301.519.9237 exdirector@nesaus.org

7-24-17

Door to Door Sales

  • Residents being warned about door-to-door alarm system scams
    7.21.17 – New Orleans, LA (WVUE) – There is a warning about aggressive door-to-door sales people from out of town, canvassing area neighborhoods. More Info
  • Alarm system scam in Leander
    7.18.17 – NewsRadio KLBJ, 590AM and 99.7 – Alarm system scam in Leander … on the purchase of an alarm system, then the solicitation for more detailed personal information. More Info
  • Man impersonating alarm company employee targets Darlington …
    7.17.17 – WWBD – Conway, SC – Man impersonating alarm company employee … Alder Alarm Company representatives told police no work order was made for the … More Info

Public Safety Updates

  • AZ: PV officials take on alarm companies
    7.20.17 – The Daily Courier – Chief says he worries about safety, they worry about profits… More Info
  • CA: Proposed surveillance guidelines take shape in Palo Alto, Calif.
    7.17.17 – SIW – Ordinance would require public vetting of existing and future surveillance technology in the city. More Info
  • FL: Palm Beach contractors to pay false alarm fines, not homeowners
    7.18.17 – Palm Beach Daily News – Palm Beach homeowners no longer will have to pay the bill when their workers accidentally set off fire alarms while on the job. More Info
  • GA: Despite fight from companies, Sandy Springs OKs new false alarm ordinance
    7.19.17 – Northside Neighbor – The city of Sandy Springs’ newly amended false alarm ordinance is unfair to alarm system companies and will put some out of business, alarm business leaders said. More Info
  • GA: False alarms cost taxpayers $775K
    7.20.17 – WSB-TV 2 Atlanta – Plagued by false alarm calls that city officials say have tied up precious resources, Sandy Springs leaders are now going to hold alarm companies responsible for excessive calls … More Info
  • MN: If you have a burglar alarm in St. Paul, things could get more …
    7.18.17 – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press – In St. Paul, maintaining an intruder alarm system could soon cost $58 annually, which is more than double the current annual permit licensing fee. Meanwhile, the penalties for three or more false alarms in a year may double, as well. More Info
  • OK: Tulsa family says police never showed up after a security company put …
    7.19.17 – Fox23 – Tulsa OK – A local family says they were left high and dry as thieves broke into their vehicles. … However, if an alarm company calls on a resident’s behalf and police don’t … More Info
  • TN: 911 dispatcher makes mistake; homeowner waits 5 hours for police
    7.20.17 – WSMV – Nashville – A news release from the Metro Nashville Police Department claims the three ….. are apologizing to a man after it took five hours to respond to a burglar alarm. More Info
  • TN: Metro officer decommissioned over stolen water bottle
    7.17.17 – WSMV Nashville – A Metro police officer has been decommissioned after allegedly taking a bottle of water from a refrigerator while investigating a false burglar alarm at a business. Central Precinct Officer … More Info

Industry News

  • Best Buy introduces ‘smart home’ service aimed at caretakers’ needs
    7.12.17 – SIW – ‘Assured Living’ service offers free in-home assessments to design an appropriate array of monitors and devices… More Info
  • Millions of Security Cameras Can Be Hacked Due to This New Vulnerability
    7.20.17 – SSI – A dangerous new vulnerability called the “Devil’s Ivy” has been discovered by IoT researchers. More Info

State & National News

  • Flaw in home security system lets hackers remotely activate alarms
    7.18.17 – ZDNet – A maker of one home security system built by iSmartAlarm, which bills itself as the leader in do-it-yourself, internet-connected smart home security, has failed to patch several security flaws after they were privately disclosed to the company months ago. More Info
  • America’s Most and Least Popular Governors — July 2017
    7.18.17 – Morning Consult – Familiar faces remain affixed the top and bottom of the new Morning Consult Governor Approval Rankings, based on interviews with more than 195,000 registered voters across the U.S. from April 1 through July 10. More Info
  • Apple Patents Way to Secretly Call 911 Using Your Fingerprint
    7.20.17 – SIA – An Apple patent application shows technology that would sense the way in which a user touched the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone and call for emergency help. More Info
  • Firefighter Fatalities in the United States
    7.1.17 – NFPA – In 2016, 69 firefighters died while on duty in the United States. NFPA digs deeper into the activities when fatality occurred, causes, and nature of fatal injury in the incidents of last year’s on-duty firefighter deaths nationwide. Also featured is the new 2016 NFPA Firefighter Fatalities in the United States report and firefighter fatality case studies… More Info

