Renowned Futurist to Keynote TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting

The Monitoring Association (TMA) is pleased to announce acclaimed global futurist, speaker, and best-selling author Jack Uldrich will deliver the keynote address at its 2022 Annual Meeting on Monday, October 31, 2022 at 11:00AM ET. The meeting will take place in-person at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, October 29-November 2, 2022.

“As business leaders, what could be more valuable than to have access to the insights of someone who can see into the future? How much more effective and productive could our organizations be? What could we achieve?” asked TMA President Morgan Hertel. “While Jack will share with his insights on leading innovation trends, he will more importantly convey the significant role that both our mind and our heart play in transforming our businesses in preparation for greater success. I am confident that Jack will inspire, energize, and enlighten our meeting attendees like no other.”

Uldrich is highly regarded as a keynote speaker. His authoritative speeches on future trends; emerging technologies; innovation, change emerging technologies, change management; and leadership are filled with knowledge, insight, and creativity. He provides provocative new perspectives on competitive advantage, change management, and transformational leadership. He calls to light the advantages of being creative and using the powers of individual imagination.

Go to https://tma.us/events/2022-annual-meeting/ for detailed meeting information, including program agenda, hotel accommodations, and registration.

New Hanover County ECC Goes Live with TMA’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol

The Monitoring Association (TMA) welcomed its 111th ECC in the United States on Monday, July 25, 2022. The New Hanover County ECC in North Carolina became the 12th ECC in the state of North Carolina to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). The New Hanover County ECC went live with Rapid Response Monitoring, Vector Security, Tyco (Johnson Controls), Stanley Security, Guardian Protection, Securitas, ADS, United Central Control, Brinks Home Security, Affiliated Monitoring, Vivint, National Monitoring Center, Holmes Security, Protection One and CPI Security. ADT and Security Central will be on boarded in the near future.

Hire a Veteran Day

According to SHRM, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, “In 2020, 18.5 million men and women were veterans, accounting for about 7 percent of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 18 and older. ZipRecruiter and the Call of Duty Endowment1 reports that veterans are 15.6 percent more likely than non-veterans job seekers to be underemployed.

Veterans can help raise a company’s workforce to the next level in many areas, including: Leadership and teamwork. Military service creates individuals who work to earn the respect of their peers and understand how to bring people together to pursue strategic, common goals. Problem-solving and decision-making.

According to Hire a Veteran Day Founder Dan Caporale, “The best way to honor a veteran is to hire one.”

An Orion Talent’s 2018 Veteran Hiring Survey found that candidates with military experience are more likely to be hired, more likely to accept a job offer, and more likely to stay at the company for a longer period of time than those without a military background.

Learn more about how to build a business case for hiring veterans and how to implement a veteran’s hiring initiative on the SHRM website at https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/militaryreadyemployer.aspx.

ESA Presents its Weinstock Person of the Year Award to Firestone

Steve Firestone has had a distinguished professional career. But what may define Firestone — the individual — most are the personal connections forged by the spirit of community and association for the betterment of all. Firestone’s litany of association work and volunteerism is long and illustrious. It is certainly befitting the very essence of the Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year, an honor recognizing the lifetime achievement and service to the industry of a dedicated individual.

In a recent conversation, Firestone addressed how he found a work-life balance with volunteering; the personal rewards one gains through association work; and the importance of “staying in school.” He also recalls in detail how countless industry brethren lifted him and his family during one of their darkest moments.

Read the full interview.

Eastern Bank Welcomes Greg Spurr As Senior Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager Specializing In Security Alarm Lending

Eastern Bank is pleased to announce Greg Spurr has joined the organization as a Senior Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager in the Commercial Banking Division specializing in Security Alarm Lending. Based in Boston, Mr. Spurr’s experience includes a focus in specialized lending, including security alarm services and acquisition finance.

“We are thrilled to welcome Greg Spurr to Eastern’s growing Security Alarm Lending team,” said Greg Buscone, Executive Vice President, Senior Commercial Banking Officer at Eastern Bank. “Our national footprint in the security alarm industry will benefit greatly from his experience, and we look forward to deepening our commitment to the industry.”

