondents are “interested” or “very interested” in security, safety, lighting and energy management applications. Meanwhile, 29 percent said they are willing to spend $10 or more per month for a smart home cloud service. The research is good news for companies, such as ADT, Comcast, Rogers Communications, Verizon and Vivint, which have started offering cloud-based services to customers. Offerings include solutions for advanced security, lighting controls, energy management and home automation. “There are almost as many ways to deliver smart home services as there are smart home system variations,” Hatler says. “Broadband and security service providers are the first to offer mass market solutions, and we are seeing disruptive offerings in the cable TV, mobile and retail channels.” Other report findings note that energy management equipment will increase by a 56-percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) within the next five years. Additionally, ZigBee and Z-Wave will have more than half of the sensor network market in 2015. However, emerging technologies such as Wi-Fi and 6LoWPAN are projected to grow even faster.

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My-Alarm has no credit checks or term contracts!

Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

New consumer credit score rules a ‘headache’

Federal regs require alarm companies to explain to consumers why they were turned down

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

VIENNA, Va.—Strict new federal regulations governing how companies inform consumers that their credit scores were used to reject them will result in higher labor costs and other problems for alarm companies, said a legal advisor to the Central Station Alarm Association, which is based here.

The new requirements took effect this summer, and are a part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a response to the economic recession. They essentially mean that security companies will have to spend more time and effort explaining to consumers why their poor credit ratings led to their being turned down as customers, said attorney John Prendergast, an advisor to the CSAA.

“The unfortunate thing is, because of sharp practices on Wall Street, it’s going to translate into an additional headache for companies that are trying to take the rational approach of using credit reports and credit information in making a decision about their customers,” Prendergast, who is with the Washington, D.C.-based firm of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, told Security Systems News.

He predicts alarm companies will have to hire more staff to follow the rules, or companies may no longer rely on credit scores and end up with customers who aren’t credit-worthy.
He and his associate, Sal Taillefer, explained that the new regulations apply to the adverse action notices and risk-based pricing notices that companies who use consumer credit scores in their customer-selection process already are mandated by federal law to send out.

Adverse action notices must be sent to customers rejected because of their credit rating. Risk-based pricing notices must be sent to customers if the company plans to charge them monitoring fees that are more than it charges other customers who have good credit.

Prendergast said he doesn’t believe many alarm companies use risk-based pricing. However, security companies typically turn down potential customers with poor credit.
Notifying such customers has been relatively simple up until now, Prendergast said.

“It used to be you could pretty much send a letter saying, ‘Dear Blank: We decline to take your business because your credit report reflected deficiencies. Have a nice day,’” he said.
But now, Taillefer said, the new regulations require companies to tell consumers “what the [credit score] number was, what the range was of possible scores the number could have been, and the key factors that adversely affected those scores.”

Prendergast said there are as many as nine factors that can affect credit scores, but a company must choose four. “It’s going to have to decide which four of those [nine] areas, so-called black marks, are the most significant,” he said.

Now, “someone is going to have to take the time to sit down and go over this [credit] report, pick out those four factors, and write a report to the customer saying, ‘Dear John Doe, Your score was this, out of a possible range of this, and these are the four factors in your credit report we considered.’ … It’s a very customized report now.”

He predicted company employees will “burn half an hour just to turn down a customer, or maybe longer.”

Also, he said, the new detailed explanations are likely to open companies up to more complaints or possible lawsuits from consumers who feel they were wrongly turned down.

Some companies have their own methods for evaluating the credit-worthiness of potential customers, but those are subject to the new regulations too, Taillefer said.

“If you have your own proprietary scoring system that you use, you would have to give that up,” he said. The companies would have to make public to consumers the proprietary method used to score them, he and Prendergast said.

It’s unclear what the penalties are for not following the law, Taillefer said, but he said the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could instigate an enforcement action.

Prendergast said he believes many smaller companies may be unaware of the law, which also is explained in detail in the summer 2011 issue of the CSAA Dispatch magazine, but that larger companies with legal staff know about it.

Stuart Dean, VP of corporate communications for Orem, Utah-based Pinnacle Security, one of the leading summer-sales-model companies, told SSN: “We’re certainly aware of the new law and we’re following the very strict new guidelines.”

He declined to go into details of how the company is doing that, saying that’s proprietary information. However, Dean added, “In following those guidelines, there’s no doubt there’s significant cost ramifications and it required us to absolutely increase our head count.”

Prendergast urged alarm companies to use the updated adverse action and risk-based pricing notice forms published by the Federal Register to send to customers. “That way,” he said, “you don’t have to worry that the report you’re generating for the turn-down customer is not going to be compliant with the new law.”

