Incident Response


Midnight Madness on the Metro

Even the most vigilant commuter can’t thwart an unprovoked, violent attack from a deranged person.

Westec Intelligent Surveillance Receives Growth Funding

Remote video monitoring company Westec Intelligent Surveillance announced this week an additional $20 million in equity funding.

Study: Residential Burglar Alarms Reduce Crime

A comprehensive study of five years of statistics by researchers at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) in Newark found that residential burglar alarm systems decrease crime. While other studies have concluded that most burglars avoid alarm systems, this is the first study to focus on alarm systems while scientifically ruling out other factors that could have impacted the crime rate.

Report: Monitoring Revenue Will Help Home Security Market During Recession

Monitoring revenues are still the financial bedrock of the U.S. security industry, constituting 75 percent of all revenue, according to Home Systems: Home Security Update, which reports monitoring will cushion this market during the recession.

Many Faces of Video

As global economies struggle, theft and crime tend to increase.

Have a Heart

It’s heart wrenching to put a beloved pet to sleep.

Monitronics Launches New Consumer Web Site

Monitronics recently announced the launch of its new customer-account interface, MyMonitronics, aimed at bolstering the company’s online service offerings.

ASIS Foundation Releases Report On Security For Tall Buildings

As tall buildings, including high-rises, become more common, the security and the safety of their occupants merit attention. According to a new Connecting Research in Security to Practice (CRISP) Report, tall buildings are exposed to all the normal security risks -- crime, disorder and emergencies -- that threaten any street-level or campus-style building.



CSAA Renews The Protection Bureau’s Five Diamond Certification

The Protection Bureau recently announced that The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) has renewed the company’s Five Diamond Certification.

Sonitrol Pacific Tacoma Named Company Of The Year By Local Sheriff’s Department

Tacoma/Pierce County Crime Stoppers in Washington state named Sonitrol Pacific Tacoma its Company of the Year in recognition of the company’s commitment to crime prevention during a dinner ceremony December 28.

Bottoms Up

The U.S. water supply is generally considered among the best and safest in the world. However, many water and security experts agree that it offers an attractive target for terrorists, and that threats could come from either contamination or from disruption of the distribution system.

Intelligent Integration

Modern security networks are a complex collection of thermal cameras, CCTV cameras, fence sensors, video management devices and myriad other technologies.

Alarm Transmission Thwarts Burglary Attempt

AES Corp. received confirmation recently that their AES-IntelliNet MultiNet long-range mesh alarm communications system foiled a jewel heist attempt in Hemet, Calif.

3VR Announces Integration With Digital Monitoring Products

3VR Security Inc. recently announced a new integration between the company’s intelligent video management platform and intrusion and access control solutions from Digital Monitoring Products (DMP).

Alarm.com Launches Remote Video Monitoring Solution

Alarm.com, a provider of wireless and Web-enabled security and monitoring technology for residential and light commercial customers, recently announced the launch of Alarm.com Video, its new remote video monitoring solution.

Connecticut Police Chiefs Association Adopts Alarm Ordinance

Recognizing the need to reduce requests for police response to baseless alarm activations, Glen Mowrey of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) appeared before the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) to discuss initiatives begun by several states to manage and reduce the number of false burglar alarm activations. CPCA then tasked their Private Security Committee to develop an overall approach to alarm management and to create the model ordinance.

Into the Ethernet

Over the past several years, much attention has been paid to the development and deployment of IP-based video surveillance systems. However, the rate of adoption has been slowed in part by the heavy bandwidth consumption of video streams and their resulting adverse impact on the network.

Natural Selection

Video surveillance over IP is the next step in the evolution of CCTV technology. It’s time to enter the era of networked video -- one in which video surveillance and, eventually, the entire security management system are going IP.

A Big Score

The city of Arlington, Texas, is sandwiched between Fort Worth and Dallas, where entertainment is stacked between historical sites and bustling industries, making it a popular destination. As the city grows and foot traffic increases, the Arlington Police Department is constantly looking to improve public safety.

Correction -- Stanley-HSM

In the September issue of Security Products magazine, the booth number for Stanley-HSM at ASIS 2008 was listed incorrectly in the Monitoring supplement. The correct both number is 3111. Security Products regrets the error.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities