By Michelle Evans, Operations Center Manager
Posted June 20, 2008

The most important thing our operators can do for each and every one of you is to devote 100 percent of their attention to monitoring your facility from the time you turn on your security system and leave until you return and turn it off. Even though we work diligently to minimize distractions, there remain a few items you can help with.

One of the more common signals we receive is what we call “disarm with alarm” or “arm with alarm”. This occurs when a customer enters their building through the wrong (non-delay) door, or exceeds the entry delay time allowed before disarming at the keypad. Or when a customer arms the system and then exits their building through the wrong (non-delay) door, or exceeds the exit delay time and causes an alarm upon leaving. Each time this happens, the operator must research the activity and verify that the alarm is indeed valid. Remember – our customer service representatives offer FREE security system training for employees and users as often as you may need.

Another situation is what we refer to as “late to arm” activity. This happens when systems are not armed by the scheduled time provided to our operators. In each case, the operator calls the location in an attempt to verify that the facility is still occupied. If no contact is made, the operator begins calling responders listed for the account to advise of the situation. This process continues until contact is made. You can help by insuring that your system is armed and calling us in advance to let us know if someone will be staying late.

A major, though not as common distraction can be radios or other machinery/equipment left on after arming. Since our systems are based on audio detection and what we hear, any unnecessary background noise detracts from our monitoring process. Then, of course, is the task of contacting someone to return to the building to turn off the cause of the noise. Please remember to turn unnecessary equipment or machinery off before arming your system.

The most serious situation we encounter occurs when someone enters a building to “quickly grab something I forgot” and leaves without disarming and rearming their system. Some customers are under the incorrect assumption that if they can quickly run in and back out, and as long as they are out of the building before the delay time expires (before the keypad stops beeping), that we will not receive an alarm and that they don’t need to disarm and rearm. This appears to the operator as a threatening, unauthorized entry, leaving them no choice but to dispatch the police or guard service. Not only is this expensive for our client, but it is an unnecessary use of police, guard service, and operator resources. Fortunately, this only happens occasionally. Please make sure all users understand the importance of disarming every time they enter an armed facility – even if it’s “only for a minute”.

Remember, we are happy to offer initial and recurrent training as often as you want – it’s all part of the Sonitrol Pacific Commitment to Service and free to you.

By Pamela Singleton, Director of Communications
Posted June 19, 2008

Arrests at a Sonitrol Pacific protected site happen all the time. Unlike typical burglar alarm companies, our audio sensors “hear” what’s going on and our operators verify signal activations.

What doesn’t happen all the time is for one of our operators/sound analysts to get activations from two different locations within minutes of each other, but this was the scenerio in the Operations Center June 18. The lovely and talented Jaime Maranville received an activation from one school June 18 at 12:42 a.m., verified the alarm and called police to respond, then received an activation from a second school, verified the alarm and called police to respond. Both dispatches resulted in the arrest of suspects.

Jaime is one of the experts monitoring accounts for Sonitrol Pacific clients in our Everett Operations Center. We keep our operator to account ratio in line to make certain we give every activation the attention it needs and deserves.

Great work Jaime!!

By Pamela Singleton
Posted June 17, 2008

Before joining the Sonitrol Pacific team, I had no idea police dogs play such a large role in the apprehension of suspects. Many of the Sonitrol Pacific assisted apprehensions include the efforts of one or more K9 units. These are incredibly well trained animals that faithfully perform a vital service to our communities.

We at Sonitrol Pacific were very sad to learn about Auburn Police Department Police Service Dog Ronin’s fatal chest infection.

According to the Auburn Police Department’s website, Ronin was only six years old when he died on June 6, but he had a great record of tracking down suspects.

“Ronin and his handler, Officer Dan O’Neil, have been in service as a K9 team since March 2005. The team actively worked up until the day of Ronin’s passing. During their service, Ronin was deployed on tracks 298 times. Of those tracks, 103 ended in suspect captures and 51 tracks resulted in recovery of evidence.”

Donations may be made in Ronin’s name to The City of Auburn’s K9 Fund at Auburn City Hall, 25 W. Main St., Auburn, WA 98001 or to Pet Haven 23646 Military Road, Kent, WA 98032. The City fund helps to purchase new police dogs and equipment such as bullet-resistant vests. The Pet Haven fund goes to the construction of a memorial for all police K9s.

By Barbara Hamlin, Director of Customer Service
Posted June 10, 2008

False alarms take police away from real emergencies. This embarrassing situation for you can endanger responding authorities and your whole community. Too many false alarms will eventually compromise your security.

What causes false alarms?

70% of false alarms are caused by user error. Be sure to train anyone who may be using your system, such as children, neighbors, janitors or real estate agents. Sonitrol Pacific offers free training as long as we monitor your system. Make sure special arrangements are made for guests or repair technicians.

Other causes include:

 Noise sources
 Open, unlocked or loose fitting doors and windows
 Drafts that move plants and curtains
 Wandering pets
 Banners/signs
 Helium filled balloons

Be sure to contact Sonitrol if you…

 Hire new employees
 Hire domestic or temporary help
 Get a pet (use occupied mode)
 Plan to sell your business/home
 Test your system
 Change remote panic batteries
 Have changes in phone service

What if my alarm goes off accidentally?

Determine if there really is a fire or an intruder.
Don’t panic. Remember your code.
If the alarm was accidental, go to your Sonitrol keypad and reset your system by pressing each number of your code. Press enter (#). After you have reset the system, call SONITROL PACIFIC to report the accidental activation, 800.898.1899. If your SONITROL system is tying up your phone line, wait several seconds and try again or use a neighbor’s phone. Don’t leave your facility or home until you’ve spoken with SONITROL PACIFIC personnel.

