So you invested in a verified security system to get police to your business quickly! That’s great! But can law enforcement easily identify your building? Make sure the name of your business and the address is prominently displayed so they can see it from the street. That way there is no delay in catching the bad guys!
Apprehension – Does your business security provide 100% coverage?
We would like to thank our Evansville Police Department for their excellent response time resulting in another apprehension for a Sonitrol customer! Only Sonitrol can provide this kind of coverage. See the EPD update below:
Sent out by EPD –
Community: Police respond to burglary alarm, catch suspect in the act
Evansville Police responded to an alarm at the Nation’s Pharmacy at 3408 N 1st Ave around 3:30 Monday morning.
When the first officer arrived, he began checking the business. While he was doing the check, he saw a man drop down from the ceiling into the business. Other officers arrived and set up a perimeter around the building. Officers saw the man looking through medications and loading items into a bag.
The suspect, JUSTIN BURTON, exited the building and was confronted by police. Burton ran towards the northwest as officers chased him. Burton was captured after a brief chase. Burton dropped the bag of stolen items, but officers recovered it after the chase. The bag contained several thousand pills.
During the burglary and theft, Burton caused an estimated $3,000 in damage to the store’s medication dispensing machine.
Burton was arrested for:
Burglary L5 Felony
Theft Level 6 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Mischief Class A Misdemeanor
Listen back – Will all my employees have their own code?
Listen back – the place where you can come to find your security solutions!
This question comes from Launi in Evansville, IN:
Launi asks: Will all my employees have to use the same code or can I give them individual codes?
First decide who really needs a code. If an employee come into work, after you open and leaves before everyone else, they probably don’t need a code. The less people that have a code, the easier it will be to manage your system. The easier it is to manage your system, the more secure your system will be.
Once you have decided who needs a code, give everyone their own. By issuing a different user code for everyone, you give everyone their own security identity. When they arm or disarm the system, the system will record who armed it and time stamp it. The system then keeps a record of all activity. If you have chosen Sonitrol of Evansville as your service provider, we will email you free activity reports at your request. On certain systems you can view these reports online. Some of these systems even allow you to add and delete users on your smart phone or smart device.
Last piece of advice – for the most secure system possible, make sure that you keep your information updated. If an employee retires or leaves, delete them. Do not reissue their number to a new employee. Ask you security provider to send you a user report from time to time. Once again, if you have Sonitrol of Evansville, you can have these automatically emailed to you weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, even annually. Even if you have excellent employee retention, you still want to review your user report and call list (updated call list; VERY very important) to make sure this information is current.
Launi, I hope we have answered your question.
Do you have a question about security systems? Email us at info@sonitrolev.com.
Don’t defeat your security service!
Are you defeating your own security service?!
As a business owner, you took a great deal of time in this investment. You had a choose a security company that would work for you. You probably negotiated some pricing. You paid for equipment and now a monthly fee to have the system monitored. The last thing you want to do is make your system worthless!
Where are your codes?
If you have something similar to the picture below, you might need to make some changes:
With this little post-it, every one that passes will know how to disarm your system without causing an alarm. Just because the keypad may not be visible to the public, doesn’t mean this is a good idea. By posting these instructions, you give disarming rights to every vendor, contractor, delivery person and visitor that passes this area. Best practice:
- Do not write the code on the wall, keypad or any where around the keypad
- Choose a code that you do not have to write.
- If you have to write it down, make sure it is kept on your person in a secure location. When you disarm the system, have it out and ready to use . This will prevent you from causing an alarm and having the police dispatched unnecessarily.
- TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE to properly use the system.
If you feel uneasy about disarming the system using a code, talk to your security service provider about other items that can be added to your integrated security system. Some systems can be disarmed with the simple swipe of a card or fob.
Not arming your security system
You paid for it, please use it. The only thing worse than a burglary would be a burglary where someone didn’t arm the system and the police weren’t dispatched. Sometimes it’s just plain forgetfulness after a long day at work. If you have an older system, see if your provider can give you a call at a certain time if the system isn’t armed. OR, see about getting an app for your phone so if someone does accidentally leave the system disarmed, you can arm the system from your smart phone.
Let users be their own person
Is everyone using the same code to arm and disarm the system? By issuing everyone their own code, your provider will be able to tell you who disarmed the system and when. Here at Sonitrol of Evansville, we send free reports to you via email when requested if you need to review activity. Of course, if you have the app, not only can you see who arms and disarms, but some systems will instantly notify you on your phone.
For more tips on how to maximize the use of your security service, contact us.
Small Office Renovation? Don’t forget about your security system.
Small office renovation??
By Chris Dingman – Operations Manager
Whether you have a large or small office, your security system was originally designed and installed, for the number of doors and entry points that office has, to give you have the best possible protection.
Gaps in Protection
When renovations occur sometimes your protection needs to be revamped as well. Adding or removing walls can have an effect on how equipment will work. In a retail store adding a wall to create more space to display merchandise can block motion or audio detectors from covering what it used to cover. The new display may create an unprotected area for you.
False alarms
Taking out a wall can create false alarms. You spent a lot of time and money creating that open concept you have always wanted, but the motion detector that was ending at the wall, now catches the curtains blowing when the heat turns on. Adding beautiful French doors out to the patio can also create an unprotected entry point.
Off the wall, into your phone
Taking the time to call your security company to review your coverage when even small office renovations are done can make sure you have the coverage you expect. It’s also a good time to find out how the latest technology can make your life easier, allowing you to get rid of your phone line and having your alarm system communicate over the internet or cell, and getting a smart phone app to arm and disarm your system.
After recovering from your construction and clean up, you don’t want to have to deal with false alarms or an insurance claim because your renovations created an unprotected area. A good security company is invested in your protection. Give them the plans before your renovation, so they can give you the best possible protection.
