If I Were A Thief

If I were a thief I would check your doors and windows first at your home to see if one is unlocked. I really don't want to make that much noise and cause too much attention to myself. I can slip through an unlocked sliding glass door without a problem. Windows are good, too. I love it when you forget to close your garage door.

I don't even mind entering the front door during the day when you are not home. In fact, I prefer it. (I know you are gone because your porch light is on, no lights or noise on inside and there are no cars in the driveway.) Inadequate deadbolts and locks allow me to jimmy it open without much noise.

If I were a thief I would lay low in bushes and shrubs in dimly lit areas and watch. Motion lights scare me off because I don't want the attention. I don't like barking dogs, either and those nosy neighbors really irritate me. The less activity, the better.

I don't like to make it too hard on myself. If one house seems to have an alarm system and the other doesn't, I'll hit the one without. Wouldn't you?

If I were a thief and I were casing cars, I would look to see if yours was unlocked or your windows rolled partially down. I also like to work in low-light areas and look into cars with valuables in plain view. I find it quite profitable when a cell phone, purse, laptop, iPad or GPS unit is sitting in the front seat. Jackpot! Is your car running? Double jackpot.

If I were a thief I would go everywhere, looking for victims who don't pay attention, who forget to take precautions and get careless. I don't like planners and preventative measures. I don't like neighborhood watch programs, police cars slowly rolling by, cameras or monitored customized security systems.

P.S. Oh, yeah, I'm also on facebook, twitter and all the other networking sites people use to communicate with each other. It's great when you talk about leaving on vacation for a week. It's even better when you don't secure your pages and I can look at everything . . . nice boat.

To download more information about safety and crime prevention, visit the Atronic Alarms, Inc. website.

Atronic Client Shares His Story on Copper Theft

Copper theft, as we have noted many times in our blog, continues to be a problem for homes and businesses in the Kansas City area.

Recently a client of Atronic experienced firsthand the aftermath of what businesses can go through to recover from such a crime. Over the summer his electric company fell victim to thieves vandalizing their AC unit. This resulted in an extensive repair bill, an uncomfortable summer without adequate AC and a large insurance claim.

He recently shared with us a letter he had sent to Chief James Corwin of KCMO in response to the Chief's blog on residential copper theft and gave us permission to post it on our social media sites.

"I read your blog regarding copper thefts from vacant homes, and thought you might be interested in another aspect of this problem that is affecting many businesses in the metropolitan area.

After the company I work for suffered an $18,000 loss due to vandalism of one of our exterior AC condensing units (for the copper, of course), we realized that a simple precaution could possibly have prevented the theft."

He continues by telling the Chief how their company installed an auxiliary contact in the safety switch and then had it wired into their existing Atronic Alarms' security system. The monitoring station would be alerted if the power source was disconnected. With ample room in their security panel they had additional zones to arm their unit.

"Even though our new condensing unit has been placed on top of our building rather than on the ground, where it was, we’re still going to wire it into the security system... especially in light of the number of units that are now being stolen from atop buildings (as was recently reported happening in Topeka)."

There are many solutions now that home and business owners can look into when considering ways to protect their HVAC units. Another system Atronic offers actually monitors the copper within the unit, and any "tilt" that occurs when a perpetrator is tampering with it would alert the monitoring station. In this case, the power does not have to be shut off to trip the alarm.

Video monitoring is an option if business owners want an immediate notification when suspicious activity occurs around a perimeter. With economically priced outdoor IP cameras aimed on your HVAC unit the monitoring station would receive a live video and then can determine if a call to the authorities is warranted.

It is hard enough for business and home owners to watch their bottom line these days without worrying about someone vandalizing their HVAC units or other copper items around their building. Fortunately, there are some economical solutions that can be integrated to help prevent this expensive nuisance.

