For everyone in the public safety sector, please join us to gain insights into AVS-01 certification and its impact. Understand the UL Solutions certification process, learn best practices from industry experts, and assess your monitoring center’s readiness for UL AVS-01 Certification. This event is designed to equip you with the knowledge needed for effective preparation.
Here is the registration link: Registration
On March 4-5, several TMA leaders, members and staff members took part in the industry’s annual Security Hill Walk, which was organized by The Security Industry Association (SIA). ESA leaders, members and staff members also took part in the event, which brought more than than 60 security industry executives to Washington, D.C., to promote important policy priorities that affect our industries every day.
Topics and priorities covered ranged from artificial intelligence and data privacy to workforce development and various critical homeland security grant programs.
On March 4, this year’s Security Hill Day kicked off with the Policy Leadership Dinner, featuring special guest speakers Tom Wheeler, general Counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, and Brendan Buck, a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC News.
Wheeler spoke to attendees about the current state of school security and what can be done to make schools safer for students and faculty. Buck helped demystify some of the inner workings of Washington, D.C., and put in context the importance of industry engagement with policymakers at this critical time.
On the following morning, the events began with an informative policy breakfast featuring remarks from Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) from the House Committee on Ways and Means, Rep. David Joyce (R-Pa.) from the Committee on Energy and Commerce and Robert Boland, chief of staff to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
Experts discussed the latest policy developments on a range of issues, including important details of the tax reform package under development, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, new efforts on crafting a national data privacy law, Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission policies, school security and the outlook and challenges facing the new 119th Congress following the 2024 elections.
Once the Policy Breakfast concluded, Security Hill Day attendees spent the rest of the day meeting with lawmakers and their staff from both the Senate and House.
Why Security Hill Day is So Crucial for the Industry
Security industry leaders relayed policy priorities important to the industry and highlight its support for more than 2 million jobs (according to SIA’s recent study), as well as the crucial role our industry plays in providing solutions that safeguard the American people and our nation’s vital assets and infrastructure.
In just one day, participants were able to meet with 73 congressional offices, as company executives provided a unique outlook on how policies under consideration directly affect their businesses, customers and employees. At the end of the day, participants joined members of Congress and staff for the Security Hill Day reception in the historic Speaker’s Dining Room within the U.S. Capitol building.
Security Hill Day continues to serves as a powerful platform for the security industry to make its voice heard and provide valuable insight to lawmakers, relaying the needs of the industry, spurring action and fostering important relationships.
This is an excerpt from an article written by George Sewell, the manager of government relations for the Security Industry Association. The original version of this post appeared on SIA’s website and is used with permission.
On March 18, 2025, members of the security industry will hear an impactful and personal assessment of the tragic and devasting wildfires upon the surrounding communities and offer the opportunity for interested industry stakeholders to discuss a potential role in the recovery efforts.
This program, co-presented by the Security Industry Association, the Electronic Security Association, PSA and The Monitoring Association, is developed for information purposes and to raise awareness of current recovery efforts that may involve security strategies; it is not intended to be a platform for any endorsement of specific security products or services.
Objectives:
Register at https://www.securityindustry.org/webinar/l-a-wildfires-securitys-role-in-the-recovery-and-rebuild/.
Alarm.com announced a majority-stake acquisition of CHeKT, a cloud platform for remote video monitoring (RVM) services.
CHeKT’s enterprise-ready platform includes subscription-based RVM services that enable central stations and service providers to deliver high-value, proactive, crime-stopping solutions to commercial and residential subscribers.
According to the announcement, CHeKT has cultivated a robust partner base, and the acquisition strengthens Alarm.com’s market opportunity in the emerging professional video monitoring space. CHeKT’s intuitive control room operator interface enables proactive video verification and response capabilities, allowing central station operators to evaluate video alarm events quickly and accurately.
CHeKT’s RVM solution is already embedded into many central stations and offers compatibility with many different video camera brands and other security products. CHeKT will continue to operate independently, and the Alarm.com video solution and the OpenEye enterprise video solution will be fully integrated into CHeKT’s control room software. With the addition of CHeKT, Alarm.com’s service provider partners can deliver an RVM solution to protect any property type.
“CHeKT is a pioneer and a leader in the RVM space,” said Jeff Bedell, president, ventures business and corporate strategy, Alarm.com. “CHeKT’s deep industry experience has allowed them to design a comprehensive product that fits in seamlessly with monitoring station workflows. Their technology has attracted an impressive roster of partners, and we look forward to building on that momentum with the CHeKT team.”
Wes Usie, president and founder of CHeKT, said, “We’re excited to take CHeKT to the next level with Alarm.com. We built the CHeKT platform to help professional security providers deliver a unique and crucial video security solution to their customers. No company delivers on that vision as comprehensively as Alarm.com, making it an ideal outcome for CHeKT to continue to evolve and expand our solutions with them.”
This announcement appeared on SDMmag.com on Feb. 11, 2025.