Business Tips

  • How Integrators Can Better Serve IT Customers: Start with the Network
    7.18.17 – CI – Jason Hintersteiner of EnGenius cannot stress enough the importance of planning for network usage needs. He and chief editor Tom Leblanc talk about IT. More Info
  • Insurance, the Smart Home, and the Business of Keeping Customers Engaged
    7.20.17 – CEPro – How insurance (insurtech) and other industries are keeping customers engaged through smart-home technologies, remote IoT services, product warranties and client communications. More Info
  • Don’t Let Key-Person Dependency Problems Damage Your Customer Service
    7.20.17 – CI – Key-Person Dependency can cripple customer service, particularly when said specialist leaves the company. Here are five things you can do to combat KPD. More Info
  • How to Simplify Your Hourly Billing With a Simple Equation
    7.21.17 – SSI – Instead of relying on a complex pricing model, try a one-size-fits-all hourly billing rate with one simple equation instead. More Info

Fire News

  • AK: False carbon monoxide alarm at Governor’s House
    7.18.17 – Juneau Empire – Capital City Fire/Rescue firefighters were called out to the Governor’s House Sunday night for a possible carbon monoxide leak, but did not find any dangerous emissions. According to Consumer … More Info
  • CT: After false alarm, fire officials spent the night at Elm Tree Inn
    7.22.17 – The Westerly Sun – Stonington – A Westerly man is facing charges after police said he intentionally activated a fire alarm at the Elm Tree Inn, causing a disruption late Thursday that left the system inactive.  More Info
  • FL: Teens intentionally pull fire alarm at Deerfield Beach hotel
    7.19.17 – WPEC CBS12 West Palm Beach – Authorities are looking for a group of teens who intentionally set off a fire alarm at a Deerfield Beach hotel. The Broward Sheriff’s Office says four boys entered the Wyndham Deerfield … More Info
  • NC: Firefighters called to 2 different businesses Thursday morning …
    7-19-17 – Winston Salem Journal – The first fire alarm came from Reclaimed off Trade Street, the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission’s thrift store, before 8 a.m. … More Info
  • NY: More than 2,000 people evacuate UN complex after fire alarm
    7.18.17 – Washington Post – United Nations — The U.N. says more than 2,000 people evacuated buildings in the United Nations headquarters complex after a fire alarm went off in the basement. U.N. deputy spokesman … More Info
  • PA: Sentinel fire calls for July 20 
    7.21.17 – The Sentinel – 10:14 a.m.: automatic fire alarm, Simpson Ferry Road, Lower Allen Township; Lower Allen … 11:08 a.m.: automatic fire alarm, West Main Street, Mechanicsburg; .. More Info
  • TN: False fire alarm prompts evacuation of Nashville airport’s control tower
    7.23.17 – WKRN.com – Nashville, Tenn. – A fire alarm went off Saturday night inside the control tower at the Nashville International Airport, prompting an evacuation as well as flight diversions. More Info
  • TN: Nashville hotel to be cited after alarms didn’t sound during weekend
    7.19.17 – Fox17 – Nashville hotel to be cited after alarms didn’t sound during weekend fire … to Fox 17 News that they were never alerted by smoke detectors or fire alarms. More Info
  • VA: Lightning strike causes deadly fire at seniors community; one victim identified
    7.18.17 – 13 News, WVEC Hampton Roads – Investigators determined that lightning was the cause of a 4-alarm fire that set a senior-living apartment facility on fire over the weekend, killing three people, injuring six more, … More Info
  • WA: Fire alarm saves Spokane Valley family 
    7.19.17 – KXLY Spokane – “We heard the smoke detectors, smelled a little smoke, but the detectors let us know that there was something really wrong, and gave us ample warning to get out of the house safely,” said John.  More Info

