CSAA is launching a video series called “CSAA 365” to promote the many programs, services and membership benefits we offer that will help you advance your business all year long. Here’s President Jay Hauhn with a preview!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kl7_8nZ7Hw&w=560&h=315]
On January 16, Honeywell announced the appointment of David Paja as president of Honeywell Security Group, succeeding Ron Rothman, a member of the CSAA board of directors who has served as president of Honeywell Security Group since January 2010 (and who will remain with Honeywell through June to assist with the transition).
“Ron’s involvement in the industry goes well beyond his role as the president of a leading manufacturer,” said CSAA President Jay Hauhn today. “His unselfish participation in industry associations is without equal.”
Jay Hauhn and Ron Rothman at the CSAA 2013 Annual Meeting
“Ron has been a real friend of the industry and CSAA,” said CSAA past president Ed Bonifas. “During the time he has represented our Associate members on the CSAA board over the past five years, Ron has never solved problems with a shotgun approach. I appreciate that his insights are always on target.”
“Ron has been a long time friend and a business mentor, for whom I have the utmost respect,” continued Hauhn. “I am sure I speak for the entire industry when I say ‘thank you’ for all your contributions, and ‘best of luck’ wherever your path leads next.”
In Honeywell’s official press release, Ismail says “I would like to thank Ron Rothman for his leadership and significant contributions to both Honeywell and the industry, and I wish him and his family the best … Ron has been a strong and passionate leader. In his more than 30 years in the security industry and at Honeywell, he built lasting customer relationships and drove the development of innovative products and solutions that helped transform the market. He has been a driving force in making Honeywell a security industry leader and positioning the organization for ongoing growth and success.”
— Elizabeth Lasko, January 19, 2015
Attention Alarm Equipment Manufacturers: FCC Outsources RF Equipment Certification, and Updates Testing and Measurement Standards
On December 30, 2014, the FCC issued a Report and Order in ET Docket No. 13-44, updating the Commission’s radiofrequency (RF) equipment authorization program to expand the use of Commission-recognized Telecommunications Certification Bodies (TCBs) as a faster and less expensive way to certify equipment. The TCB program up until now allowed equipment manufacturers to go to a private sector certification contractor rather than going through the full FCC Equipment Certification process, but only for certain categories of equipment. The new rules essentially outsource the entire certification process to the TCBs, in the name of facilitating the more rapid introduction of new and innovative products to the market while ensuring that these products do not cause harmful interference.
The rules have not yet appear on the Federal Register so the 30-day period for the rules to become effective has not yet started. Find details on the CSAA website.
Julie Webber
A message from Julie Webber, CSAA VP of Education and Training.
Happy New Year! My colleagues and I on the CSAA staff want to make sure you know about speaking opportunities at our Annual Meeting coming up in October of this year. While it seems a ways off, from our perspective it really is right around the corner.
We here at CSAA are committed to making our annual meeting a value-added learning event. We want attendees to leave the meeting with essential information and action items that they can implement immediately within their business environment.
Our presenters are the key to creating this result. The central station monitoring industry is gearing up for another exciting year of growth. And this isn’t just with technology enhancements. For example, as an industry we are becoming more involved with keeping smart homes smart. We are the ones who watch over your home when you’re not there. In fact, we have become integral players in the overall security business. Cyber security affects all of us. Issues that impact the internet, such as net neutrality, are important to us. Keeping up with telecommunications changes and the FCC can be overwhelming. Will you be one of those who step up to the plate to help us understand the issues and take action?
A few weeks ago we opened our Call for Presentations, and I’ve received a number of interesting topic proposals, many focusing on “issues that keep us awake at night.” There’s still time to participate, but the deadline for submissions is approaching. If you have something to share, we’ll be accepting proposals until noon on Monday, February 2.
I challenge you to take the leap and consider how your contributions can positively impact the entire industry — and I am here to help you get a great return on your personal investment. Please contact me at jwebber@csaaintl.org to start our discussion.
We look forward to seeing you in Sonoma, California in October!
Chief Harlin R. McEwen, chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Communications and Technology Committee, goes back a long way with Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York who died January 1, 2015.
“Upon hearing of his death last week, I immediately thought back to the day in 1984 when he came to the Turf Inn in Albany to announce he was appointing me as Deputy Commissioner of the NY State Division of Criminal Justice Services,” recalls McEwen.
The photo below shows the Governor with former Executive Director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police Joe Dominelli and McEwen as Cuomo arrived to make the announcement at the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police conference. “This is one of my favorite photographs,” says McEwen. “I enjoyed working for him.”
McEwen also shared another favorite photo, taken in 1987, showing former NY State Criminal Justice Director John Poklemba, Governor Cuomo, former NY State Police Superintendent Tom Constantine, and himself. “How young we look!” he remarked.
“Another era comes to an end, but I have certainly been blessed with meeting and working with many wonderful people during my career in law enforcement,” concluded McEwen, a recent recipient of the CSAA President’s Special Recognition Award for his contributions to advancing the alarm industry.
–Elizabeth Lasko, CSAA, January 5, 2015
CSAA International announced three recipients of the CSAA International President’s Special Recognition Award for 2014. They are Shannon Woodman, Washington Alarm, Inc. Seattle WA; Stanley Oppenheim, DGA Security Systems, Inc., New York, NY; and Harlin McEwen, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Ithaca, NY.
