10/04
	PUBLIC SAFETY BULLETIN
WELCOME This edition of the SIAC Public Safety Bulletin brings news of significant reductions in alarm dispatches due to the implementation of Enhanced Call Verification (ECV).  This procedure takes advantage of the fact that most alarm owners now carry cell phones with them, and making a second call to that number stops the alarm activation from resulting in a call for service to the local law enforcement agency.  We are providing some reports on the success of ECV by cities and alarm companies and encourage you to send us information on your own experience.  Throughout North America law enforcement, security industry professionals, and alarm owners are working together every day to enhance public safety with the effective and efficient use of alarm technology and services.  SIAC was created by CANASA, NBFAA, SIA and CSAA to serve as a central resource for information and material that supports responsible use of alarm systems to enhance public safety.  I encourage you to share this information with all those who are involved in creating or managing public policy that affect alarm owners and alarm companies.  We appreciate your continued participation and support.                                                  Stan Martin, Executive Director ENHANCED CALL VERIFICATION GAINS MOMENTUM An article in the September 2004 issue of The Police Chief, the official publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, touts the benefits of enhanced call verification.  Written by retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Deputy Chief Glenn Mowrey, who is National Law Enforcement Liaison to the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, the article cites many concrete examples of significant improvements that alarm companies shave experienced after implementing an enhanced call verification policy.  Among the results cited are: · Since implementing enhanced call verification in 2003, Vector Security in Mount Laurel, PA, reports that 49% of alarm signals that would have generated a request for service under the company's old system have been eliminated. · LOUD Security Systems of Atlanta has reduced dispatches by 27% with a two-call verification policy adopted in 2003 despite a 32 % growth in the company's customer base. · In January, Alarm Detection Systems (ADS) of Aurora, IL, implemented enhanced call verification and it has resulted in a reduction of calls for service of nearly 25%. · Boulder, CO Police Department, one of the first law enforcement agencies to include enhanced call verification as department policy, has seen a reduction of more than 35% since the policy became effective on June 1.  ECV reduces alarm dispatches without compromising public safety and maintains the crime deterrent effect of alarm systems. ECV reduces the costs to the monitoring center because it is less expensive to process a second or third call than it is to make a call for service to law enforcement that results in an invalid alarm response. Most importantly, by increasing customer contact, alarm companies are continually improving customer relations. To read the article in its entirety, visit http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/. EQUIPMENT STANDARDS BEING INTEGRATED INTO ALARM ORDINANCES The Security Industry Association SIA CP-01 standard for control panels was developed to provide manufacturing guidelines for equipment that would reduce or eliminated the occurrence of invalid alarm activations.  Cities are now beginning to incorporate this standard into their alarm ordinance for new installations. Among the cities requiring equipment meeting the SIA CP-01 Standard are: Tucson, AZ, Palm Beach County, FL, Lee County, FL, Lake Charles, LA, Oakland, CA, Seattle, WA.  In addition, Phoenix, Milwaukee and cities in Colorado recommend the use of control panels that meet the SIA CP-01 standard, and they also urge the upgrading to SIA CP-01 compliant panels for problem systems. IN THE NEWS VACAVILLE, CA (September 9, 2004, The Reporter) Vacaville, CA rejected a proposal to implement verified response and is moving towards a comprehensive alarm ordinance and dispatch policy that preserves the crime deterrent effect of alarm systems for homes and businesses. The department first announced plans to change the ordinance in October 2003 but set it aside in order to meet with the community.  Mike Salk of Reed Brothers Security said permitting is a valuable tool in correcting a problem. "We are in favor of a well-crafted, strong ordinance, an ordinance that has annual renewals for permitting and fining structure that penalizes the abuser and does not disturb the people who use the system responsibly," he said. MILWAUKEE, WI (September 20, 2004, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) An editorial said the Milwaukee Police Department put into effect a service cutback because no longer will police officers be first responders to burglar alarms. Chief Nan Hegerty instituted the change, and the editorial stated that while the problem is real, Hegerty's solution was worrisome because police officers ought to be the first on the scene of a burglary. They also noted that knowing that an alarm won't trigger the imminent arrival of a real officer could encourage intruders to linger. They noted that since 1990 the incident number of invalid alarms has been reduced 50% and that keeping the streets safe is a police responsibility. They said that many residents acquire alarm systems in response to real break-ins at their homes. The editorial said that while money is tight, citizens have learned from hard experience that an alarm service is vital to retaining what few valuables they have because they can't count on the police to protect them every hour of every day. They concluded by saying that citizens do what they can to stay safe and they rightly expect the police to do their part LEESBURG, VA (October 1, 2004, Leesburg Today)  Supervisors attending the a Public Safety Committee were reported to be surprised to find out who is leading the way in false alarms in Loudoun County; the schools.  