301.519.9237 exdirector@nesaus.org

8-7-17 NESA Monitor

Door to Door Sales

  • Don’t Fall for the Alarm Scam
    8.3.17 – WFMY News 2 – Sacramento, CA – It’s not uncommon for alarm companies to go door-to-door trying to get new customers.  However, the Better Business Bureau says some salesman are making fake claims and trick people into switching alarm companies. More Info
  • Alarm Scam Targeting Senior Citizens Has Residents Paying Two Separate Bills
    8.3.17 – CBS Miami – Veteran Bill McCullough says a salesman came to his front door saying they were taking over for his current alarm company and he’d get all new equipment. “He told me a lie,” McCullough … More Info

Public Safety Updates

  • CA: Council approves proposed alarm fees
    8.3.17 – Lodi News-Sentinel – The Lodi City Council unanimously voted to approve the proposed fees for alarm permits, alarm installation and false alarms during its meeting Wednesday night in Carnegie Forum. More Info
  • GA: Cities get thousands of false alarms each year
    8.4.17 – Reporter Newspapers Public safety officials in Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Atlanta have struggled with how to reduce the thousands of false alarms the cities receive. More Info
  • MN: False alarms are about to get more expensive in St. Paul – Star Tribune
    8.3.17 – Minneapolis Star Tribune – The City Council opted for a smaller increase in the annual fee after public outcry.  More Info
  • VA: Newport News, VA Goes Live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP)
    8.4.17 – PR Newswire via Yahoo Finance – Alarm users in coastal Virginia city to benefit from faster, more accurate emergency response.  Newport News, Virginia becomes the latest … More Info

Industry News

  • Why implantable RFID chips are not the next frontier in access control
    7.28.17 – SIW – Industry experts discuss the technology’s feasibility and potential drawbacks… More Info
  • Security expert recommends alarm system over surveillance cameras
    8.2.17 – News 10 NBC Rochester – “That’s where an alarm system comes into play. Romero says these video camera systems could cost thousands of dollars and won’t necessarily keep criminals away. On the flip side, he explains … More Info
  • The smart way to arm your home
    8.2.17 – ABC 4 Salt Lake City – Doug Cartwright, from Vivint Smart Home Security, joined us to explain how Vivint’s all inclusive alarm, camera, home automation options could be the saving grace to avoiding a potential … More Info
  • After Son’s Diabetes Diagnosis, IoT Exec Sees Big Role for Home Automation in Disease Management
    8.3.17 – CEPro – Mike Maniscalco of Ihiji, which makes remote monitoring systems for smart homes, uses home automation to help manage son’s Type 1 diabetes. He sees big implications for IoT in disease management and health monitoring. More Info
  • 3 Keys to Selling NVRs & DVRs
    8.1.17 – SDM – With cloud-based recording continuing to gain acceptance and traction within the security industry, it can be easy to forget about the growth that’s occurring with the NVR … More Info
  • ADS Security Acquires ERMC Security Solutions
    8.4.17 – SDM – ADS Security, a regional electronic security and automation company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., and ranked No. 20 on the SDM 100, … More Info

State & National News

  • Arkansas officials not ready to OK 75 mph speed limit on highways
    8.1.17 – Associated Press – While a new Arkansas law that took effect Tuesday authorizes speeds of up to 75 mph on some major highways, state highway officials said, “Not so fast.” NCSL resources on speed limits. More Info
  • DOL requests information on overtime pay regulations for “white collar” employees
    8.1.17 – NACO – The U.S. Department of Labor is soliciting comments on the 2016 overtime pay changes for certain executive, administrative and professional employees as the agency works to potentially formulate a new proposal to revise overtime pay regulations. More Info
  • Jury awards $8 million in sexual assault of 12-year-old girl in apartment elevator
    7.31.17 – Washington Post – …later, a jury ordered Oakcrest Towers to pay the girl’s family $8 million in damages, finding that security lapses at the apartment complex allowed the assault to occur. More Info
  • Changes to Kansas fire safety rules withdrawn
    8.3.17 – Wichita Eagle – Businesses and construction contractors won’t have to deal with new state fire safety regulations – at least for now – that Wichita and Sedgwick County say would have cost more without boosting safety. More Info
  • Is Security Company Responsible for Loss of Property Value?
    8.1.17 – SDM – In a recent case before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, an interesting question arose as to whether the defendant, the company providing security, could be responsible for a decrease in value of the property because of a loss that the plaintiff contended was the fault of the security company. More Info
  • U.S. added 209,000 jobs in July; unemployment falls to 4.3 percent
    8.4.17 – Associated Press – U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in July, a second straight month of robust gains that underscore the economy’s vitality as it enters a ninth year of expansion. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate slipped to 4.3 percent, matching a 16-year low first reached in May. More Info
  • Wilmington man faces proposed $82M fine from FCC for illegal robocalls
    8.4.17 – WRAL.com – The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed the $82,106,000 fine against Philip Roesel for violating the Truth in Caller ID Act. The law prohibits callers from deliberately falsifying caller ID information to hide their identities with intent to harm, defraud or wrongfully obtain anything of value, according to the FCC. More Info
  • When a security alarm isn’t enough, some homeowners install pricey high-tech safe rooms
    8.5.17 – Los Angeles Times – Like James Bond, we’d all like to die another day — and intruder-proof safe rooms can help. More Info