To read more, visit CSAA.
Industry Contemplates Legal Challenge to Unconstitutional Ordinance
By David Margulies. This article will appear in upcoming issues of CAA Mirror and CSAA Dispatch.
Despite learning that provisions of a similar ordinance was ruled unconstitutional, the Chico city council voted unanimously to begin fining alarm companies for false alarms. The vote came after the council ordered the police department to end the unpopular verified response policy it had put in place. Leaders in the security industry are already meeting with attorneys in anticipation of challenging the new ordinance in court.
“This type of ordinance makes it more difficult for our industry and public safety officials to deal effectively with false alarms,” said Jay Hauhn, president of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) International. “In making alarm companies responsible for their customers’ conduct, the city creates a more bureaucratic and complex system that slows the entire process and adds cost and complexity. More importantly, Chico’s new ordinance will do nothing to stem incidents of false alarm activations. There is a reason that virtually all alarm ordinances in the U.S. call for fining alarm users if they are the ones causing the problem.” The industry supports fines for alarm companies when false alarms are due to their specific actions.
The council was well aware that a similar ordinance passed in Fontana, California was overturned in court when it was challenged by the alarm industry. In that case, Fontana wound up paying its own legal fees as well as approximately $350,000 in legal fees incurred by the alarm industry.
“It is difficult to understand why Chico city officials would put taxpayer funds at risk by passing an ordinance similar to one that has been overturned in court in another California city,” said Hauhn. “While the Fontana case did not set a legal precedent because it was not appealed; it certainly showed how a fair minded court would interpret the issue. With no controversy or threat of litigation, the city could have implemented an ordinance patterned after the model ordinance, which provides for reasonable user permit fees and assesses an appropriate escalating fine structure against the alarm users who cause false alarms and achieved the same, or better, results in terms of both cost recovery and reducing false alarms.”
The discussion at the city council meeting was basically a philosophical difference between the police department’s view that the alarm industry is responsible for dealing with false alarms and the reality that most false alarms are caused by user error. The police offered no evidence that their proposal would be any more effective in reducing false alarms than fining alarm users.
“The police and council clearly do not understand why the process they propose is more cumbersome, slower and potentially less effective than the best practices utilized throughout the United States,” said Hauhn. “Hopefully city officials will recognize, as they did with verified response, that some ideas that look good on paper are impractical or have unintended negative consequences.”
Industry leaders are seeking support from members of the industry for this legal challenge in order to head off other cities from taking this unfortunate and illogical path.
Contributions can be made to:
C.A.A. ~ Chico Legal Fund
333 Washington Blvd. # 433
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Phone: 800/437-7658
The Central Station Alarm Association International Long Range Planning Meeting will be held January 21-23, 2015. Open to all CSAA members who wish to participate in planning the future of CSAA, this year’s meeting has been planned in a convenient location with a new consolidated schedule to make it easier for everyone to attend. The meeting will be held at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas.
Centrally located in the south-central part of Texas, San Antonio is easily accessible from all parts of the United States and Canada, and the hotel is just 8 miles from the San Antonio International Airport (SAT). The Marriott is just steps away from the world-famous San Antonio Riverwalk with premier shopping, dining and entertainment, and the Alamo, one of the nation’s most storied and revered landmarks, is within easy walking distance.
If you are interested in CSAA and want to have a say in its future, plan to join us in San Antonio January 21-23 for the Long Range Planning Meeting.
See the schedule below for meeting times, followed by the topics under consideration.
There is no registration fee. Breakfast and lunch are included both days. To register and for assistance with the best rate at the Marriott Rivercenter, contact John McDonald at meetings@csaaintl.org or 703-242-4670 x17.
CSAA 2015 Long Range Planning Meeting Schedule
Wednesday, January 21
5:30pm – 7:00pm Welcome Cocktails
Thursday, January 22
Friday, January 23
The Topics below are being considered for our Long Range Planning Meeting. This list is subject to change.
Due to new technologies and successful efforts to reduce false alarms, CSAA International has begun the process of developing a revision of the Alarm Verification and Notification Procedures Standard (CS-V-01). This standard defines methods by which false dispatches can be greatly reduced — with the intent to increase efficiencies by reducing costs and eliminating wasteful efforts associated with potential false alarms. Public comments are now being accepted on the revision draft.
This standard is to be used by alarm monitoring facilities and by state and local units of government in their development of consistent administration criteria for alarms. This standard, adopted by various states and local units of government, recognizes the lifesaving benefits provided by professionally-monitored security and fire alarm systems.
Comments will be accepted until 5:00 pm Eastern Time on January 16, 2015.
When you have completed your comments form, please forward to Becky Lane at membership@csaaintl.org. Thank you for your participation in this important security industry initiative. If you have any questions, please contact membership@csaaintl.org.
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the Central Station Alarm Association International will meet on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 from 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm. This meeting will be followed immediately by the Annual General Membership Meeting from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. These meetings constitute the rescheduled 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association in place of the previously scheduled Bermuda meeting, since canceled due to Hurricane Gonzalo.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
CSAA Board of Directors Meeting: 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm
CSAA General Membership Meeting: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
The Crystal City Marriott
Potomac Ballroom, Salon D
1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA
For more information, please contact membership@csaaintl.org.