According to a 2002 study, three Loudoun schools ranked in the top five of establishments that have the most false alarms. The information was released as the county embarks on creating an ordinance with fines for false alarms. The study, conducted by the sheriff's office and the county's Information Technology Department, showed that Park View High School had 67 false alarms in 2002, the most in the county. Stone Bridge High School was second with 62 false alarms and Seldens Landing Elementary School was fifth with 40 false alarms. While surprised that three schools topped the list, a proposed ordinance is worded so that government entities do not pay the fines. KENOSHA, WI (September 21, 2004, WISN 12 News) Police made an arrest in the murder of a man who was beaten to death after responding to a burglar alarm at his auto parts business. Heinz Krause, 66, of Pleasant Prairie, was killed Sunday at Schneider Auto Sales. Krause's alarm rang directly to his home, not to a monitoring company or to police. Police said he apparently confronted someone in the salvage yard and then brought him to the office where Krause was killed.  Police said they wish Krause would've called them before responding to the alarm.  Police had arrested the suspect last month for breaking into a Kenosha salvage yard, but he was released. Milwaukee Alderman Tony Zielinski, who has fought the change of Milwaukee Police Department to implement verified response, said the killing should be a vivid reminder of the public-safety risks involved with the change. "This is abandonment to the people of this community," Zielinski said. "This policy makes no sense whatsoever. The people of this community want a law enforcement response." NOTES FROM THE FIELD According to Jordan Jackson of Security Central in Centennial, CO, members of the Colorado Burglar & Fire Alarm Association were skeptical when SIAC's Ron Walters projected dispatch reductions of 50% by implementing Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) in Boulder, CO.  They were pleasantly surprised to see that alarm dispatches were reduced 60% in July and 48% in August with a three month reduction of 49% when June figures were considered….George De Marco of Greater Alarm in Irvine, CA was a guest columnist in the September 2004 issue of Security Systems News. He noted the relationship between law enforcement and the alarm industry is a great example of a public-private partnership that brings measurable benefit to the community by promoting the use and effective management of alarm systems that protect homes, businesses and citizens. Maximizing this benefit requires the active participation and cooperation of law enforcement, citizens and the alarm industry, according to De Marco. He also made the case that the reduction of alarm dispatches, rather than the false alarm rate, is the best measurement of the success of alarm management programs. HOUSTON, TX (AP) - A Houston man fatally shot his 18-year old son after mistaking him for a burglar inside his family's home. Forrest E. Johnson, 49, told police he came home to find the front door partially open and became suspicious. Johnson returned to his truck to get his handgun because he thought his home was being burglarized. When Johnson tried to push open the front door, someone from the inside pulled the doorknob at the same time, police said. Johnson told investigators he saw someone standing in front of him, so he fired a shot. The shooting comes just six weeks after a five year old girl was fatally shot by her stepfather in their home after he mistook her for an intruder. In that Aug. 15 shooting, the stepfather said he went for his gun when he heard suspicious noises about 1 a.m. inside the family's home. Police said the girl may have gotten up to use the bathroom and was returning to the bedroom she shared with her parents when she was mistaken for a burglar and shot as she opened the bedroom door….RENO, NV (Reno-Gazette-Journal, September 24, 2004) A 28-year-old Reno preschool worker found slain in her home died violently and fought for her life, Reno police said. Less than two weeks earlier, she had reported to police that an intruder broke into the home while she and her boyfriend slept, officers said. The burglar fled after the boyfriend awoke. The incident was one of a series of late-night intrusions reported in the area….Sioux Falls, SD (September 26, 2004, Kenoland TV) - Sioux Falls police caught a suspected burglar in the act at a clothing store early this morning when officers responded to a burglar alarm at "Gear Up and Sassy Fashion."  When they got the store, they spotted the suspect leaving the business with stolen items.
	Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) 11209 New Orleans Drive , Frisco , TX 75035 972-377-9401 Stan Martin, Executive Director For More Information, Contact: Margulies Communications (214-368-0909) David Margulies (davidm@prexperts.net)