By Gordon DuCette, Portland Technician
Posted June 4, 2008

Last week on my way into work I stopped in at the Oregon City Pacific Pride. As I got out of my truck, an Oregon City Police Officer pulled in behind me.

I was at the card reader as he exited his car, I said good morning and he replied “Good Morning, I sure like your company” I replied that I did too.

He then said, “Whenever we get a call that is in response to one of your alarms we know that we are going to get us a bad guy.”

Hearing this very candid comment from this officer gave me a great sense of pride in the quality of work that we all do to assure that our company recieves this kind of respect.

By Carl Larson, Plant Operations Supervisor, Snoqualmie Valley School District
Posted June 3, 2008

Security in public schools is not an option in today’s environment. Just turn on the nightly news and you’ll hear about an incident involving school violence or vandalism. Public schools are one of the most vulnerable institutions, providing an excellent target for those seeking false notoriety. Previously, the main concern regarding school security was protecting property from vandals, but Columbine changed that. We can no longer sit on old ideas about how we provide security for our students, staff, and property.

The bright side of the security challenge is the amount of options available today compared to just a few years ago. Technology has changed the way we contemplate security. Long gone are the days when the requirement was to know when a breach occurred in a school; the need today is to guarantee real time eyes and ears with an instant connection to our local law enforcement.

The down side of the technological advances today is that so many options can cause the cost of the system to get out of hand. However, some will argue a price cannot be put on safety. Depending on the type of security system a district chooses, the expense is capable of stretching budgets to the limit. Budget constraints often drive the type of security system districts install.

Attaining proper funding can be challenging and requires a collaborative effort between facilities, school unit budgets, and community groups. Acquiring capital funds to purchase security systems is a proficient way to secure the financial support needed to establish a system that meets all requirements. Unfortunately, capital funds have restrictions and can only be used on new facilities and capital improvements. When planning an upcoming bond one may want to include security upgrades as capital improvements. Grants are another source of funding. Several different grants are available including Home Land Security. Investigating available grants could ensure large savings.

When in the planning stages, be sure to consider security and make sure all the departments and parties are fully involved. It is important the appropriate requirements are met and the chosen system provides protection of students, staff and property. Always include your Risk Management department to assure consideration of liabilities.

Sadly, sometimes it takes a regrettable incident to provoke community demands to install or upgrade security systems. When that happens price does not seem to be an issue and time is of the essence, often leading to misplaced priorities and over extending real security needs. Being proactive and having the proper system in place is always best. There never seems to be enough security in today’s world to ensure the safety of our students, staff and property, but being proactive and looking ahead to see what the needs will be is one way to help provide that security and safety.

By Pamela Singleton, Director of Communications
Posted June 2, 2008

We’re all trying to save gas these days. Consumer Reports’ June 2008 edition highlights the findings of their test of what works to improve fuel economy and what some of the myths are.

Consumer Reports’ tests show how to get the best gas mileage

The best way to burn less fuel is to buy a car that gets better gas mileage. But our tests with a Toyota Camry and other vehicles show there are ways to minimize what you spend at the pump with your current car.

Drive at a moderate speed. This is the biggest factor. You may have to be a little patient, but driving at 55 mph instead of 65 or 75 will save you money. When we increased the Camry’s highway cruising speed from 55 mph to 65, the car’s fuel economy dropped from 40 mpg to 35. Speeding up to 75 mph cost the car another 5 mpg. One reason is that aerodynamic drag increases exponentially the faster you drive; it simply takes more fuel to power the car through the air.

Read the full article.

By Pamela Singleton, Director of Communications
Posted May 29, 2008

Outdoor security presents unique challenges to business owners, facilities managers and security directors. Check out this article by Gary R. Cook, P.E., a registered professional engineer in the State of California, the owner of Security Design Sciences in Ventura, CA, and the publisher of Security Design Newsletter.

Parking Lot Security

Security for parking lots seems to be getting a lot of press lately. If you look at the statistics, roughly 80% of the criminal acts at shopping centers, strip malls and business offices occur in the parking lot. Lawyers make a good living off liability cases based on a lack of sufficient security measures or not taking “reasonable care” in the protection of employees and customers against criminal threats. The lawsuits often revolve around lack of sufficient lighting, surveillance and response. Once crime takes a foothold in an area it is difficult to break the trend, but there are some things you can do that can improve security, deter crime, reduce potential liability and make your customers feel safer. It’s interesting to note that where parking lot security has been implemented, customer use has actually increased because they feel safer. Increased customer use means increased profit which can be used to justify the increased cost related to any security improvements. Click here to access Mr. Cook’s full article.

By Pamela Singleton, Director of Communications
Posted May 29, 2008

Our people are one reason Sonitrol Pacific delivers the best electronic security backed by the best service and support in the Pacific Northwest. All the members of the Sonitrol Pacific team strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, police and sheriff’s departments, and the communities we serve every day.

We are growing and have opportunities in monitoring, operations, administration and sales. Visit our Careers page for details on specific job openings and branch locations.

By Pamela Singleton, Director of Communications
Posted May 28, 2008

Sonitrol Pacific is sponsoring and has teams in two American Cancer Society Relay for Life events this summer. The Portland Relay for Life is July 19-20 and the Sandy Relay for Life is July 26-27.

To raise funds for the American Cancer Society, we are holding a penny drive. Have any unwanted copper coins weighing you down? Give them to us. We’ll put them all to work in the fight against cancer.

Or, you can dontate directly at the Sonitrol Pacific Super Stars page.