The agenda for the 2025 TMA Virtual Mid-Year Meeting (April 29–May 1, 2024) is under development and session proposals are sought on the industry’s most pressing topics. This 3-day event will focus on leadership and industry trends; technology and innovation; and operations and best practices, with sessions such as:
• Inspiring Leadership in a Changing World
• NextGen Leadership Training
• The Impact of Private Equity on the Monitoring Industry
• Practical Examples of AI in the Monitoring Center
• Emerging Technologies: Drones, Robotics, and Body Cameras
• Cybersecurity Best Practices for Monitoring Centers
• Monitoring Center Quality Assurance and Video Integration Processes
• Improving Efficiencies in Alarm and Video Processing
• Employee Engagement and Retention
If you have expertise or innovative ideas to contribute, we encourage you to submit a proposal. Together, let’s provide actionable insights and practical solutions for monitoring professionals.
For submission details and additional information, go to https://tma.us/education/speakers-smes/call-for-speakers/
TMA joins with security industry associations ESA and SIA to celebrate National Security Technician Day on January 23rd each year. The special day serves as a reminder to recognize the commitment and expertise of security technicians—the heroes fortifying our safety. These individuals, often working behind the scenes, are instrumental in ensuring the functionality, reliability, and effectiveness of security systems that safeguard our communities, businesses, and homes.
Their dedication goes beyond the technical; it embodies a commitment to our safety. From installing and maintaining security systems to troubleshooting and ensuring operational efficiency, these technicians are integral. Here we explore some ideas to make the day extra special.
Encourage businesses and communities to publicly acknowledge and thank security technicians for their invaluable contributions, even a social media shoutout is meaningful. Perhaps distribute thank-you notes or cards expressing appreciation for their dedication and hard work.
Organize workshops or seminars to enhance their skills or update their knowledge on the latest security technologies. Offer specialized training opportunities to further their expertise in specific areas.
Encourage nominations and entries for the prestigious Security Technician of the Year Awards. Recognizing exemplary skills and dedication, this initiative celebrates outstanding achievements in the field and boosts morale among technicians. It’s an opportunity to honor their contributions and showcase their expertise within the industry.
Host a luncheon or dinner where technicians can relax, socialize, and feel appreciated for their efforts. You can arrange team-building exercises or recreational activities to foster camaraderie among technicians and their colleagues.
Provide personalized gift baskets containing tokens of appreciation. Present certificates of recognition or achievement to highlight their contributions to the safety of the community.
National Security Technician Day serves as a reminder to extend gratitude, recognition, and support to these indispensable professionals whose commitment safeguards our well-being. By celebrating and honoring security technicians, we affirm their vital role in upholding safety and security across our communities.
NMC’s Josh Olsen is the 500th professional to graduate from TMA’s Monitoring Center Operator AVS-01 Online Training! The training, which launched in July of this year, is an interactive three-module course. Developed primarily for monitoring center operators and delivered online, the dynamic course provides a comprehensive introduction to the AVS-01 Standard; illustrates the Standard’s measurable alarm level classifications; demonstrates the call handling process; and explains the importance of public safety and law enforcement engagement.
Olsen shared NMC has successfully implemented the AVS-01 standard and expressed his appreciation for the course’s design and methodology, commenting, “I believe I learned something new and useful as we move forward with streamlining and perfecting the way we communicate and respond to those in need.”
Congratulations, Josh!
For more information about the AVS-01 training course and to enroll, please visit TMATraining.net.
We are seeing a sudden uptick in public safety agencies considering or implementing verified response policies. Seattle, Washington recently implemented this policy with virtually no warning to its citizens or our industry. We know that other cities have also been considering these policies which are detrimental to our ability to protect and service our customers.
The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) is working directly with local and state alarm associations to combat these efforts providing expertise and background information that has convinced hundreds of agencies to avoid verified response in favor of the model alarm ordinance that reduces false alarms and continues police response to alarms.
SIAC also continues to work directly with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association to promote the model alarm ordinance and best practices in alarm management.
The cost of fighting verified response on a local level can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, lobbying costs and time investment. SIAC’s dual role of promoting the model alarm ordinance and helping communities oppose verified response is more important than ever.
SIAC needs your financial support to continue this vital mission.
Donate to SIAC:
The executive committee of The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, ratified a resolution encouraging PSAP/ECC operations by law enforcement agencies to use The Monitoring Association’s (TMA) ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 2023 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard. The resolution was prepared and submitted to the IACP’s Private Sector Liaison Sector by Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) and Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response (PPVAR). The resolution was ratified in late October at the IACP’s Annual Meeting in Boston.
As written in the final, approved resolution, “WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the need to focus on the credibility of alarms received by law enforcement/first responder call centers from alarm companies and private entities through the establishment of defined threat levels as contained in AVS-01, will allow for agencies to deploy limited resources efficiently and communicate situational information to responding officers for greater officer/community safety…”
“The AVS-01 standard introduces ground-breaking methodology developed to assist public safety departments with their alarm response policies and to increase law enforcement safety,” states TMA Standards Committee Chair Morgan Hertel. It provides a standardized method for calculating an alarm score, or classification level, that results in a repeatable metric that estimates the validity or potential threat level of a burglar alarm activation using historical and real-time data. The alarm scoring assists law enforcement with resource allocation and Call for Service prioritization.
Stan Martin, executive director, SIAC, commented, “I am thrilled that SIAC successfully facilitated the approval of this resolution. This accomplishment highlights the strong trust and respect we have cultivated with the IACP leadership throughout the years.”
Learn more about the AVS-01 standard online at https://tma.us/standards/tma-avs-01-alarm-validation-standard/.
Read the full text of the resolution HERE.