Business Tips

  • Selling 4K: Can Your Customers Even Tell the Difference?
    8.1.17 – CI – A recent webinar from Brawn Consulting explains how the eye sees 4K and what that means for selling the tech to customers. More Info
  • Why Alarm Companies Should Leave Monitoring to Central Stations
    8.3.17 – Security Sales & Integration Alarm companies can reduce liability and exposure by deferring alarm responsibility to the monitoring pros. More Info
  • A Video Tells a Thousand Pictures
    8.1.17 – SDM – In past articles we mentioned the use of videos in your marketing efforts, but we’ve never written a complete article about it, so ta-da — here it is, a complete article on why, how and what to expect when you incorporate videos into your security’s marketing efforts. More Info
  • 10 Digital Marketing Mistakes Every Integrator Makes
    8.2.17 – SDM – Successful digital marketing means embracing social media, optimizing the mobile experience, sharing thought leadership, and implementing multimedia. More Info
  • McDonald’s Touchscreen Kiosks Take ‘Fast’ Out of ‘Fast Food’
    8.2.17 – CI – Integrators who install technology that end users won’t use or can’t figure out are only hurting themselves in the long run. More Info
  • 11 Steps to Develop Dazzling Sales Skills
    7.26.17 – SSI – Policies, products and selling techniques often change, but the basic fundamentals of sales really do not. More Info

Fire News

  • CA: Smoke detector credited for alerting Santa Maria residents to garage fire
    8.31.17 – KSBY San Luis Obispo – The residents reportedly called 911 after being woken up by the smoke alarm. Damage was confined to the washing machine and part of the wall. More Info
  • CT: Sprinkler douses kitchen fire in downtown high rise
    8.31.17 – The New Canaan News – At 2:39 p.m. the Stamford fire department received an automatic alarm notification for the building, followed by reports of smoke on the sixth floor, according to Deputy Fire Chief Pat … More Info
  • KS: Alarm company helps save lives of W. Kan. Family
    8.3.17 – KWCH – The family had a scare this summer. Thursday, they met the people who helped save their lives. More Info
  • MI: Old Shillelagh closes after morning fire
    8.1.17 – Crain’s Detroit Business – A fire alarm triggered a response around 5:50 a.m. to the popular restaurant and bar. Firefighter crews arrived and extinguished the fire in the first-floor kitchen in … More Info
  • OR: Tow truck sets off The Hub’s sprinkler and alarm system, Eugene-Springfield firemen confirm
    8.5.17 – Oregon Daily Emerald – Eugene-Springfield firemen, reporting to the scene Friday, August 4, confirmed that an Alpha Towing and Recovery vehicle knocked a sprinkler head off in the Hub’s carpark. And that it set off the apartment’s sprinkler system and fire alarm. More Info
  • UT: Developing: Early morning smoke shop robbery
    7.31.17 – KUTV Salt Lake City – Monday morning the owner of a smoke shop got an alarm alert on his cell phone. The owner called police, who arrived on the scene to find that someone had broken the glass … More Info

Crime News

  • CA: Crime report: Deputies respond to burglar alarm, arriving from earlier alarm call on same street
    8.3.17 – Los Angeles Times Burglary, residence: Deputies responded to a burglary alarm call and saw a glass back bedroom door had been smashed. Inside, the bedroom was ransacked, but entry could not be made to secure the location. More Info
  • CT: Vandals Break Into Hillhouse | New Haven Independent
    8.1.17 – New Haven Independent – School officials are looking into why a new alarm system didn’t function overnight when vandals broke into Hillhouse High School. Cleaning staff arrived at the school Monday morning to … More Info
  • GA: Holly Springs police seek 4 suspects, $10,000 in stolen guns
    8.2.17 – WXIA-TV Atlanta – Police officers were first alerted by an alarm at the business and arrived to find the glass front door broken. After backup arrived from other departments, police secured a perimeter … More Info
  • IN: Northeast side Dollar General robbed twice in 8 hours
    7.31.17 – WRTV Indianapolis – Less than eight hours later, officers were again dispatched to the Dollar General for a business alarm. More Info
  • MI: Police searching for suspect in Dundee robbery
    8.2.17 – The Monroe Evening News- Police Chief Todd Opperman said officers responded to an alarm and 911 call from the station saying an armed suspect entered the store, walked behind the counter while brandishing a handgun … More Info
  • NM: Video: Break-in suspect seems to be familiar with business
    7.30.17 – KOB 4 Albuquerque – He managed to get in without triggering the alarm system, and actually walked around the store into the break room, ripping out the phone and internet lines before walking back to the … More Info
  • OH: Salem police seek information after Lease Drug break-in
    8.2.17 – Salem News – Police received a call at 11:23 p.m. from an alarm company for an alarm at the drug store. The police response time was 12 seconds after being dispatched … More Info
  • UT: Developing: Early morning smoke shop robbery
    7.31.17 – KUTV Salt Lake City – Monday morning the owner of a smoke shop got an alarm alert on his cell phone. The owner called police, who arrived on the scene to find that someone had broken the glass … More Info
  • VA: Investigators: Four juveniles charged in connection to two break-ins at Lynchburg Arms
    8.1.17 – ABC 13 Lynchburg – The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to an alarm at Lynchburg Arms & Shooting Range on Monday around 5 a.m. When deputies got the scene, they saw … More Info
  • WI: Kenosha police looking into death of man found in alley
    7.31.17 – WKOW 27 Madison – Officers said they were checking a business alarm. A bystander flagged them down about 7:50 p.m. Saturday and said a man was in a nearby alley. 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