January 20, 2012

 

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Video

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Ken,

The insurance industry is supporting Priority Response (the NICB trains 12,000 police officers annually) and the insurers are looking to subsidize video intrusion alarms for their policy holders. In essence, this is a resurrection of the Certificated Systems that were such a benefit to the alarm industry of the past.

James Schweitzer, COO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)

"Although we're not an insurance company, and our insurance companies each do business a different way and could speak more to exactly what the impact of priority response might be on an insurers rates, generally speaking from our perspective, the more that can be done to prevent theft, prevent property crime ultimately should result in the consumer, the commercial business seeing a reduction in their insurance rates. Because ultimately it is about loss experience. If there are fewer losses the hope is that you would see a lower rate. Getting a response to a potential crime and having that officer respond in a more timely fashion, common sense would tell you you're going to see more arrests and you're going to see fewer crimes."

This is the "So What?" for alarms and priority response that the industry has been looking for and the justification to install or upgrade to video intrusion alarms. The insurers care and they will help fund it.

This is tangible progress that is a milestone for our industry in terms of value.

Keith Jentoft, President

RSI Video Technologies

www.videofied.com

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ASAP/PSAP

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Ken

I have been in public safety telecommunications since the early seventies when 9 1 1 came about.

P S A P is a PUB:LIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT. This could be a complex police public safety dispatch center or a single police department in a small town where the police officer assigned to dispatch and keep track of 4 cruisers works.

As far as legislation concerning the electronic dispatch of alarms to a PSAP, this seems to be a knee jerk reaction to a non issue problem. I have heaard some definitions as the PSAP would be the primary recipient of digital communications from our customers.

THIS IS A STEP BACK 20 paces. The PSAPS have neither the time, budget or desire to do the hard work that our central station operators do every day to reduce false dispatches.

I am not saying that our PSAPS are not capable of doing the job, I am saying that they were not screened, hired or trained as central station operators.

As PSAP OPERATORS they have a full time job. They were trained to do this job well. We are talking about an added duty that is a full time job in itself. Legislation to make a private instruction a public agency responsibility is a mistake of government of epic proportion. ( And most PSAP operators that I have been acquainted with say " Let the alarm companies answer the alarms, screen and verify the calls. Tell us when it is real......)

So much for my two cents. I would gladly debate any municipal official that thinks they can make a profit and reduce workload on municipal employees by requiring that the PSAP answer all alarms as primary.

Joel Kent

FBN Security Co LLC

LT, WPD RET.