301.519.9237 exdirector@nesaus.org

NationalMonitor

November 4, 2013

Association Events

  • NTAA Update 
    The October monthly meeting will be held in Galveston during the TBFAA Convention. There will not be a meeting in the DFW area during October.  The November meeting will be held at the normal place and time on November 21st.   Please click on the calendar located on the NTAA website for the most current meeting and event information.
  • 11.6.13 – OKBFAA – OK Burglar and Fire Alarm Member Meeting
    Location Change: Please make note of the location for the monthly meetings of OKBFAA: 112 N.E. 50th Street Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma NECA offices (National Electrical Contractors Assn.) RSVP

Door to Door Sales

  • Vision Security v. Ripoff Report
    10.330.13 – Security System News – Orem, Utah – Vision Security is suing Ripoff Report, charging that the website is refusing to remove false and defamatory statements about Vision even after the author of the posting has since stated they aren’t true. A Ripoff Report spokesperson says posts are never removed and it’s not responsible for what users post on it. What’s a security company to do? More Info
  • Door-to-door salespeople ‘aggressive’ and ‘intimidating’: poll
    11.1.13 – CBC via Yahoo! Canada Finance – More than two thirds of Canadians say that door-to-door salespeople are aggressive, even when homeowners clearly state that they are not interested in what is being sold, a CBC poll has found. More Info

Public Safety Updates

  • NC: Town Council cracks down on false alarms
    10.29.13 – The Daily Tar Heel – Chapel Hill police and fire departments want to crack down on false alarms, and they got help from the Chapel Hill Town Council Monday night. More Info
  • NY: County Schools To Get Panic Alarms
    10.30.13 – Westbury Times – A day after the middle school shooting in Nevada, Nassau County officials announced a new panic alarm program which will allow each school in the county to … More Info
  • PA: Businesses, Residents Cited For False Alarms
    10.31.13 – Patch.com – Under state law, anyone with an automatic alarm that alerts police is allowed three false alarms a year. More than that and they’ve committed a summary offense … More Info
  • PA: Resident Failed to Register Alarm System, Police Say
    11.3.13 – Patch.com – Lower Saucon Township Police say a township resident was cited for an alleged ordinance violation because he failed to register his alarm system with them. More Info
  • TX: Corpus Christi police will not respond to home alarm calls without permit starting today
    11.1.13 – Corpus Christi Caller-Times – Effective Nov. 1, Corpus Christi police also will no longer respond to alarm calls, unless the owner has an active permit on file, in an effort to make the department more efficient, Chief Floyd Simpson said. More Info

Industry News

  • Do You Send Monthly Test Signals to Security Clients?
    10.28.13 – CEPro – Many homeowners get into the habit of not activating their alarm systems over long periods of time. It starts with quick trips to the store or to run other errands. More Info
  • AT&T surpasses Digital Life market roll out goal
    10.29.13 – Security Info Watch – Company’s home security and automation offering now available in over 50 cities nationwide… More Info
  • Alarm Data Transmissions: Avoid bad data and eliminate phone lines
    10.30.13 – Boothbay Register – Many alarm signals are transmitted to us on a VOIP (voice over IP line). Phone companies are using VOIP to be more efficient and to save money. VOIP works … More Info
  • How Security, Pro Audio Companies Can Migrate into Integration Successfully
    10.29.13 – CePro – Two integrators from security and pro audio backgrounds explain how they relied on key vendors, including Lutron, to help make the move to residential integration. More Info
  • Video verification a priority for new CSAA president Hauhn
    10.30.13 – Security Systems News – Vienna, Va. – Video verification and working with PPVAR will be a top priority for recently elected CSAA President Jay Hauhn. Why does he consider PPVAR so important, and what about the ASAP program? More Info
  • In Test, Child Sleeps Through Fire Alarm
    10.31.13 – Beyond The Headline via Yahoo! News – It’s estimated that seven people are killed every day in America in house fires. For that very reason agencies such as New York’s Syracuse Fire Department have installed 40,000 smoke detectors in the homes of local residents since 2001, for free. Nationwide, families are encouraged to have their own fire safety pan. With the help … More Info
  • Discussions may delay cancelation of alarm system
    10.31.13 – KING5.com – CenturyLink announced this spring that it would shut down a widely used fire alarm monitoring system on December 1. Now the heat is on alarm companies and … More Info
  • Oplink enters home security market with DIY alarm system
    10.31.13 – SecurityInfoWatch – Oplink enters home security market with DIY alarm system … motion detectors or alarm panels – a number of companies have offered a variety of DIY products … More Info
  • Specifying fire, life safety systems for new, existing office buildings
    10.30.13 – Consulting-Specifying Engineer – The fire department communication are designed and installed in accordance with NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code and operate between a … More Info
  • 8 Ways to Earn Recurring Revenue
    11.1.13 – CEPro – Recurring revenue is not just for security monitoring, as dealers find success with IT service contracts, VoIP and more. More Info
  • BT disconnected my house alarm without telling me when it installed …
    11.2.13 – This is Money – But a few weeks later I discovered the engineer who installed it had disconnected all of the other phone lines in the house – including the one the house alarm …More Info
  • Government Standoff Reverberates Throughout Security Industry
    11.1.13 – Security Sales & Integration – While the financial impact to the security industry cannot be entirely known, integrators, manufacturers and other stakeholders report widespread repercussions from the 16-day… More Info
  • New Research Shows What Residential Buyers Want
    11.1.13 – Security Sales & Integration – Consumers are embracing new technologies and services associated with home controls and remote access for everything from energy management, video monitoring, keyless door locks,… More Info
  • N.C. Alarm Company Accused of Violating No-Call Law
    10.29.13 – Security Sales & Integration – North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has filed a lawsuit against Mooresville, N.C.-based ISI Alarms North Carolina, claiming that the firm made illegal robocalls to numbers listed on the Do Not Call Registry. More Info 

Legislative News

None this week

State Trends

None this week

National News

  • US crime rate rising, but fewer Americans believe it
    10.31.13 – MSN – New York – Fewer Americans are aware that violent crime has been on the rise in the United States for the past few years, according to a Gallup poll published on Thursday. More Info
  • FBI: 2012 statistics on law enforcement officers killed, assaulted
    10.30.13 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation – According to statistics collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 95 law enforcement officers were killed in line-of-duty incidents in 2012. Of these, 48 law enforcement officers died as a result of felonious acts, and 47 officers died in accidents. In addition, 52,901 officers were victims of line-of-duty assaults. Comprehensive data tables about these incidents and brief narratives describing the fatal attacks are included in this new release from the FBI. More Info

Business Tips

  • The One Thing Successful People Do Every Day – Forbes
    10.22.13 – www.forbes.com – Although you may feel like you don’t have time for one more activity in your day, this one action will have a huge impact on your success. More Info

Fire News

  • Working smoke alarms can save lives
    10.30.13 – Goshen News – Dear Abby: I am a fire officer who has seen too many families experience accidental home fires, many with fatal results. It is devastating to find out that a life could have been saved had someone taken the simple precaution of replacing a dead battery… More Info
  • AK: Fire alarm reported at Fairbanks animal shelter
    10.31.13 – Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – Fairbanks – The Fairbanks Fire Department responded to what turned out to be a false alarm Tuesday evening at the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter. More Info
  • CA: Attic fire breaks out at Fontana home
    10.29.13 – Fontana Herald-News – At 5:47 a.m., firefighters responded to a call for a carbon monoxide alarm sounding and arrived to find a fire burning in the attic of a home… More Info
  • CA: Smoke alarm saves two from McKinleyville fire
    10.31.13 – Times-Standard – The homeowner advised she had fallen asleep on the sofa and was awoken by the sound of her smoke alarm activating. When she investigated the reason for … More Info
  • GA: Time to change your smoke alarm batteries for safety
    10.30.13 – WALB Albany – Firefighters urge people to change the batteries in their smoke alarms, to protect themselves and their families from fires. More Info
  • ID: Fog machine leads to SE Idaho school evacuation
    11.1.13 – KXLY-TV Spokane – Authorities in southeast Idaho say a fog machine set off a fire alarm causing the evacuation of 550 children from Indian Hills Elementary School in Pocatello. More Info
  • IL: Smoke detectors saved lives in recent fire
    10.31.13 – The Galesburg Register-Mail – Galesburg – Daylight-saving time ends Sunday and marks the 26th year of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program, sponsored by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The program reminds people to test and change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. A Galesburg resident credits the message with saving his life and the life of his wife. On the … More Info
  • PA: Fire in dust collector causes $100,000 damage
    10.31.13 – The Williamsport Sun-Gazette – An early morning fire Wednesday in the dust collector system at High Steel Structures Inc. resulted in an estimated $100,000 damage, according to city fire officials. More Info
  • SD: Man arrested after pizza triggers fire alarm
    10.31.13 – Rapid City Journal – A burnt pizza helped land a Rapid City man in jail on Tuesday night. More Info
  • WA: Carbon monoxide victims credit neighbors for sounding alarm
    11.1.13 – KOMO News – Seattle – Five of the seven people hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning in their Lake City apartments have since returned home, and police are now … More Info
  • WV: Police respond to CO detector, seize 5 pounds pot
    11.1.13 – Bluefield Daily Telegraph – Bluefield police officers seized 5 pounds of marijuana at a Bluefield apartment after the smell of the pot set off a CO detector. More Info