"Just wish we’d thought of this sooner, before we had to spend half the summer without adequate AC in our KC sales office, while waiting for the replacement equipment. At first, we were just going to eat the repair expense, but then learned that the entire system had to be replaced due to the needed refrigerant upgrade, which made it necessary to make an insurance claim in order to help cover the expense."
In a separate email to Todd Harrison, operations manager of Atronic Alarms.

Atronic Alarms would like to thank Charlie Brooks, Independent Electric, for sharing his experience.

Atronic Friends and Family Join Runners in Rivarly Run

On Saturday, August 20, eleven friends and family members of Atronic Alarms laced up their running shoes to join the 459 other participants who made up the 2011 Rivalry Run, a Kansas vs Missouri race with proceeds directly benefiting the Domestic Violence Protective Services Agency (DVPSA).

The 5k run began at 8:00 a.m. through a course beginning and ending on Grand Boulevard in front of the Sprint Center. Atronic Alarms was a platinum sponsor of the event and paid for all eleven entries to help support the cause.

The DVPSA is a not-for-profit group in Kansas City committed to provide additional physical security services, education and ongoing support to battered spouses and children in the area.

What is Enhanced Call Verification?

Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) is a procedure that the alarm industry developed after police and city officials across the United States considered going to the Verified Response monitoring policy. With Verified Response, police would respond to a burglary alarm only after a witness verified a crime or attempted crime has taken place. This procedure may lower the amount of false alarms but it would also significantly reduce the effectiveness of security systems.

With ECV (also referred to as Multiple Call Verification) the central monitoring station attempts to verify the burglary alarm before dispatching the police by calling a minimum of two separate telephone numbers. The first attempt is a verification call to the premises. If no responsible party is available, a second call is made to a cell phone or to an alternate number provided. (Since most false alarms occur arming or disarming the system it makes sense that someone is either on the premise or has recently left and (s)he should be available on a cell phone.) If there is still no one available to verify the alarm is false, the police will be called.

For any city and it's residents, false alarms are costly and time consuming as they place additional burden on police resources and take their time away from more serious situations. With the implementation of the ECV, false alarms have been reduced by as much as 50% according to studies conducted over the past decade. In fact, the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) endorsed ECV as a "proven and effective way to reduce unnecessary calls for service" during their membership meeting in June 2011 according to a July 15, 2011 press release.

The City of Leawood is currently the only ordinance in the Kansas City metro area that is requiring ECV for their residents but many of the other cities are moving toward this practice. As a false alarm reduction crusader, Atronic Alarms strongly suggests to all alarm users to set their emergency call lists up with the ECV in mind by providing at least two current phone numbers that would be called before the police are dispatched.

ECV applies only to burglary alarm signals and does not apply to fire, panic or hold-up. For more information on ECV or to review your emergency call list with Atronic Alarms, contact us at 913.362.0000.

Note: Atronic Alarms, Inc. boasts an industry low false alarm rate which led to receiving the Police Dispatch Quality Award (PDQ) in 2009, a National award honoring alarm companies dedicated to reducing false alarms.

Back-to-School Safety Tips for Children

It is that time again in the season where children return to school. There are so many safety concerns with kids and school these days it is difficult to know where to focus. Depending upon the age of your child, mapping out routes for walking, biking and preparing them for school bus etiquette will assist in preventing problem areas as they travel to and from school. Many schools now have e-alerts which can provide a key contact with updates and emergency information through email or text.

If your child is older, discussions on proper use of cell phones during school (know who is calling, what NOT to send people and why) and Internet protocol is usually the way to go. It may also be wise to remind your young drivers that smaller children will be walking to and from school so extra caution should be taken at the wheel.

If you work outside the home and want to be notified when your family begins to arrive home, there are certain security features that can be added to your home to provide you with video clips, email and/or Internet alerts. For example, you can be alerted when:

• The children come home for school
• The backyard gate is opened
• The garage door is opened
• Someone uses the pool
• Your gun safe or liquor cabinet is opened
• A car drives up your driveway
• Someone arms / disarms the security system

These are just a few ways a well designed security system can help you as you and your family begin the 2011-2012 school year.

