Affiliated Monitoring is TMA 2018 Monitoring Center of the Year

 ADT, Vector and Affiliated Honored with Personnel Awards

The four winners of the 2018 TMA Monitoring Center of the Year Awards were announced at the 2018 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) on June 19. They are:

• Monitoring Center of the Year: Affiliated Monitoring
• Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year: Beth Bailey, ADT LLC
• Monitoring Center Manager of the Year: Carmelo Mosca, Affiliated Monitoring
• Monitoring Center Operator of the Year: Patricia Fody, Vector Security

“We congratulate our winners for being recognized as the best of the best,” said TMA Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Lasko. “The TMA Excellence Awards recognize the operators on the front lines of the monitoring process, helping customers every day through very challenging situations. The managers who lead the personnel and oversee the functions of the monitoring center to achieve the best performance possible. The support people who keep the monitoring centers running through every challenge imaginable. And of course, the monitoring centers that have proven to deserve a spot at the pinnacle of our industry.”

“All of us at Affiliated Monitoring are gratified to receive this honor,” said Daniel Oppenheim, Executive Vice President, Affiliated. “It validates our deeply held beliefs in professionalism, kindness and technological innovation. The Monitoring Association represents the best of our industry and being recognized in this way is very fulfilling. Affiliated looks forward to supporting our dealers and their customers through this exciting era of growth and opportunity.”

“This award belongs to our ADT team members on the phones right now protecting our neighbors, family members, and our communities,” said Support Person of the Year Beth Bailey, ADT Sr. Manager, Customer Care. “It is my honor to support them and my passion to find ways to make it easier for them to do what they do best – take care of our customers.” ADT had finalists in all four categories this year.

“I feel grateful and honored to receive this award from The Monitoring Association,” said Manager of the Year Carmelo Mosca, Managing Director, Monitoring Operations, Affiliated. “It’s a pleasure to go to work every day with the hundreds of caring and hardworking monitoring specialists in Texas and New Jersey. I’m proud of this personal award and how it reflects positively on the entire Affiliated family.”

The TMA Monitoring Center Excellence Awards recognize any FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL-listed monitoring center (TMA members and non-members) and outstanding personnel who perform in the highest professional manner, thereby making a significant contribution to the betterment of the alarm industry and the alarm profession while demonstrating exceptional service to their customers and community.

The purpose of the awards program is to:

• Establish and promote the inherent value of professional monitoring services in general.
• Honor those who have made the most significant contributions to the service.
• Promote the distinct level of professionalism attained by NRTL-approved monitoring centers.

The TMA Monitoring Center Excellence Awards Program is sponsored by SDM Magazine, which will publish a feature story detailing the accomplishments of the winners later this summer. Entries are judged by a blue-ribbon volunteer judging panel appointed by TMA.

“Each nominee must submit an extensive application detailing company systems like disaster recovery plan, education and training programs, technical innovations, and even community outreach,” said Lasko. “In the case of individual nominations, we ask for examples of how these employees go above and beyond their job descriptions to pursue excellence. Our judges had an extremely difficult time choosing winners from the amazing submissions we receive each year. We hope everyone will read SDM’s profiles of the winners this summer for inspiration!”

For past winners and more information, visit www.tma.us.

 

Maryland State Police’s Christopher Corea is Recipient of 2018 TMA Public Sector Award

VIENNA, VA (May 15, 2018) – First Sgt. Christopher Corea, Executive Officer of the Maryland State Police Information Technology Division, is the recipient of The Monitoring Association’s 2018 Public Sector Award. This special honor is given by TMA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry. Corea will be presented with the award at the 2018 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Sector Luncheon on Friday, June 22, at Music City Center in Nashville.

“It is our pleasure to recognize Chris Corea for his tireless efforts to advance the implementation of ASAP – the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol – in the State of Maryland,” said TMA President Ivan Spector. ASAP is a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring centers and 9-1-1 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response. In March 2018, Prince George’s County, MD became the first municipality in Maryland to implement ASAP as well as the 37th nationwide to implement the service and, at 499 square miles, the second largest.

The award recipient must be nominated by one or more TMA members in good standing. TMA Past President Pamela Petrow and Past President (and current Executive Director) Jay Hauhn put Corea’s name forward for consideration.

“Implementation of ASAP in Maryland was a strategic priority for the program given its proximity to the nation’s capital,” said Hauhn. “Funding and scheduling obstacles hampered our ASAP implementation efforts in Maryland. Because of Sgt. Corea’s ability to manage through the challenges and his perseverance, Maryland’s statewide CJIS network is now ASAP capable.”

First Sergeant Corea has been with the Maryland State Police for 18 years. After graduating from Richard Stockton College of NJ with a B.S in Criminal Justice in 2000, he joined the Maryland State Police. Following graduation from the academy, he began his career patrolling 45 miles of Interstate 95 between Delaware and Baltimore City.  Throughout his time on the road, he was recognized by multiple organizations for his enforcement efforts in impaired driving.

Corea became a Drug Recognition Expert in 2004 and an instructor for the program soon after.  In 2005, he was transferred to the Information Technology Division where he began developing enterprise level applications for the State of Maryland. As he worked his way through the ranks to First Sergeant, he continued to support multiple projects and applications improving the technology being used by all law enforcement agencies in Maryland. In 2014, he became the Nlets representative for the State of Maryland where he is working on improving the use of the Nlets network for Maryland law enforcement. His work in this area including the implementation of ASAP.

