HSM Electronic Protection Services Receives First Line Of Defense Award

  • Apr 24, 2007

The air was electric as central station operators at HSM Electronic Protection Services worked tirelessly to help police apprehend three would-be thieves that had broken into a customer's store. Their persistence and dedication to the customer was what earned HSM the 2007 First Line of Defense Award which is presented annually by the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA).

The First Line of Defense event took place Sept. 8, 2006 at a Sports Authority store in Houston. Three suspects entered the premises after hours through a roof opening and tried to make off with merchandise.

The first burglar alarm, an interior motion alarm, was received at the HSM central station around 10:36 that evening. Within seconds, HSM dispatcher Toni Brask received the signal and immediately contacted the location. Upon receiving no answer she contacted the Houston police and then proceeded to make the appropriate customer notifications.

When the Houston police arrived at the location they could see no visible sign of a break-in and cleared the call as a false alarm.

"We continued to receive alarm signals in clearly defined patterns that suggested someone was walking around inside the store so we contacted the police and requested that they return to the location and take another look," said Steve Walker director of HSM's ProtectionNet Customer Service Centers in Plymouth, Minn. and Santa Ana, Calif.

At this time, the store manager called into the HSM central station and provided an update that he was in route to the store and would meet the police on location.

After the store manager arrived at the site several police units with more than a dozen officers showed up with a helicopter circling overhead. Three suspects were quickly apprehended. Police canine units were used to search and secure the area. All of the stolen merchandise was recovered.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 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.”

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.