Harlin McEwen Honored by IACP for FirstNet Efforts

On October 25, the Communications and Technology Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police met for what was the last meeting chaired by Chief Harlin McEwen.

McEwen, the retired Chief of the Ithaca Police Department and a former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, served as the chairman of the committee for 37 years. He is an Honorary President and Life Member of IACP.

McEwin was presented with the special “D Block” to commemorate his efforts to convince Congress to allocate the potion of the 700 MHz band (called the D Block) to public safety, making the FirstNet system possible.

Comm and Tech Commitee Photo

Outgoing committee chair Chief Harlin McEwin (center, with D Block). To his left is incoming chair Chief Eddie Reyes; next to Chief Reyes is Lou Fiore, chair of CSAA’s Alarm Industry Communications Committee. (Click image to enlarge).

CSAA Annual Meeting Draws Raves from Attendees

First Year of Multi-Year Reimagining of CSAA’s Signature Event a Hit with Members

VIENNA, VA (October 22, 2015) – Security industry professionals explored their leadership styles, received tools and insights for dealing with health insurance trends, crisis communications and cyber security, and discussed technology trends and legal issues last week in Sonoma, CA. The 2015 CSAA International Annual Meeting garnered rave reviews from attendees, who attended at the highest rate since 2008.

The 2015 meeting marked the beginning of a multi-year reimagining of CSAA’s annual event. “We have been delighted with the member feedback on the revamped Annual Meeting,” said CSAA President Pam Petrow, President and CEO of Vector Security. “The responses have been overwhelmingly positive and confirm we are headed in the right direction.”

With the goal that attendees would have an experience that added value to their business, CSAA assembled a roster of expert presenters to share information to help members change and improve their business practices. So strong was the participation throughout the education sessions that the room was still full for the last session on the last day.

“President Petrow and I saw this meeting as a bellwether event for CSAA, where we would present a vision for where we wanted to take the association during her tenure,” said CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. “We created an agenda that was much different from our traditional programs. We eliminated having the same speakers as in previous years, just giving updates on what’s changed in the last 12 months. We threw away the old agendas, and started from scratch with a laser focus on evolving member needs. Judging from our members’ participation and feedback, we succeeded in presenting a program that will have a real and meaningful impact on their businesses.”

“I thought every session held was relevant, to business and specifically our industry,” said CSAA member Howard Sanders, VP of Operations, Kings III. “I look forward to coming back next year!”

“The CSAA Annual Meeting was a great event,” said first-time attendee Justin Bailey, COO, AvantGuard Monitoring Centers. “I’ve learned a lot from the courses and from rubbing shoulders with some of the leaders of the industry. I’m planning on returning for 2016, and I look forward to what I can learn there and the connections I can make. “

The conference included plenty of networking opportunities for members, both onsite at formal and informal gatherings, and offsite at special events that took advantage of the setting in Sonoma wine country. This format allowed members to get acquainted and for associate and consultant members to engage with CSAA’s North American and international alarm company members. “[This was] actually one of the best and most relevant Annual Meetings I’ve been to,” said Chuck Speck, president of Bold Technologies. “As an associate member, it’s really encouraging to see the focal changes on the association becoming more geared toward growth, content and development. There’s a tremendous amount of value there, and I hope that message gains traction throughout the industry.”

A unique aspect of the CSAA Annual Meeting is the presence of Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) representatives. The 2015 event included the largest representation of AHJs in several years, including Chiefs of Police, Fire Chiefs, and Sheriffs. These groups were allotted time to meet separately by themselves and with the CSAA members, so that they could engage with each other and then bring their own unique challenges to the attention of the alarm industry.

“My expectations were exceeded tremendously at our CSAA annual meeting,” said Ralph Sevinor, president of Wayne Alarm Systems. “This was the first time we had our general manager, Jeff Kahn, attend, and he told me that he felt so motivated and confident after the event, and that he could not recall at any other industry event such an open dialogue at such a high level.”

“This CSAA annual meeting was an amazing experience,” Sevinor added. “People will really have to ask themselves why they were not there?”      