Crime News

  • AR: Thieves Cut Off Power to Get into Homes
    11.2.13 – CW Arkansas – Little Rock, AR — Hillcrest homeowners want to warn everyone about the latest way thieves are getting into homes. Crooks are cutting the wires on the outside breaker boxes to get inside. More Info
  • AZ: UAPD officer in line of duty on Friday
    10.28.13 – Arizona Daily Wildcat – After a routine traffic stop, Venger was summoned to the Steward Observatory where an alarm had been set off. Inside, Venger searched the first floor of the … More Info
  • CA: Jewelry store burglarized in Belmont
    10.29.13 – San Mateo Daily Journal – A Belmont jewelry store was robbed Sunday night, according to police. At approximately 8:25 p.m., Belmont police responded to a burglar alarm within two minutes and found the front door forced open and one of the display cases shattered, according to police. More Info
  • CA: Police: 2 men stole $900 of pills from San Juan pharmacy
    10.29.13 – OCRegister – Officials said they believe the two entered the grocery store, which was open until midnight, and pried open the pharmacy door, setting off an audible alarm, said … More Info
  • CA: San Bernardino: Man steals motorcycle at gunpoint, robs bank
    11.2.13 – Press-Enterprise – The robber took off southbound on Interstate 215. Six minutes later, police received an armed-robbery alarm from the Citizen’s Bank. More Info
  • CA: San Rafael police seek serial bank robbery suspect
    10.31.13 – KGO-TV Bay Area – San Rafael police are searching a bank robber they say may be responsible for a series of bank robberies in Marin County. More Info
  • CA: Two arrested fleeing scene of residential burglary
    10.31.13 – San Mateo Daily Journal  – A man and a 15-year-old boy are in custody after allegedly fleeing from the scene of a residential burglary in Belmont yesterday morning, according to police. More Info
  • CO: Possible Break-In At Springs Radio Shack
    10.29.13 – KKTV 11 Colorado Springs – Springs police are investigating a possible break-in at a Radio Shack early Tuesday morning… More Info
  • CT: Two Burglaries, One Armed Robbery Happen in 24 Hours at Walnut …
    11.3.13 – NBC Bay Area – The alarm company called me, but it was too late, you know?” the restaurant owner Jakkrid Laongsuawn said. The restaurant owner also said he is angry about … More Info
  • DE: One Arrested, Another Sought in Angola Armed Robbery
    10.30.13 – WBOC Salisbury – Delaware State Police have arrested one suspect and are looking for another in connection with the Tuesday night armed holdup of the Shore Stop convenience store in Angola. More Info
  • FL: Thieving teens target Gateway neighborhood
    11.1.13 – WINK TV Southwest Florida – Two suspects were caught on camera trying to break into a Gateway home. Now Lee County deputies are asking for your help identifying the teens before they strike again. Investigators believe these thieves are responsible for several… More Info
  • GA: Lowell man accused of store break-in
    10.31.13 – The Marietta Times – Marietta Police this week arrested a suspect who allegedly broke into Tractor Supply Company through the building’s roof in 2012, and more charges and arrests could be coming. Kristoffer. More Info
  • GA: Verizon burglarized, phones stolen
    10.29.13 – McDuffie Progress – Store employees learned of the theft following response to a 4:17 a.m. alarm. The McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office was arrived on the scene within three minutes … More Info
  • IN: Indianapolis officer kills robbery suspect
    11.1.13 – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette – Indianapolis – An Indianapolis police officer has fatally shot a robbery suspect who fired a gun at the officer, according to the department. Police said the shooting occurred in the parking lot outside an adult book store moments after the business was robbed Wednesday morning. More Info
  • IN: Police search for burglars of Carmel computer repair shop
    10.29.13 – WTHR Indianapolis – Hamilton County deputies and Carmel Police are investigating a break-in at a computer repair shop. More Info
  • IN: Police: Officer shot and killed armed robbery suspect
    10.31.13 – FOX 59 – Indianapolis, IN – Part of Keystone Ave. was closed for nearly three hours because the Indianapolis Metro Police Department was investigating an officer involved shooting. Keystone Video and Newsstand was robbed at 10:46 a.m. on Wednesday. The clerk … More Info