Crime News

  • CA: Burglars hit Verizon Wireless store in Cupertino, nabbed with Apple, Samsung items in car
    7.18.17 – San Jose Mercury News – In a heist that could be from a Hollywood script, burglars broke into a Verizon Wireless store early Monday by disabling the alarm and video surveillance systems then entering the building … More Info
  • CA: Hilary Duff Home Burglarized, Jewelry Stolen
    7.23.17 – Gossip Cop – It’s believed the perpetrator or perpetrators broke through a door into the property without triggering an alarm. It’s unclear if the star was specifically targeted, or if the robbery … More Info
  • CA: Video: ‘Oceans 11’ bandit commits brazen Sunglass Hut robbery
    7.19.17 – WBFF Fox45 Baltimore – A bandit committed a brazen, Oceans 11-style robbery of a Sunglass Hut in California. Surveillance video filmed July 6 shows the man forcing the store’s employee to disarm the alarm, then … More Info
  • GA: Help ID Fort Valley burglary suspects
    7.20.17 – The Telegraph – Fort Valley – Officers responding to the store’s alarm found a broken window. A witness told police that one of … More Info
  • IN: Police look for two men in pawn shop robbery
    7.18.17 – Fort Wayne News-Sentinel – Tuesday at Cash America Pawn Shop where a man about 5-foot-7 came into the store with a sledge hammer, breaking the glass and taking jewelry from the case as the pawnbroker .. More Info
  • LA: JPSO, FBI arrest alleged bank robber
    7.21.17 – WWL-TV, Channel 4 New Orleans – Deputies responded to a holdup alarm at the bank and, while en route, were notified that two bank tellers were robbed at gunpoint by a masked man. More Info
  • MN: Bodycam video shows new angle on Minnesota cop shooting dogs
    7.21.17 – Fox News – A body camera video shows a Minneapolis police officer shooting two dogs at a home where he was checking on a burglary alarm. More Info
  • NV: Break-in, ‘threatening note’ at office of GOP senator
    7.17.17 – Washington Post – Las Vegas police said officers responded to a call about a burglary alarm Saturday morning at Heller’s office in southwest Las Vegas. There, they discovered what they described in a statement … More Info
  • OK: Burglar alarm leads to discovery of acid spill
    7.21.17 – HazMat Nation – Tulsa OK – While police investigated a burglar alarm at a local business, a muriatic acid spill was found from an overturned shelf. KTUL reports that the spill was of … More Info
  • OK: Southwest City man dead after break-in at local pharmacy …
    7.20.17 – Grand Lake News – Southwest City man dead after break-in at local pharmacy … when Hudson broke into the building and when she was notified by the pharmacy’s alarm company. More Info
  • PA: Alarm foils theft at gun shop
    7.17.17 – Times News – One attempted to pry open the front door, but a burglar alarm sounded. More Info
  • PA: Suspect in murders of 4 Pennsylvania men had 40 prior encounters with police
    7.20.17 – ABC News via Yahoo News – Bensalem- But that total includes inconsequential contacts such as when DiNardo happened to be at his family’s home when the burglary alarm went off, according to Fred Harran, director of public … More Info
  • SC: Rock Hill SC police arrest man in pharmacy robbery
    7-19-17 – The Herald – Rock Hill … man in connection with an April armed robbery of a local pharmacy. … not trip the silence alarm to alert law enforcement,” a Rock Hill police report states. … More Info
  • TX: #OnlineToday 7/20/17
    7.21.17 – KAMR Amarillo – Owner Betsy Smith says she was awakened early Saturday morning when the security alarm went off after the thieves broke in. When she got to the store she saw the burglars had smashed … More Info
  • VA: Multiple guns stolen from shooting range in Virginia
    7.20.17 – Bristol Herald Courier – Lynchburg, VA – Thursday, five minutes after the alarm activated. Guthrie did not say how many guns had been stolen and didn’t provide an estimate of their monetary value. More Info
  • WA: Three juvenile males arrested for breaking into and vandalizing Salk Middle School
    7.19.17 – KREM.com Spokane – Spokane, Wash. — Spokane Police Department Officials took three juvenile males into custody Tuesday after multiple alarm trips at Salk Middle School. 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.

NESA Board of Directors