Two-Way Voice Communication with Medical Alert Pendant

When you get older, the minutes between the time you fall down and the time you can get help are critical. The New England Journal of Medicine says that after a fall or other emergency, 90% of people who get help within one hour will continue independent living, but after 12 hours without help only 10% will continue living at home.

This year Atronic Alarms started offering the world’s smallest two-way voice speaker phone pendant communicator which allows clients to communicate directly to the central monitoring station.

Much like a walkie-talkie, if the pendant is activated, a person from Atronic’s monitoring station will be able to talk directly to the client to asses the situation. It is a perfect, stand alone system for aging loved ones who still need the independence of living in their own home but require extra monitoring in case of emergencies.

The two-way communicable pendent
and optional mounting unit
are small and water-resistant with long-range capabilities.

One of the differences between this system and other emergency response systems is the range required in order for the pendant to work effectively.

“The range from where the base is located to the actual device is almost twice as long as other medical emergency response systems,” says Todd Harrison, operations’ manager at Atronic Alarms. “It allows people to move freely throughout their house and even opens the possibility of going outside in their yard.”

The pendant and optional mounting unit are water-resistant. Additional monitoring charges apply. Contact Atronic Alarms, Inc. at 913.362.0000 for more information on this system.

How to Properly Arm Your System and Exit the Premises

Did you know that over 75 percent of all false alarms are a result of user error? According to the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), the most common errors occur when the alarm is being turned on. General guidelines to follow when arming your system to prevent false alarms are:

• Check the alarm keypad and verify that the system is ready to go. If the alarm is not ready, check all doors and windows to make sure they are secure until the alarm is ready to be turned on.
• Make certain that everyone who is leaving is ready to exit.
• Enter the arming code and have all people exit. Most Atronic Alarms systems are set to a 45-90 second exit delay, depending upon location of your keypad to your door. Make sure you know how long you have to leave the building.
• Close the exit door and lock it.
• Wait by the door to make certain that the alarm did not go off.
• If you must re-enter the premises, open the door and immediately turn off the alarm. Don't try to "outrun" the exit delay.
• When you are ready to exit repeat the steps above.
• If the alarm goes off do not leave until you have spoken to your alarm company. If they don't call you, contact them and have your username and password to properly cancel the police dispatch.

Remember, alarms are NOT considered false if you properly cancel dispatch.

Article Source: The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) "Tips for Alarm Users"

Monitor Your Security System Without a Phone Line

Most security systems use telephone based monitoring. However, security manufacturers and central monitoring stations have been slowly evolving their products and services to prepare for the digital and Internet age. Now there are several options available for alarm system monitoring if you are thinking about disconnecting your home phone line.

Global System for Mobile Communication Unit (GSM)

The GSM unit uses a dedicated wireless connection that is completely independent of other communication networks.

The Internet

Many of the newer alarm panels are equipped with Internet Protocol (IP) technology which will allow monitoring over the Internet. One of the benefits of Internet monitoring is the ability to view your activity online. Additional services offer interactive features like the ability to adjust your thermostats, switch lights on and off or view your home online with IP cameras.

For more information on alarm system monitoring without phone lines contact an Atronic Alarms sales associate at 913.362.0000.

When Basement Flooding is a Problem

If your home has a tendency to flood during spring or intense rains you will want to ask us about the "waterbug."

As the name suggests, the device is placed close to the sump pump or other areas prone to flooding and connects to you alarm panel. When the probes detect water, a signal is relayed over to the central station as a non-life threatening environmental alarm. Central station then notifies you about your water problem.

The "waterbug" has helped save many homeowners thousands of dollars in water damage. In some cases, insurance companies are offering discounts if this device is part of your alarm system.

Another piece of good news is that your monitoring with Atronic Alarms will NOT increase when you add this device.

Contact Atronic Alarms today to find out more about the "waterbug" at 913.362.0000 or visit our website.