The ASAP service is based on an American National Standard developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and TMA, then the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). The service provides a standardized method through the use of automation and the power of Nlets to deliver alarm notifications to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points. The result can be an increase in the likelihood of law enforcement apprehensions for crimes in-progress and of fire quickly extinguished with minimal property damage. ASAP can be a life-saver for a medical emergency patient when every second counts.

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to combine my passions for law enforcement and technology in my current position with the Maryland State Police,” said Corea. “Improving law enforcement response and giving officers the information they need at their fingertips has always been my goal. Being able to navigate the obstacles we had as a State and implement the ASAP protocol in one of the largest counties in Maryland is just the beginning. I look forward to many more technological advancements as a State while in my role with NLETS and the Maryland State Police.”

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 or elasko@tma.us.

###

About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA 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. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

Ivan Spector is Voted President-Elect of The Monitoring Association

Membership Votes for New Officers at ESX 2017

VIENNA, VA (June 28, 2017) – Members of The Monitoring Association (TMA) chose their next president at the General Membership Meeting in Nashville on June 13: Ivan Spector, president of Montreal-based Sentinel Alarm Co. Sentinel has been in the security and critical monitoring business for more than 40 years and is a full-service, custom-designed ULC-listed and Five Diamond designated monitoring station.

“I am very honored and humbled to serve in the position of President,” said Spector. “I look forward to continuing our successes and I thank all of our members for their support and participation.”

In addition to his ownership of Sentinel Alarm, Spector is a leader in advancing alarm management in both Canada and the United States. For CANASA, he has served on the Board of Directors, was national president, and chair of the Response Committee. In that role, he proved instrumental in driving many false dispatch reduction initiatives. He was a founding member and longtime board member of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). Currently, he serves on the Executive Committee of TMA.

Spector is a Superior Court of Canada-acknowledged and accepted expert witness. He is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. He and his wife Jodi reside in Montreal and have four children.

In addition to the election of Spector, officer positions for the next two years were proposed and accepted by vote of the membership: Don Young, ADT; Morgan Hertel, Rapid Response; and Steve Butkovich, CPI will become vice presidents of the Association and Alan Gillmore IV, Gillmore Security, will become treasurer.

“Congratulations to Ivan and our other new officers,” said TMA President Pamela J. Petrow. “I have had the pleasure of working with all of them during my presidency, and know that the Association will be in very good hands under their leadership.”

These leadership changes become official at the conclusion of the TMA Annual Meeting in Scottsdale October 7-11.

In addition to voting on these leaders, members approved several proposed changes to the Association bylaws sections pertaining to officers and committees. The revised bylaws are posted online at tma.us.

###

About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA 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. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

Rochester/Monroe County, NY’s John Merklinger is Recipient of 2017 TMA Public Sector Award

VIENNA, VA (May 22, 2017) – John M. Merklinger, Director of the Rochester/Monroe County 911 Center and 311 Call Center, is the recipient of The Monitoring Association’s 2017 Public Sector Award. This special honor is given by TMA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry. He will be presented with the award at the 2017 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Sector Luncheon on Friday, June 16, at Music City Center in Nashville.  

“It is our pleasure to recognize John for his tireless efforts to advance the implementation of ASAP – the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol – in New York State,” said TMA President Pamela J. Petrow. ASAP is a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response.

The award recipient must be nominated by one or more TMA members in good standing. TMA President Petrow and Past President (and current Executive Director) Jay Hauhn put Merklinger’s name forward for consideration.

“New York State was projected to be one of the last states to implement ASAP due to the states unique IT infrastructure,” said Hauhn. “Merklinger, who understood the value ASAP would bring to his center, spearheaded an effort by New York PSAPs to work with the state police to have the needed changes to the state CJIS network funded, scheduled and successfully completed.”

As Director of the Rochester/Monroe County 911 Center and 311 Call Center, Merklinger manages a staff of 246 dedicated employees and an annual budget of $17.6 million at the 911 Center. The 911 Center handled nearly 1.3 million calls in 2016 (the 311 call center handled 484,844 calls in 2016). The Center is accredited by CALEA and the NYS Sheriffs’ Association.

Merklinger has an extensive Public Safety background as a paramedic, volunteer firefighter, and employee at the Monroe County 911 Center for the last 30 years. He has three A.A.S degrees from Monroe Community College in Public Safety Communications, Criminal Justice and Paramedicine. He also has a B.S degree in Organizational Management and a M.S degree in Management from Robert’s Wesleyan College.  A past Fire Chief, he is a life member of Gates Volunteer Ambulance since 1980 and a life member of the Gates Fire Department since 1991. He is past-president of the NYS NENA Chapter and currently serves as President of the NYS 911 Coordinators Association. Merklinger was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the NYS 911 board in 2011 and remains a member of the board.

“We are proud to be the first PSAP in NYS to go live with the ASAP protocol,” said Merklinger.  “We believe this will be a benefit to the public and the public safety organizations by providing quicker entry and response to alarm generated emergencies.”

The ASAP program is based on an American National Standard developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and TMA, then the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). The program provides a standardized method through the use of automation and the power of Nlets to deliver alarm notifications to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points. As a result, there is an increase in the likelihood of increased law enforcement apprehensions for crimes in-progress, fire quickly extinguished with minimal property damage, and could mean a life-saver for a medical emergency patient when every second counts.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 or elasko@tma.us.