Prior to joining Eastern, Mr. Spurr worked at Rockland Trust as Senior Vice President, Specialized Lending where he managed a portfolio of companies in the security alarm, IT services and personal emergency response services sectors, including new business development. He previously served as Vice President, Middle Market at TD Bank where he managed business development, underwriting and complex customer relationships for middle market companies and security alarm companies in the New England region. In the community, Mr. Spurr serves as a Board Member and Treasurer of Fidelity House Human Services, and a Board Member for Lazarus House Ministries.

“I look forward to joining Eastern’s Security Alarm Lending Division and supporting its work to expand client relationships,” said Greg Spurr, Senior Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager, Security Alarm Lending.

SightLogix Announces New SightSensor Line of Smart Thermal Cameras

SightLogix has introduced a new line of SightSensor smart thermal cameras, specifically designed for the mainstream security market.

The new 384×288 NS4 thermal camera line delivers 44% more pixels than 320×240 cameras, offering wider intruder detection coverage and a clearer thermal image, at costs that make them a compelling solution for protecting critical, industrial and commercial perimeters.

Like all SightSensor cameras, the NS4 line includes powerful edge processing to optimize outdoor performance with features like geo-aware video analytics, electronic stabilization, exceptional thermal clarity, and a toolbox of filters to manage application conditions.

“The NS4 maintains SightLogix’s heritage for unmatched intruder detection performance,” said John Romanowich, SightLogix president and CEO. “This new extension to the SightSensor line meets the most pressing needs of the security market by delivering high performance, reliability, and ease of use at an attractive price.”

The SightSensor NS4 line is available at standard delivery timeframes. Visit https://www.sightlogix.com/products/sightsensor-ns/ to learn more.

For more information on SightLogix perimeter security and outdoor surveillance solutions, call +1.609.951.0008, email info@sightlogix.com or visit www.sightlogix.com.

Chad Wright Named Rapid Response CTO

Jeffrey Atkins, president of Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Inc., announced the promotion of Chad Wright, currently Vice President of Technical Services, to Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, Chad will oversee initiatives in Information Technology and Software Development and will plan the future of technical development at Rapid Response. Chad joined Rapid Response in 2017 as Vice President of Technical Services and was responsible for the management of the Information Technology, Programming, and Project Management teams. He managed the 99.999% uptime SLA across two data centers, and he led development for commercial applications. He has held the position of Chief Technology Officer previously at MicroAutomation and at Salesblade.

Upon joining Rapid Response, however, he almost immediately faced challenges as our headquarters and monitoring center expanded in Syracuse, the COVID pandemic made evident the need for dispersed and remote work connections for non-monitoring personnel, and the need for a broader based Operations team led to the development of our new Henderson facility. His efforts in meeting these challenges, and many others, were critical in keeping the company in position to be highly competitive, particularly in what continues to be an uncertain economic environment.

“There is no stronger or clearer indication of a company’s sophistication and competitive strength than the level of expertise exhibited by its employees. I am confident that in his new role as Rapid
Response CTO, Chad will provide and inspire the very highest level of excellence in supporting Rapid Response as a leader in this industry,” said Atkins.

ESA Welcomes New Board Members: Rick Seymour & Michael Barnes

The Electronic Security Association recently installed two new members on its Board of Directors – Rick Seymour CEO, CSI Palm Beach, and Michael Barnes, founding partner, Barnes Associates, Inc. Both were installed onto the ESA Board of Directors during the ESA Annual Meeting at ESX and began their term on July 1st. Each Board Member has a responsibility for ensuring strategies and policies that are developed, discussed and implemented will enable the organization to achieve its mission and vision, and to monitor the organization’s implementation of those strategies and policies.