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Number of cellphones exceeds U.S. population:

Posted on October 12, 2011 by admin

 CTIA trade groupBy

There are now more wireless devices being used in the United States than there are people, and Americans have doubled the amount of Internet data traffic they generate on smartphones, according to the trade group CTIA.

The number of mobile devices rose 9 percent in the first six months of 2011, to 327.6 million — more than the 315 million people living in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Wireless network data traffic rose 111 percent, to 341.2 billion megabytes, during the same period.

How is this possible? Many adults have more than one wireless device, which include smartphones, tablets, and wireless cards.

Analysts have also pointed to the shorter lifecycle of electronics in U.S. homes, a trend prompted mostly by the availability of high-speed wireless access and more affordable devices.

The typical home of 2.6 people has an average of 24 gadgets, including at least one smartphone — double the number 15 years ago, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group.

CTIA’s data comes from a semi-annual survey that was relesaed Tuesday ahead of its fall business convention this week in San Diego. Tablets and laptops make up a small portion of those wireless network-connected devices at 15.2 million, up 17 percent from a year earlier.

The figures come amid big changes in the wireless industry. It is difficult to say how new data caps imposed by AT&T and Verizon Wireless are affecting consumers, and whether users are hitting their monthly limits. Users are expected to offload heavy data use onto Wi-Fi hot spots, analysts say.

Text messages continue to be massively popular, with 1.138 trillion sent in the past year, up 16 percent.

All those new connections have boosted revenues for the wireless industry, up 6 percent to $164.6 billion in the 12 months ending June, 2011.

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Detroit Alarm Verification Policy Catches Industry Off-Guard

Posted on August 18, 2011 by admin

By Ashley Willis

DETROIT — Following the Detroit Police Department’s recent declaration that it would no longer respond to burglar alarms without verification of an actual break-in, the alarm industry is gearing up to contest the policy, which takes effect on Aug. 22.

“We were caught completely by surprise,” Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) Executive Director Stan Martin tells SSI. “We were working with the folks at the highest levels in the department and they gave us no indication that they were moving in this direction.”

After reviewing calls for service, the department determined more than 98 percent of alarm calls it receives are false. Further review of that information showed that false alarms had the greatest financial and staffing impact on the department, according to a Detroit PD press release. As a result, the department will not respond to calls from alarm companies unless:

  • The alarm company sends someone to visually verify a crime has been committed
  • A property owner or employee responds to the location to visually verify a break-in
  • The occurrence of a break-in or crime is verified through use of audio or video technology
  • The alarm company reports multiple alarm trips from at least two sensors at the alarm site (i.e., a first alarm from a point of entry contact such as a door or window, followed by a second alarm from an interior point of protection, such as a motion detector)

With the initiative originally scheduled to take effect Aug. 15, the Burglar and Fire Alarm Association of Michigan (BFAAM) and SIAC officials heard about the policy two days prior to its planned implementation.

“We received notice at the close of business last Friday that this was going to take place,” Dean Belisle, president of BFAAM, tells SSI. “On Saturday, I realized that this would go in effect at 12:01 a.m., Sunday morning, before we had a chance to notify our dealers or customers.”

BFAAM has had a good working relationship with the department for the past 12 years, and has worked closely with Commander Todd Bettison on other false alarm issues for nearly a year. As a result, Belisle spent the entire weekend speaking with Bettison to push back the policy’s implementation date. However, the department ultimately settled on Aug. 22 to start the policy. Neither Martin nor Belisle believe this gives alarm companies enough time to prepare customers.

“A minimum of 30 days is what’s needed to make the transition,” Martin says. “Sixty days would be more reasonable, particularly if people decide they want upgrades. Of course, we also happen to believe that there is going to be a large portion of folks in Detroit that are already financially stressed and won’t have the resources to either change their system or pay for private security.”

For his part, Belisle thinks it will take roughly six to 12 months to fully comply with the transition.

“We don’t know how many alarms are out there,” he says. “So let’s say a company like ADT, the biggest player in the industry, hypothetically has 30,000 clients in Detroit. The question is how long will it take to go and visit 30,000 sites to spend with the client, review the current system, explain to them what their options are and get it installed? No company has the manpower to do that.”

In an attempt to persuade the department to delay the policy implementation, BFAAM is asking its member companies and their clients in the Detroit area to participate in a letter writing campaign to the mayor’s offices and city council. Since BFAAM and SIAC have collaborated successfully in the past with the Detroit PD — namely by implementing enhanced call verification (ECV) in 2010, reducing false alarms by nearly 35 percent — the organizations are striving to maintain good relations with police officials. However, Belisle notes that the recent policy hinders that partnership.

“With the changes the department has made, we’ve been stripped of our ability to help them,” he says. “We all know that police can’t be everywhere at all times. That’s why alarms are effective because they’re always on site when police can’t be. When you take police out of the equation, the effectiveness of alarms goes down significantly.”