  • KS: Wichita man arrested, accused of robbing same bank twice
    10.31.13 – KAKE Wichita – Police say the 44-year-old man robbed a bank inside a Dillons store twice in less than three weeks. More Info
  • MA: Man found guilty in $500000 theft from Newton home
    10.29.13 – Boston.com – Newton Police responded to the security alarm and immediately launched an investigation. Police recovered fingerprint evidence that was determined to be a … More Info
  • MA: Two men caught burglarizing Rochester home
    10.30.13 – The Marion Sentinel – After warning residents about two same-day house break-ins last week, Rochester Police and a task force of detectives from Duxbury, Middleborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Pembroke and Plympton arrested two men Tuesday morning who were caught in the commission of a house. More Info
  • ME: Fryeburg hit with string of burglaries, attempted car thefts
    11.2.13 – Lewiston Sun Journal – … Hills Animal Shelter was broken into with thieves removing the building’s electrical meter and disabling security cameras but unable to disable the alarm. More Info
  • NC: Police nab one suspect, seek another in convenience store break-in
    10.31.13 – Rocky Mount Telegram – A teenager was arrested and police are searching for his alleged accomplice in a Wednesday morning break-in at a local convenience store. More Info
  • NY: Burglary suspects caught in the act in Madison Co., deputies say
    10.31.13 – The Observer-Dispatch – A month-long investigation into a string of burglaries in Madison County ended Monday with the arrest of two suspects, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office said.  More Info
  • NY: Police Report: The Burglars are Back
    10.28.13 – Scarsdale10583.com – The house alarm was not on at the time. Residents discovered the burglary when they returned home at 11:50 pm on October 25. Arrests: Police have made … More Info
  • NY: Police: Man Stole L.I. Woman’s Jewelry, Threatened To Shoot Her
    11.2.13 – CBS New York – Police this week apprehended a man who allegedly stole jewelry from a home in Garden City, Long Island, and threatened to shoot the homeowner. More Info
  • NY: Serial Burglary Suspects Caught in the Act, Arrested
    11.3.13 – Madison County Courier – … this issue and to be attentive to securing homes and businesses, at all times, including the use of door and window locks, alarm systems activated (if installed), … More Info
  • OK: Officer, 2 motorcyclists collide in south Tulsa
    11.2.13 – KOKI FOX 23 – Cpt. Cathy Reynolds says the officer was in route to an alarm call when it collided with the motorcycle. The two occupants on the motorcycle were ejected and … More Info
  • ON: Thieves Hit Lewisporte Store
    11.2.13 – VOCM – Police say culprits gained entry through the back of the building after the alarm system was disabled. Lewisporte and Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP are … More Info
  • OR: Burglar breaks into 2 Hillsboro businesses
    10.28.13 – KOIN.com – Lt. Mike Rouches, a Hillsboro police spokesman, reports that officers responded to a burglary alarm at Hales Restaurant to find … More Info
  • PA: 3 charged with breaking into Montco businesses looking for scrap …
    10.28.13 – The Mercury – … dispatched to the nearby C & C Heating and Air Conditioning just after 12:30 a.m. for a reported alarm activation, police said. More Info
  • PA: 6 businesses burglarized in Milford Plaza, not the first time either
    10.30.13 – Pocono Record – Six businesses were burglarized between 11 a.m. Monday and 1:15 a.m. Tuesday in a quarter-mile section of Route 209 in Smithfield Township. More Info
  • PA: Police arrest man after chase from Upper St. Clair to Pittsburgh
    10.31.13 – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Police chased a theft suspect who they said also nearly struck an officer from the south suburbs into Pittsburgh early this morning, arresting him after finding him hiding in a garden in Uptown. More Info
  • TN: Burglary Leads to Police Chase
    10.29.13 – WTVC Chattanooga – A police chase ensues after attempted break-in. It was a scary scene outside on Wilkins Drive on Friday afternoon. Around 1:45 dispatchers received a frantic 911 call. A 21 year old girl hid in her basement in fear, while just outside police say two men were attempting to break-in her home. … More Info
