SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.
Issue link: https://securitysales.epubxp.com/i/85538
FARA ROUNDTABLE toward improvement has truly been made? McDonald: I think awareness is the most important issue. T at awareness was brought up by the whole verifi ed response issue because that made news. T e awareness has benefi ted both sides because everyone has seen the need to form relationships and a cooperative eff ort to work with each other to reduce false alarms. I defi nitely think more can occur. Sometimes, on all sides — the industry, government, law enforcement — you still have players out there refusing to work with each other. But overall I think cooperation has increased. T e issue is getting those numbers reduced and meeting in the middle to fi nd a satisfying and happy medium. False alarms are still going to occur because you have the human element, nature, any of those causes where it can happen. But we're aware of those causes and with the new technology coming out, like video becoming more aff ordable, we'll hopefully start to see an even greater drop in false alarms. Miller: I think there are going to be more verifi ed calls based on the technology that's becoming available. At some point there could be more nonresponse. I know some agencies are having problems with receiving [false alarm fi ne] payments so they're starting to suspend for payment. But I think it's the technology that's going to make a big diff erence in the reduction of false alarms. Even though the systems are increasing — our population increased 2.3% this year — our alarms did not go up. So there's something keeping it down, and I think it's really the technology and the hard work the industry is doing working with police. Let's continue with that train of thought, how technology and/ or certain practices are aff ecting the incidence of false alarms and dispatches. Lowe: What we call two-call verifi cation is huge. I've heard people mention this, but with me a lot of my calls are actually that they do have "When I fi rst started we went to every single alarm. Now the monitoring stations do their best to fi lter the calls to try to make sure we don't go to so many false alarms. T e equipment is far superior to what it used to be. Every police department has seen a [false alarm] reduction the past 10 years. " GERRY MILLER Supervisor – Alarm Program Communications Center Peel Regional Police Brampton, Ontario, Canada someone's cell phone number now. T ey are going to more using the cell phone than they are trying to call a home number fi rst. T ey will call the person's cell, and then they actually have another person instead of just calling the premise and the home. And we're starting to get some that have the video verifi cation. I know in our public safety department a couple of years ago a few offi cers invited the people who owned the businesses in Lynchburg to come out and see what video security could do. You'll be able to see what's going on at your store or home. T is allows getting into crime prevention or being able to actually make arrests because you are able to see the subject, or what's going on. With the way technology's changing, I haven't seen much of a downside as it's actually enhancing and making things better for us. Hansen: I am anxious to see how video verifi cation develops and if our businesses and such start implementing this type of an alarm system. I think it's a good thing. I think we will catch more burglars that way 52 / SECURITYSALES.COM / OCTOBER 2012 and the police then too know exactly what they're going into. It's even better than an eyewitness who says they saw somebody break into the store, and then the alarm's activated and the police are coming. T ey still don't know exactly what they're coming into. With this video technology and them being able to E-mail our 911 dispatchers, they're going to be able to communicate to those offi cers. Also, if it is able to go to their laptops in their vehicles they will know exactly what they're walking into when they get there, as far as where that person might be in the building and such. Miller: Technology, the way the alarm industry does business, has improved incredibly. When I fi rst started we went to every single alarm. Now the monitoring stations are doing their best to fi lter the calls to try to make sure that we don't go to so many false alarms. T e equipment is far superior to what it used to be. Monitoring station operators are trained much better than they used to be too. T ey work with police now. We used to have a separation at one time, but now we all work together to get the problem resolved. False alarms have been reduced a lot. Every single police FIND IT ON THE WEB For the complete Law Enforcement Security Industry Study, go to securitysales.com/files/ss7police-1.pdf.