Belisle and Martin express concern about the safety of Detroit citizens, noting that once the policy is implemented only about 1-percent of alarm owners will meet the new requirements. In effect, the remaining 99 percent will be “open prey” for criminals, says Belisle.

“From a technology standpoint, I think police are looking at this from the television show ‘C.S.I.,’” he says. “On that show, they can see through walls and around corners and everything else. We have good cameras, but we can’t do that, not in the real world.”

The Detroit PD maintains that the concerns by the alarm industry and citizens that crimes would increase because of the policy are unwarranted. “Data from cities requiring a verified response before dispatching officers shows no clear trend for an increase in burglaries after implementation,” according to a statement released by the department.

Additionally, the police officers will continue to respond to human activated alarms, including hold-up, panic or duress.

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Nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit (Jean Chatzky)

Posted on June 28, 2011 by admin
Tampa Tribune 06/26/2011,
 


Afew weeks ago, when a survey out of Cogswell College landed in my inbox, it piqued my attention. It found that two out of three Americans don’t think colleges are focused enough on providing entrepreneurial skills. Only one in 20 think college is where students become entrepreneurs.

I contacted Douglas Mellinger, a trustee at the college and a seasoned entrepreneur, to get his thoughts. What I found was a split decision. There are certain qualities that can’t be taught.

Among them: passion, a willingness to take risks, curiosity.

‘There is a saying that I love: ‘If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.’ So the first part is having that passion, that belief that you can climb a mountain,’ he explained.

But other qualities – that are equall y important once you get the ball rolling – can be learned. And if you’re not going to learn them in school, you have to take matters into your own hands.

Here’s how to get the skills you need – some practical, some emotional – to bring that next great restaurant, product or invention to life:
Work on your resilience .

Resilience isn’t a single skill – it’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. If you want to be more resilient, which will allow you to bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you can do a few things.

For one, focus on emphasizing the positive. Then silence your internal critic, that constant ‘radio station’ of negativity that may be running in your head. To do it, challenge the thoughts with hard evidence. Practice with simple things: If your critical side says you’re lazy for not exercising today, remind yourself that you exercised yesterday and the day before. Slowly, you’ll start to build up the ability to bounce back when a project goes off course.

Embrace your fire. Even if you’re lucky enough to be born with passion, our educational and cultural system can fan it out, Mellinger said. ‘We’re in a harder time today because of the economic environment, whereas in the ’90s and late ’80s, the environment actually celebrated entrepreneurs.’ But a down economy can actually be a great time to start a business: Procter & Gamble, Whole Foods, Costco and McDonald’s were all launched during hard economic times. If you have an idea you think might be worth something, don’t stifle it because the timing isn’t right.

Take a class or two. You learned how to code, but you didn’t learn how to turn what you developed into a business.

‘It’s about figuring out where your gap is, and then filling that with something very specific,’ said David Hauser, co-founder for Grasshopper Group, which supports entrepreneurs and small businesses. Look for executive courses, many of which can be taken online (but check out the school’s reputation before you sign up).

Network. Neither Mellinger nor Hauser could stress this enough. ‘I’ve always surrounded myself with fellow entrepreneurs who are at the same stage as me, so I can learn from what they’re doing, ask them questions and bounce ideas around,’ Hauser said.

Cultivate a relationship with a mentor (or two). Developing a relationship with someone who has been there, done that is key to many entrepreneurs’ success. Also key, Hauser said, is understanding that you don’t want to keep the same mentor for ever. And when you you’re ready, pay it forward by becoming a mentor to someone else.
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Prescott (Ariz.) Alarm Ordinance Aims to Keep Police Officers on the Beat

Posted on May 20, 2011 by admin

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — With this city’s police department reporting it responds to about 3,000 false alarms each year, the city council unanimously approved a new alarm ordinance.

Prescott residents using private security systems will face fines in $100 increments after two false alarm warnings, reports The Daily Courier. The new law takes effect July 1.

In summer 2010, Prescott police officers raised the issue of needing an alarm ordinance, citing that most of the false alarms they responded to were the result of faulty systems, outdated installation or user error. The goal of the new law is to keep officers on the street to prevent crime, rather than responding to false dispatches.

A current part-time temporary police employee will serve as the city’s alarm coordinator. In that role, the employee will build a database to track false alarms.

The city council will receive an update on the ordinance after a one-year period.

Source: The Daily Courier

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AT&T terminates Xanboo dealer agreement

Posted on April 14, 2011 by admin

Telco says don’t sell Xanboo after July 
Apr 14, 2011 11:49 AM | By Daniel Gelinas

LAS VEGAS—AT&T, which in December of 2010 acquired home security and automation provider Xanboo, is to stop selling Xanboo products by July 5.
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