For more information on your integrated security options, contact us.
EPD apprehend 1 suspect with the help of Verified Security Solutions
Early Sunday morning, Sonitrol operators received an alarm on a verified audio system.
Banging and breaking glass was heard by the operators at a vehicle repair center. Police arrived to find the suspect had entered through an overhead door. He was attempting to steal cash, damaged a vending machine and was about to damage another vending machine.
Suspect was taken into custody. Though repairs will have to be made, the customer’s property was retrieved, including the cash. Thanks to excellent response time of the Evansville police department, the suspect was apprehended before he damaged another vending machine!
Verified Security Systems – Better for Law enforcement; Better for Businesses
Why do business owners invest in commercial security systems? To catch anyone who tries to break into their property, right?
No one wants to be burglarized!
But if the worst happens, the next best thing is to have law enforcement apprehend the burglar while he is still on the property. The owner keeps their property and since it interrupts the burglar, it minimizes damages too.
Using an audio or video verified system can increase police response time by up to 30 minutes over conventional alarms. How? Because verified calls receive a higher police priority than conventional alarms. According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, verified alarms average a response time of 5 minutes versus 45 minutes for a conventional alarm. Police will respond knowing a crime is in progress. Because operators can see or hear inside the building, they can also relay important details to help assist officers such as location of suspect and multiple suspects.
Verified audio security solutions help a church and a body shop
At 5:00 am Sunday morning, Sonitrol of Evansville operators received a verified audio alarm at a local church. Despite the excellent response time of the Evansville Police department, the criminals had fled. Sonitrol operators then received a second verified audio alarm at a body shop located down the road. When Evansville Police arrived at the body shop, 2 suspects were taken into custody. Suspects had property from the body shop and the church.
Verified alarms are the new sweeping technology in security solutions.
The above apprehensions were made using verified audio systems. Verified systems help our law enforcement tremendously. How?
Not all business security systems are the same. Law enforcement across the country respond to thousands of false alarms a day. These dispatches cost their respective agencies millions of dollars a year. More importantly, false alarms needlessly dispatch law enforcement who could be responding to an actual emergency. Some municipalities have started fining users for false alarms. Other agencies have established enhanced verification policies which require alarm users or someone acting on the their behalf to visually verify that there has indeed been a break in.
This can be dangerous for the customer and chances are, the criminal will get away with the property. A verified alarm is confirmation, either visually or audibly, of unauthorized entry or attempted unauthorized entry onto a property. In essence, someone has been seen or heard on the property. Using the latest technology in cameras or audio devices, police can be dispatched knowing there is a crime in progress. These monitored devices feed live video and audio to central station operators. The operators can then relay pertinent information, not only of a break in, but details including how many suspects are on the premises and their location.
Benefits to the alarm users include:
- Faster police response time – your alarm is a priority.
- Increased apprehension rates – the faster law enforcement is at the location, the more likely they are to catch criminals “red-handed”.
- 100% total protection.
If you have been looking into security solutions to fit your needs, contact us.
Focusing on what matters – Commercial Security Cameras
Cameras, cameras everywhere, but do you really know what you need?
In all of our blogs, we stress one basic rule: get a free expert assessment before you purchase a security system. Nothing hurts the pocket book more than purchasing something that:
- Doesn’t fulfill your needs lost money
- Quits working the day after the warranty expires
- Is not serviced by the same company you bought it from, requiring you to call a number that asks you to press all the numbers on your phone to be transferred to customer service, where you now need a linguist to communicate with the person on the other line and where you will burn an hour of your precious time only to find that you are stuck with broken equipment that is not covered by their warranty!
Frustrating!
Find a company that has been around for awhile.
Established companies have built their reputations, not on sales, but on great quality and customer service. Established companies stand behind their product. IP cameras are a fast growing business. Fly by night companies, may sell you merchandise that you really don’t need. If a camera goes down or a software update is necessary, you want a trust-worthy knowledgeable person to help resolve any issues.
What do you want to see?
Purchasing a camera system is similar to purchasing a vehicle. A Ferrari is built for speed, but probably will not be useful for the day to day tasks of a soccer mom. So figure out the basics such as:
- What will you be watching on your cameras; a warehouse or a store clerk?
- Do you need indoor or outdoor cameras?
- How much light is in the space requiring cameras?
- Do you want detection to see that someone has entered a room, or identification to be able to identify a person beyond a reasonable doubt?
- Do you want a monitored video system?
- How many cameras will be on your system?
- Will you view the camera footage from your business or from a remote location, like on your smart phone?
Things like pixels, static IP addresses, ports, modems, routers, proper camera placement all need to be figured out BEFORE you purchase a system. Hands on personalized service will offer you money saving options as well as peace of mind later on down the road.
Commercial security has come a long way in the last 10 years. Integrated security systems can include not only your cameras, but intrusion, fire and access systems. See how to make these options work for your company.
Apprehension – Business security system prevents major loss
1:58 am – Wohlsen Construction
Sonitrol operators received a video alarm showing someone on the south side of the building. Law enforcement was immediately dispatched. Operators receive another alarm from inside the building and informed the police department. Police said no troopers would have been on the interior cameras. Troopers were able to apprehend one suspect with bolt cutters and other tools to break into the building.
Thank you to our wonderful law enforcement for protecting our communities.
By using a verified system, law enforcement was able to quickly locate the suspect and apprehend him before he left the location with the owners valuables. Though there is still the pain and headache of replacing the lock that was cut, and maybe a door, the property of the business is still in the hands of the owners. This system was installed less than a month ago, and it has already paid off.
If you have been pondering a business security system, give us a call for a free assessment.
Foresight is less expensive then hindsight!