The Huntersville Police Department was formally recognized with the Directors Award of Distinction, from the Security Alarm Industry Coalition (SIAC) for the success of its Alarm Management Program at the April 5, 2010 Town Board meeting.

This award is presented to only five or six organizations each year throughout North America. During the presentation Glen Mowrey, National Law Enforcement Liaison, for SIAC stated: “the Huntersville Police Department was recognized for taking a community policing/problem solving approach to reducing false alarm dispatches by establishing an Alarm Management Program. The program included working with stakeholders to develop an alarm ordinance, as well as educating the community on ways to reducing false alarm dispatches. The stakeholders included representatives from the alarm and security industry, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition as well as representatives of Huntersville’s business and residential communities.” The Award was presented by Mowrey along with John Shocknesse and James Jones, alarm industry committee members of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police’s Alarm Management Committee.

The program was formally adopted July of 2007 and fully implemented January 2008. Huntersville has experienced a substantial reduction in alarms since January 2008. This is significant since the town has continued to add new residential and commercial developments with alarm systems.

Chief Philip Potter said: “the success of the program has allowed our police officers to devote more time to community policing and crime prevention activities.” Chief Potter is a member of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police’s Alarm Management Committee.

SIAC Executive Director, Stan Martin, stated “the mission of SIAC is to promote sound public safety policy surrounding alarm management issues, by working in partnership with local governments and law enforcement officials, and the Town of Huntersville is a prime example of our success.”

SIAC is a non-profit organization supporting the efforts of citizens and businesses to protect their property, while representing one voice for the professional electronic security industry on alarm management issues.

Source: City of Huntersville, NC

With law enforcement operating budgets continuously being reduced, a recent chief’s survey revealed that 56 percent of the agencies expect to cut more police officers from their staff. Many agencies around the country are responding with more onerous alarm ordinances that encompass more changes than just non-response, by placing additional responsibilities on alarm companies. Stan Martin from the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) will discuss what’s on the horizon for dealers, what SIAC is doing in combating the trend and what alarm dealers should be doing to minimize the impact of these economic pressures on law enforcement.

The live webinar begins at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on March 3, 2010. A chat session on the topic will begin at 4:45 p.m. Eastern time. Registration for this webinar is free by clicking here.

In an increasingly competitive market, consumers have many options when it comes to choosing a security and life safety provider. Making your company standout amongst the rest is a necessity for success, and one national award will give you the tools. The Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award highlights one company that demonstrates excellence in customer protection and it’s easy to apply. “Atronic Alarms was very excited to be recognized by the PDQ Award for our dedication to reducing false alarms,” said Perry Atha, President and Developer of Atronic Alarms, last year’s winner. “We have always made false alarm prevention a priority and we were able to implement the PDQ Award into our marketing initiatives to further validate this commitment to our current and potential clients, as well our team members.” “We were extremely pleased that the efforts at ADS to work closely with our customers and local law enforcement officials was nationally acknowledged and rewarded through the PDQ Award,” said Robert A. Bonifas, ADS President and CEO. ADS won the PDQ the year before last. “Through this recognition, our clients and local officials were able to clearly see the pledge to safety that we pride ourselves on.” Created by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) and the False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA), and co-sponsored by Security Sales & Integration Magazine and Honeywell Security, the 5th Annual PDQ Award will recognize one North American security company that best demonstrates a dedicated and cooperative effort to reduce unnecessary alarm dispatches. In conjunction with national and local marketing campaigns to promote the winning company, award organizers will also provide the winner with hotel and airfare accommodations to attend the award ceremony at the 2010 Electronic Security Expo where the presentation will be made in front of hundreds of industry professionals. “The PDQ Award is a great way to highlight your company from many different standpoints,” said Stan Martin, Executive Director of SIAC. ”We are firmly devoted to the principles behind the PDQ Award and will do all that we can to assist the winning company with getting the message out about their extraordinary efforts. We have simplified the nomination application and look forward to finding out who will be the next PDQ Award winner.” To participate in the 5th Annual PDQ Award, monitoring and/or installing alarm dealers in the U.S. and Canada may download an official application at www.siacinc.org. Once completed, simply return the application to SIAC by mail, postmarked by Feb. 28, 2010. Previous winners of the PDQ Award include Atronic Alarms, Alarm Detection Systems Inc., Broadview Security, and Vector Security.

The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) announced the winner of the 2009 William N. Moody Award for outstanding excellence in the security alarm industry on June 23, 2009, at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) in Baltimore, MD. Industry veteran Robert A. Bonifas, President and CEO of Alarm Detection Systems, was honored for his contributions in dealing with alarm management challenges nationwide. Created in 2004 by the SIAC Board of Directors, the William N. Moody Award acknowledges individuals who unselfishly give of their time and talents to alarm management issues and who reflect the attributes of Bill Moody, including integrity, fairness and perseverance in the face of adversity.

“For over 20 years, Bob has been a leader in the alarm management dispatch reduction effort. At every turn he has provided wisdom, leadership and personal resources to our industry. His commitment is unparalleled,” said Stan Martin, Executive Director of SIAC. “Bob has served as president of the NBFAA and CSAA, was one of the founding members of SIAC and currently serves on the Board of Directors. This award is but a small tribute to a man who has added immeasurably to the professionalism and success of this industry.”

Robert Bonifas was the driving force behind the creation of the “Model Cities/Model States Project” which resulted in the development of a model alarm ordinance that is still utilized by thousands of law enforcement agencies today. As it became obvious that police departments lacked adequate computer software, Bonifas again took the lead developing the “False Alarm Analysis Program”. The FAAP is a tool to identify, monitor and correct alarm-user accounts with excessive false alarms and assist jurisdictions with billing and posting payments for alarm user permit and false alarm fines. By applying extraordinary personal effort to seek solutions at any cost, testing theories, measuring results and sharing information, Bonifas has always led by example in the alarm industry. His passion for change and diligence led to the creation of the ANSI SIA CP-01 standard, a cornerstone for alarm dispatch reduction.

“I am grateful to SIAC for recognizing my achievements in the alarm industry, but never were those achievements driven by the hope to receive accolades or awards,” stated Bonifas. “Many people in our line of work have given many hours to the progression and improvement on alarm management issues. It is my sincere honor to be associated with a man like Bill Moody, whose drive and passion were the light that showed us all the way to success.”

As you may or may not be aware, you benefit from SIAC’s services every day. SIAC, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, works with you when alarm ordinances come up for debate or are heard without public discussion. SIAC represents you by creating positive ordinances and standards that promote a healthy business environment in your city. SIAC is the unseen expertise behind many positive policies and an advocate against harmful ones.

SIAC works for you whether you’re a member of NBFAA or not. We know that good policies for the security industry are essential to ensure our industry progresses. We all need their help and, in return, they need our help.

SIAC is a nonprofit that operates solely off of donations from you, the security industry. Their work has saved the industry millions of dollars by ensuring that workable policies are put in place. We need to ensure they can continue to support our causes. You can help by making a contribution.

We want to challenge you to support the organization that does so much for you. They need $100,000 and NBFAA is asking you to donate $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or any other amount. No amount is too small or too large.

SIAC has developed two documents to give you additional information about their work. A Case for Supporting SIAC can be found here and a two-page flyer can be found here.

Please go to their website, www.siacinc.org, and click on the ‘donate’ button for more information or send your contribution today to:

SIAC
13541 Stanmere Drive
Frisco, TX 75035

For more information about SIAC, call or email Stan Martin, Executive Director, at 972-377-9401 or stan@siacinc.org.