Tag: Stan Martin

FRISCO, Texas—The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a controversial ordinance enacted by the city of Sandy Springs, Ga., that fines alarm companies for false alarm generated by their customers.The Georgia Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association (GELSSA), A-Com Security Co. LLP and Safecom Security Solutions Inc. were the plaintiffs in the case.The legal challenge was organized by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), which has managed all aspects of the effort, from...

FRISCO, Texas—Kirk MacDowell, an executive with a 39-year career as a leader in virtually every aspect of the electronic security industry, has been selected as the new Chairman of the Board for the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC).“Kirk's deep knowledge of our industry, paired with his operational and manufacturing background, is invaluable as we face new challenges and opportunities with technology,” SIAC Executive Director Stan Martin said in the announcement. “Kirk's...

FRISCO, Texas—The Security Industry Alarm Coalition, a non-profit organization that works to reduce false alarms and maintain relationships between the alarm industry and law enforcement, was recognized as the 2017 ESA Gives Back beneficiary at this year's ESX.“We're just really thankful and honored that ESA chose us,” Stan Martin, SIAC's executive director, told Security Systems News. ESA formally announced SIAC as the 2017 beneficiary at ESX. The coalition has received new pledges...

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—More law enforcement organizations are recognizing the benefit of alarm verification; the California Police Chiefs Association board of directors adopted a resolution at its annual meeting that clarifies the term “verified alarm” and supports priority response.“[This resolution] defines a verified alarm as a probable crime in progress and [is] very supportive in promoting priority response to those verified alarms as a way to reduce crime and make arrests...

PITTSBURGH—Pittsburgh is looking at automating collections for false alarm fines, according to a recent NPR report.Stan Martin, SIAC executive director, told Security Systems News that automating collections, or outsourcing the task to a separate company, is not a new idea. “SIAC's taken the position for many years that one of the best solutions for some of these municipalities is to outsource the collection of the fees and fines.”“We … recommend it because we know it's the...

In October, the City of Chico, Calif., passed an ordinance to fine alarm companies for false alarm dispatches. The California Alarm Association and SIAC responded, citing precedence in Fontana, Calif., where a similar ordinance was overturned. Now, the City of Chico has opted toward the standard action of fining alarm users for false alarms. Jon Sargent in November told Security Systems News that SIAC remained available to help revise the ordinance. SIAC is pleased with the outcome, Stan Martin,...

FRISCO, Texas—SIAC on Feb. 9 started working with Stateside Associates, a state and local government affairs firm, to monitor pending ordinances that could affect the security industry.“For us, it's more of a safety net to ensure that we're able to effectively work with [potential] jurisdictions” before they pass a harmful ordinance instead of after, Stan Martin, executive director for SIAC told Security Systems News.Stateside Associates will search for relevant developments in...

LAS VEGAS—It's little wonder that the topic of verified alarms tends to spark dialogue between those in law enforcement and the alarm space. Intended to reduce false dispatches while increasing apprehensions, verified alarms—and the policies that guide them—are of critical importance to both groups, and continue to shape the relationship between them.And, given the ongoing conversation about standards for verified alarms, there's still much to be said on the topic.That's one reason...

AKRON, Ohio—A new policy set to take effect here in March requires security alarms to verify criminal activity prior to police response.Like similar actions in other cities, the policy has its camps of proponents and detractors, and its reception puts into sharp relief some competing philosophies about how to manage false alarms and provide the most effective strategies for response.Not only that: The debate raises fundamental questions about the value proposition of alarm systems in general....

This morning I had the opportunity to chat with Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition. He proved to be a valuable font of information about the current state of the alarm industry, in particular the three-pronged relationship involving alarm monitoring companies, law enforcement and municipal governments—all of which play huge collaborative roles in responding to legitimate alarms and mitigating false ones. When I asked him what he considers an ideal alarm...