At the event, CSAA announced that the 2016 Annual Meeting will be held in Marco Island (FL) Marriott Beach Resort, October 22-27.  “We will continue to build on 2015’s success for the 2016 Annual Meeting and welcome comments related to content and format,” said President Petrow.

The 2015 CSAA Annual Meeting program included:

  • Meeting the Information Security Management Challenge: The Financial Implications of Cybercrime on the Alarm Monitoring Industry — Stan Stahl, Ph.D.
  • Protect Your Reputation: Crisis Management in the Cyber Age — David Margulies, Margulies Communications
  • “Why Can’t You Be Normal…Like Me!” — Robert A. Rohm, Ph.D., Personality Insights
  • This is Going to Pinch! National Market Trends in Health Care and How They Will Affect Your Bottom Line: A Panel Presentation by National Experts Representing Health Insurance Carriers and Brokers
  • Business Impact of Technology and Innovation Speaker: Jay Hauhn, Executive Director, CSAA
  • Legal Concerns in a Tech-Crazy World Speaker: Charles C. Eblen, Esquire, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.
  • The Communications Landscape Speaker: Syed Zaeem “Z” Hosain, Founder, SVP Engineering and CTO, Aeris Communications, Inc.
  • Innovation in a Services Based Economy–It’s Not Your Father’s Monitoring Business Anymore! — Steven Van Till, President and COO, Brivo Systems, Steve Trundle, CEO, Alarm.com

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About CSAA International

The Central Station Alarm Association International (CSAA) is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies that are listed by a CSAA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL. CSAA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Since its incorporation in 1950, CSAA has served its members’ interests through education, online training, meetings and conventions, certification, insurance, and industry standards. www.csaaintl.org. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

 

CSAA Annual Meeting: “People will really have to ask themselves why they were not there?”

CSAA Annual Meeting Draws Raves from Attendees

First Year of Multi-Year Reimagining of CSAA’s Signature Event a Hit with Members

Security industry professionals explored their leadership styles, received tools and insights for dealing with health insurance trends, crisis communications and cyber security, and discussed technology trends and legal issues last week in Sonoma, CA. The 2015 CSAA International Annual Meeting garnered rave reviews from attendees, who attended at the highest rate since 2008.

Sonoma Rohm Sesson small

CSAA Annual Meeting participants at Dr. Robert Rohm’s interactive leadership session, “Why Can’t You Be Normal…Like Me!” Photo by Brandon Freedman.

The 2015 meeting marked the beginning of a multi-year reimagining of CSAA’s annual event. “We have been delighted with the member feedback on the revamped Annual Meeting,” said CSAA President Pam Petrow, President and CEO of Vector Security. “The responses have been overwhelmingly positive and confirm we are headed in the right direction.”

With the goal that attendees would have an experience that added value to their business, CSAA assembled a roster of expert presenters to share information to help members change and improve their business practices. So strong was the participation throughout the education sessions that the room was still full for the last session on the last day.

“President Petrow and I saw this meeting as a bellwether event for CSAA, where we would present a vision for where we wanted to take the association during her tenure,” said CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. “We created an agenda that was much different from our traditional programs. We eliminated having the same speakers as in previous years, just giving updates on what’s changed in the last 12 months. We threw away the old agendas, and started from scratch with a laser focus on evolving member needs. Judging from our members’ participation and feedback, we succeeded in presenting a program that will have a real and meaningful impact on their businesses.”

“I thought every session held was relevant, to business and specifically our industry,” said CSAA member Howard Sanders, VP of Operations, Kings III. “I look forward to coming back next year!”