  • TN: Clarksville police foil shoplifting attempt
    10.30.13 – Evening News and Tribune – … the theft-prevention sensors on the stolen clothing to bypass the store’s alarm … a store employee followed Rodgers out of Victoria’s Secret after the alarm was … More Info
  • TN: Jewelry store robbed Friday
    11.1.13 – Columbia Daily Herald – Three men dressed in black broke into Helm’s Jewelry early Friday morning and stole an unknown amount of items in under a minute. Columbia Police Department officers responded to the business. at about 3 a.m. after an alarm sounded, according to a police report. More Info
  • TN: Men smash in jewelry store’s door, flee when alarm sounds
    10.29.13 – WKRN Nashville – At least four men were seen fleeing from Brentwood Jewelry and Gifts Tuesday morning. Police said they were attempting to break into the store. More Info
  • TN: SunTrust Bank Burglar Wanted
    10.28.13 – wreg.com – Officers answered an alarm call around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night. The bank’s alarm company advised a man was observed … More Info
  • TX: Homeowner killed by Fort Worth police shot 7 times
    10.31.13 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram – Toxicology tests noted antihistamine in Jerry Waller’s system but his blood tested negative for ethanol or drugs. More Info
  • TX: Homeowner not happy with Bexar Co. sheriff’s deputies’ response time
    10.31.13 – KENS 5 San Antonio – San Antonio – Ashley Armstrong may have her home well decorated for Halloween, but she was the one who was spooked last week. Armstrong’s husband, who was working out of town at the time, called to tell her that their alarm company called and said their home alarm was ringing. Armstrong, with her twin 4-year-old daughters in-tow, raced home. Armstrong took her kids to a neighbor’s home, then … More Info
  • VA: 1 charged, 2 sought in Hampton attempted robbery
    10.29.13 – The Virginian-Pilot – Hampton – One person was arrested and two others are sought by police in a robbery Monday night. About 9:40 p.m., dispatchers got a report of an alarm at the Buckroe Beach Market, police wrote in a news release. Two armed people went into the store and fired at an employee and demanded money. Before they got any money, though, they fled the store. More Info
  • VA: Shots fired in attempted robbery
    10.29.13 – WAVY-TV – Around 9:40 p.m. Monday officers were dispatched to the Buckroe Beach Market for an alarm activation. There, they … More Info
  • VA: Thieves break in Louisa County store and steal from safe
    11.1.13 – NBC 12 Richmond – Louisa County Sheriff’s office is investigating a break-in at a feed store. According to the Central Virginian, the thieves broke into the store, and opened the safe. Police say the thieves poured insect… More Info
  • VA: Two men sought for attempted armed robbery in Hampton
    10.29.13 – WTKR Norfolk – Hampton Police are looking for two men who they believe are responsible for a robbery at the Buckroe Beach Market on Monday night. More Info
  • VT: Vermont police respond to alarm, find unclothed man in another …
    11.3.13 – Daily Journal – State police were dispatched to a house in Putney at about 12:05 a.m. Sunday after receiving an alarm. Upon arriving, police found signs of forced entry to a … More Info
  • WV: Police arrest alleged suspect in building break-in
    10.31.13 – Parkersburg News – 13, 2012, incident in which police responded to a motion-detection alarm in the front office of Tractor Supply in the Frontier Shopping Center. More Info

The National Monitor is a service of the National Electronic Security Alliance (NESA). Member states are free to reproduce the information contained herein in print or electronic media as they see fit. Contact NESA for more information at 301.519.9237 or bradshipp@4yoursolution.com 

NESA is a federation of state associations established to serve and promote the electronic systems industry at the direction of, and through its affiliated state associations. Five state associations are part of NESA – Texas Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA), Maryland Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (MDBFAA), Kansas Electronic Security Association (KESA), Arkansas Security Alarm Association (ASAA) and Oklahoma Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (OKBFAA). For more info visit www.nesaus.org.