Security Sales & Integration October 2022 - 16

FIRE & INTRUSION
▶ A recent trend of law enforcement leaders
leaving their jobs to pursue other careers
has become the norm instead of the
exception. Since 2020, 39 police chiefs
have departed major cities across the United
States with similar turnover in the nation's
smaller public safety agencies.
To meet this challenge the Security Industry
Alarm Coalition (SIAC) has been
able to adapt and maintain its effectiveness
by continuing to participate in national
and state law enforcement meetings and
pursuing replacement chiefs for the Alarm
Management committees during these unprecedented
times.
SIAC's long-standing relationships with
police agencies come from the creation of
the Alarm Management Committees within
the state chiefs' organizations and the
successful implementation of The Model
Alarm Ordinance, which was created in
collaboration with leaders in public safety
and alarm industry organizations such as
the International Association of Chiefs of
Police and the National Sheriffs' Association.
More than 1,000 communities use
some version of the ordinance to significantly
reduce unnecessary calls for service.
" The Model Alarm Ordinance directly
addresses the issue that the vast majority of
false alarms are caused by user error, " says
Stan Martin, executive director of SIAC.
" By focusing on the chronic abusers and
fining owners who are careless in operating
their electronic security systems this
continues to be a foundational strategy
in minimizing calls for service. Additionally,
with the enhancement of verification
techniques being implemented by the
monitoring centers we help maximize police
efficiency and effectiveness so they can
better serve their community. "
SIAC's outreach to law enforcement
with proven solutions for alarm management
allows the agencies to focus their
limited resources in other areas where
needed. " We're quite pleased that we can
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CONTROL
DETECTION NOTIFICATION
SIAC: Industry Challenged by
Turnover in Law Enforcement by James Roth
SIAC says its Model Alarm Ordinance helps law enforcement focus their effectiveness
on serving their communities.
take this issue off the table for law enforcement
agencies that utilize our recommendations, "
says Martin. " In addition, the
results from the recent study conducted
by Dr. Joseph Kuhns only add credence to
The Model Alarm Ordinance's sustained
effectiveness over a long period of time. "
Kuhns, a professor at UNC Charlotte,
Criminal Justice & Criminology Department
and a former Senior Policy Analyst at
the U.S. Department of Justice, conducted
a study that examined four communities
that had adopted The Model Alarm Ordinance
to help reduce unnecessary calls for
service while maintaining police response
to alarms.
" A key finding of the study is that the
vast majority of alarm systems in these
four locations were effective at protecting
lives and property while generating
zero calls for service in a given year, " says
Kuhns. " Only a tiny percentage are problematic
systems that generated multiple
calls for service. "
Kuhns concluded from his study that if
the same tactics can be applied nationwide
with the help of SIAC, many cities and
police departments will benefit over time.
" False alarms did not consume a lot
of law enforcement resources in the four
agencies we studied, " says Kuhns. " If we
Security Sales & Integration OCTOBER 2022
can replicate what they are doing across
the nation's 18,000+ law enforcement
agencies, we are going to wind up saving a
whole lot of money and time which can be
devoted to other public safety priorities. "
Martin says reducing false alarms enables
law enforcement to be more efficient
and productive.
" Reducing unnecessary calls for service
allows law enforcement to take
advantage of this new technology and
potentially place a higher priority on
alarms where there is video, audio or
other verifiable evidence of illegal activity
that could allow more criminal apprehensions, "
Martin said.
" Time will tell, it is a very unique time
to be a police officer, " he adds. " SIAC will
remain the industry's communication
tool, helping police departments, city
municipalities, sheriffs, counties and other
organizations by educating and implementing
alarm management best practices
in their areas. It is proven to be effective
and most importantly, ensures citizens
can maintain 'peace of mind' in knowing
these systems work and law enforcement
will continue to respond when needed. "
JAMES ROTH is Account Executive for
The Margulies Communications Group.
securitysales.com
MARIO BEAUREGARD/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration October 2022

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