“The CSAA Annual Meeting was a great event,” said first-time attendee Justin Bailey, COO, AvantGuard Monitoring Centers. “I’ve learned a lot from the courses and from rubbing shoulders with some of the leaders of the industry. I’m planning on returning for 2016, and I look forward to what I can learn there and the connections I can make. “

The conference included plenty of networking opportunities for members, both onsite at formal and informal gatherings, and offsite at special events that took advantage of the setting in Sonoma wine country. This format allowed members to get acquainted and for associate and consultant members to engage with CSAA’s North American and international alarm company members. “[This was] actually one of the best and most relevant Annual Meetings I’ve been to,” said Chuck Speck, president of Bold Technologies. “As an associate member, it’s really encouraging to see the focal changes on the association becoming more geared toward growth, content and development. There’s a tremendous amount of value there, and I hope that message gains traction throughout the industry.”

Sonoma Beary Cunningham small

Richard Beary, president, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Terrence Cunningham, first vice president, IACP, participate in the AHJs luncheon with CSAA members. Photo by Brandon Freedman.

A unique aspect of the CSAA Annual Meeting is the presence of Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) representatives. The 2015 event included the largest representation of AHJs in several years, including Chiefs of Police, Fire Chiefs, and Sheriffs. These groups were allotted time to meet separately by themselves and with the CSAA members, so that they could engage with each other and then bring their own unique challenges to the attention of the alarm industry.

“My expectations were exceeded tremendously at our CSAA annual meeting,” said Ralph Sevinor, president of Wayne Alarm Systems. “This was the first time we had our general manager, Jeff Kahn, attend, and he told me that he felt so motivated and confident after the event, and that he could not recall at any other industry event such an open dialogue at such a high level.”

“This CSAA annual meeting was an amazing experience,” Sevinor added. “People will really have to ask themselves why they were not there?”      

At the event, CSAA announced that the 2016 Annual Meeting will be held at the Marco Island (FL) Marriott Beach Resort, October 22-27.  “We will continue to build on 2015’s success for the 2016 Annual Meeting and welcome comments related to content and format,” said President Petrow.

CSAA President Pam Petrow, Keynote Speaker Stan Stahl, Ph.D., and CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. Photo by Brandon Freedman.

CSAA President Pam Petrow, Keynote Speaker Stan Stahl, Ph.D., and CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. Photo by Brandon Freedman.

The 2015 CSAA Annual Meeting program included:

  • Meeting the Information Security Management Challenge: The Financial Implications of Cybercrime on the Alarm Monitoring Industry — Stan Stahl, Ph.D.
  • Protect Your Reputation: Crisis Management in the Cyber Age — David Margulies, Margulies Communications
  • “Why Can’t You Be Normal…Like Me!” — Robert A. Rohm, Ph.D., Personality Insights
  • This is Going to Pinch! National Market Trends in Health Care and How They Will Affect Your Bottom Line: A Panel Presentation by National Experts Representing Health Insurance Carriers and Brokers
  • Business Impact of Technology and Innovation Speaker: Jay Hauhn, Executive Director, CSAA
  • Legal Concerns in a Tech-Crazy World Speaker: Charles C. Eblen, Esquire, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.
  • The Communications Landscape Speaker: Syed Zaeem “Z” Hosain, Founder, SVP Engineering and CTO, Aeris Communications, Inc.
  • Innovation in a Services Based Economy–It’s Not Your Father’s Monitoring Business Anymore! — Steven Van Till, President and COO, Brivo Systems, Steve Trundle, CEO, Alarm.com

 

SIAC Launches “Raise Your Hand” Campaign to Support the Electronic Security Industry

Support for SIAC Protects Industry and the Public

On October 21, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) announced a program to raise awareness of the continuing need to foster strong relationships between the electronic security industry and law enforcement.

SIAC Flyer“The ‘Raise Your Hand Campaign’ focuses on SIAC’s role in preventing the type of legislation that can damage the industry and make it more difficult to protect our customers,” said Stan Martin, SIAC’s Executive Director. “The first poster focuses on proposals that crop up at the local level to fine alarm providers rather than alarm owners.”

SIAC has strong support among industry leaders and is seeking to broaden its funding sources to continue its program of working with the approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

Since 2004, SIAC has had the unique and vital role of being the one voice for the electronic security industry with law enforcement and elected officials. SIAC is the only entity focused 100 percent on ordinance activity and alarm management education in North America, promoting a well-vetted model that provides reasonable best practices that ensure our ability to serve our customers and grow our businesses. This structured, efficient approach avoids political controversies and costly litigation to fight or overturn ordinances that are costly and burdensome to the industry.

More significantly, SIAC has worked with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association to create model alarm ordinances that significantly reduce alarm dispatches.

“Each year new elections and changes in law enforcement leadership require that SIAC continue its important mission of educating these leaders in the best practices that are essential maintaining sworn officer response while conserving public safety resources,” said Martin. “Failure to do so can result in punitive ordinances or policies that make it more difficult and expensive for us to operate effectively.”

CSAA is a committed supporter of SIAC. More information on how to support SIAC’s efforts can be found at www.SIACinc.org.

Diebold is Latest Central Station to Go Live with ASAP®

ASAP-Concept1DDiebold, Incorporated, a global provider of integrated self-service solutions, security systems and services, went live with ASAP® in the city of Richmond, VA on September 9. “The momentum with ASAP continues as we add another national provider,” said CSAA President Pamela J. Petrow. “We are excited to have Diebold now transmitting alarm activity through the network and look forward to their expansion into additional cities.”

“With ASAP, priority alarm signals are processed within seconds, not minutes, ensuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted from the Diebold Monitoring Center to the PSAP every time,” said Damon Kanzler, Diebold electronic security, vice president, centralized services and business processes. “This time savings will improve dispatching services for Diebold customers while reducing the volume of time-consuming alarm calls to local PSAPs and increase our dispatcher productivity.”

Read the complete story.

Diebold is Latest Central Station to Go Live with ASAP®

Implementation of the “Automated Secure Alarm Protocol” is Building Nationwide

VIENNA, VA (October 20, 2015) — Diebold, Incorporated, a global provider of integrated self-service solutions, security systems and services, went live with ASAP® in the city of Richmond, VA on September 9. “The momentum with ASAP continues as we add another national provider,” said CSAA President Pamela J. Petrow. “We are excited to have Diebold now transmitting alarm activity through the network and look forward to their expansion into additional cities.”

“With ASAP, priority alarm signals are processed within seconds, not minutes, ensuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted from the Diebold Monitoring Center to the PSAP every time,” said Damon Kanzler, Diebold electronic security, vice president, centralized services and business processes. “This time savings will improve dispatching services for Diebold customers while reducing the volume of time-consuming alarm calls to local PSAPs and increase our dispatcher productivity.”

ASAP was launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). ASAP utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO) and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA).

With ASAP, critical life safety signals and accurate information is processed more quickly, through the Nlets system of state-to-state PSAP communication, insuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. The ASAP program has the potential to save PSAPs and emergency services millions of dollars.

“The city of Richmond is delighted that Diebold, one of the largest national central stations, has joined the ASAP program and is using ASAP to deliver alarms to the City of Richmond,” said Bill Hobgood, Project Manager, Public Safety Team Department of Information Technology City of Richmond, Virginia. “The percentage of alarm notifications transmitted to Richmond using the ASAP service has increased exponentially with the addition of each new central station to the ASAP program. In contrast, the Richmond Emergency Communications staff are receiving fewer telephone calls from central stations, one of the ASAP goals. This reduction in the 10-digit telephone number call volumes has generated greater customer satisfaction by allowing the 9-1-1 call-takers to focus greater attention on the citizens who dial 9-1-1. Diebold is a welcome addition.”

For more information on ASAP or to access ASAP resources (videos, webinars, training and outreach materials), contact CSAA at asap@csaaintl.org or 703-242-4670, or visit csaaintl.org/asap.

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About CSAA International

The Central Station Alarm Association International (CSAA) is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies that are listed by a CSAA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL. CSAA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Since its incorporation in 1950, CSAA has served its members’ interests through education, online training, meetings and conventions, certification, insurance, and industry standards. www.csaaintl.org. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

CSAA President Pam Petrow is a Featured Expert on the “Business of Security” at Securing New Ground

CSAAPam-Petrow[1] President Pam Petrow, president and CEO of Vector Security, is one of the featured presenters at the Security Industry Association (SIA)’s Securing New Ground® (SNGTM) at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City. The event is coming up fast — October 28-29.

CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, a former president of both SIA and CSAA, has participated in SNG as a speaker and presenter for many years. “SNG is a one-of-a-kind experience,” he says. “I have made it a priority to participate throughout my career in the security industry. It’s the event where you can really gain a sense of the market today and what is likely to happen tomorrow.”

According to SIA, Securing New Ground® (SNG) is about the “business of security. At SNG, C-level executives, new entrants, investors and security practitioners discuss and map the state of the security industry.” Participants in SNG will gain access ​​to unparalleled networking opportunities and valuable industry information, presented by ​​​market leaders sharing relevant industry information, not sponsored content.

Petrow will participate in a panel titled “Market Leaders Perspective: How Established Companies Stay Nimble and Relevant.”  In her session, she and moderator Kirk McDowell, Vice President, Platform Sales, alarm.com and co-panelist Tim Whall, Chairman & CEO, Protection 1, will discuss how successful companies grow and evolve over time. They will address how technological and industry shifts, the threat of new entrants, understanding your market and your customers’ aspirations, globalization, changing government regulations and more require companies to stay efficient and innovative to keep ahead of their competitors.

See the complete program and register at http://www.securityindustry.org/Pages/IndustryEvents/Securing-New-Ground.aspx

Enhance Your CSAA Annual Meeting Experience with the Mobile App

Get the App! Our mobile guide will enhance your experience at the 2015 CSAA Annual Meeting. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can still follow the action!

To get the guide, download ‘Guidebook’ from the Apple App Store or the Android Marketplace, or visit http://guidebook.com/getit from your phone’s browser.

Then, from the Guidebook application, tap “Download Guides” then “Redeem Code”.  Enter the code 5fu79y23 and the guide will download to your device!

Compatible with iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and Android devices. (Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry users can access the same information via http://guidebook.com/browse/.)

Shannon Woodman Joins CSAA Board of Directors Executive Committee

CSAA board member Shannon Woodman, COO of Washington Alarm in Seattle, Washington, is the newest member of the CSAA Board of Directors’ Executive Committee. She joins the committee at the invitation of the president, in the role of Special Advisor. Shannon Woodman headshot

“I am very excited to have Shannon join the Executive Committee,” said CSAA President Pam Petrow, President and CEO, Vector Security. “She has shown great leadership with her work as Chair of the Membership Committee and Co-Chair of the Owner Operator/Regional Voice of the Customer sessions. Her abilities to collaborate, be innovative, and communicate effectively are talents that will further strengthen the EC.”

As the 3rd generation in an alarm company family, Shannon Woodman grew up in the security industry. She came to work full time for Washington Alarm in 2000 as a sales representative and quickly worked her way up to Sales Manager. In 2011 Woodman officially took over day-to-day operations of the company from her father, becoming Chief Operating Officer.

“I am excited to be a part of the new leadership team at CSAA,” said Woodman. “We have a great group of people working hard to make effective changes that will position CSAA to provide even greater benefits to our membership.”

Woodman is a member of Security Systems News “20 under 40,” Integrator Class of 2010. In 2014 she received the Presidential Special Recognition Award for her work with the membership committee with CSAA. She has served as:

  • Board Member Seattle Executive Association 2005-2007 and 2008-2010
  • President of Seattle Executives Association 2009
  • Board Member and Community Service Chair of Seattle International District Rotary Club 2003-2007
  • Board Member of Seattle International District Rotary Club 2013-Current
  • President of Seattle International District Rotary Club 2014-2015
  • Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) Membership Chair 2010-Present
  • CSAA Board Member 2013-Present

Woodman states, “I believe in working on our business and not just in our business. I do this by attending seminars, listening to speakers, asking other people how they do things in their business, as well as meeting as many people as I can.”

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–Elizabeth Lasko, October 2, 2015