Congratulations to all newly elected and installed board members:

Integrator Chairman John Loud 2022-2024
Integrator Director Kevin Stone 2022-2024
Integrator Director Rick Seymour 2022-2024
Integrator Director Melissa Brinkman 2021-2023
Integrator Director Jeremy Bates 2021-2023
National Company Director Doug Bassett 2022-2024
Associate Member Director Jason Lutz 2021-2023
Competency Director Steve Firestone 2022-2023
Competency Director Michael Barnes 2022-2023
Immediate Past Chairman Director Jamie Vos 2022-2024 

Read More

 

New Study: Communities Find Success with Model Alarm Ordinance

A new study by a professor at the UNC-Charlotte, Criminal Justice & Criminology Department shows that most electronic security systems in the communities studied protect life and property without generating calls for police services. The study examined four communities that had adopted the Model Alarm Ordinance, developed by the industry and leaders in law enforcement to reduce unnecessary calls for service while maintaining police response to alarms.

The four communities included Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia; and Montgomery County, Maryland. These communities represented two large agencies, one smaller suburban agency and one county agency managing more than 570,000 permitted alarm systems.

“A key finding of the study,” said Dr. Joe Kuhns, “is that the vast majority of alarm systems in these four locations were effective at protecting lives and property while generating zero calls for service in a given year, and only a tiny percentage are problematic systems that generated multiple calls for service.”

The annual average percentage of registered alarms that generated zero dispatches was as high as 92% in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, 82.6% in Atlanta, 87.5% in Montgomery County and 66.4% in Marietta. These statistics represented an 8 or10-year average, depending on how long the ordinance had been in effect.

“It is also noteworthy that the percentage of zero dispatches tends to increase over time,” said Kuhns. “As jurisdictions get better at administration, and the public becomes more familiar with the ordinance, results consistently improved over time in these four settings.”

The proportion of problematic systems, which generate three or more dispatches in a year, was only .09% in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, 3.5% in Atlanta, 1.08% in Montgomery County and 8.7% in Marietta.

The Model Alarm Ordinance was created in collaboration with leaders in public safety through organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association,” said Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) which funded the study. “Public safety leaders recognize the important role electronic security plays in their communities and the importance of police response as a deterrent to crime.

“The Model Alarm Ordinance directly addresses the issue that the vast majority of false alarms are caused by user error,” said Martin. “The study demonstrates that the strategy of focusing on the chronic abusers and fining owners who are careless in operating their electronic security systems is the most effective way of minimizing calls for service.

“The Model Alarm Ordinance is a framework that communities can modify to best fit their local needs,” said Martin. “SIAC provides consultation at no cost to law enforcement agencies considering or modifying alarm ordinances.”

“The model alarm ordinance calls for increasing fines or even curtailing response to the very small percentage of systems that place inordinate demands on public safety agencies,” said Kuhns. “In addition, it mandates multiple contacts with the alarm site prior to contacting public safety agencies.”

“False alarms did not consume a lot of law enforcement resources in the four agencies we studied,” said Kuhns. “If we can replicate what they are doing across the nation’s 18,000+ law enforcement agencies, we are going to wind up saving a whole lot of money and time which can be devoted to other public safety priorities.”

Joe Kuhns, Ph.D., Professor, UNC-Charlotte, Criminal Justice & Criminology

Dr. Joe Kuhns teaches courses in policing, community policing, drugs and crime, and research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to arriving at UNCC in 2003, Dr. Kuhns served as a Senior Policy Analyst at the U.S. Department of Justice (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services).

About SIAC

SIAC represents one voice for the electronic security industry on alarm management issues –communicating solutions and enhancing relationships with law enforcement.  SIAC is comprised of four major North American security associations–Canadian Security Association (CANASA), Security Industry Association (SIA), The Monitoring Association (TMA), and the Electronic Security Association (ESA). For more information, go to www.SIACinc.org ,  www.siacinc.wordpress.com, or follow us on www.twitter.com/siacinc.

City of Rockwall, TX Goes Live with TMA’s ASAP-to-PSAP Service

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the City of Rockwall ECC in Texas servicing the Cities of Rockwall, Fate & Heath became the 110th ECC in the United States and the 12th ECC in the state of Texas to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). The Rockwall ECC went live with Rapid Response Monitoring, Vector […]