Tyco Director Craig Sharman Honored at Public Policy Dinner

Craig Sharman, Director of Federal Government Relations at Tyco Fire & Safety, was presented with the Security Industry Association (SIA) Statesman Award at the organization’s annual Public Policy Dinner. The dinner, held at The Hamilton in Washington, DC is part of the SIA Government Summit -- the premier public policy conference in the security industry.

The SIA Statesman award is the highest award presented to a SIA volunteer who makes significant contributions toward the attainment of SIA’s government relations goals.

“Craig has worked tirelessly to help drive and coordinate SIA's lobbying activities among member companies with DC-based lobbying offices,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “He has offered sage advice on a number of public policy issues ranging from implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to issues related to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. His strong knowledge of grant program management issues has been particularly helpful to the organization.”

Sharman was heavily involved in a key legislative victory for the security industry: the passage of HR 5740, which President Obama signed into law in 2011. Introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), and backed by a coalition led by SIA, the legislation exempts electronic security companies from the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, which requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in “no-load” mode. EISA was written in such a way that it applied even to security and life safety devices – such as video surveillance, intrusion detection and access control systems – even though such equipment must always be in “active” mode.

Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) were also honored with the Legislator of the Year Award for their work on carbon monoxide legislation.

SIA Chairman Jay Hauhn presented outgoing Government Relations Chair John Stroia of the Will-Burt Company with a special award for his service to the industry. Hauhn also recognized SIA’s CEO Don Erickson, who was the association’s Director of Government Relations for six years, with a special award in recognition of his work on behalf of the industry.

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

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • 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.”