SONITROL Celebrates 60 Years In Business

  • Mar 11, 2024

SONITROL, a provider of integrated business security solutions, has achieved a significant milestone by reaching 60 years in business. The company will commemorate its six decades of achievements over the coming months and to mark the occasion has joined the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) in order to work with the education community to better secure schools and create safer learning environments.

In 1963 Robert Baxter met Al Cronk in Anderson, Indiana. Baxter was an inventor who coined the name SONITROL by combining the words sound and control, while Cronk was a local police officer who also owned an alarm company. After discussing how they could help eliminate false alarms by using technology to listen-in and verify whether intruders were in a building, they founded SONITROL in 1964.

"Like many successful businesses, SONITROL was the result of a great idea that solved a problem," commented Julie Beach, the company’s vice president. "Not only did Baxter and Cronk pioneer impact-activated audio sensor technology, but they took it to market via a franchise and distribution network. In 1968 SONITROL sold its first franchise in Detroit, Michigan, and its first project was to provide a school security system."

SONITROL soon became the largest franchise-based security network in the United States and now has a network of 71 franchises and 43 corporate offices across North America. This network of expert dealers provides cutting edge integrated verified security solutions for intrusion, video, access control and fire, providing some of the fastest police response times, lowest false alarm rates and the best apprehension record – over 187,000 and counting – in the security industry.

Given its proud history of working within educational environments, SONITROL has chosen to mark its 60th anniversary by becoming a PASS Partner. Established in 2014, PASS is a non-profit group that brings together expertise from the education, public safety, and industry communities to support a coordinated approach to proven security practices specific to K-12 environments, while enabling school administrators and school boards to make informed decisions on security investments. As a Tier 4 PASS Partner, which is the highest level of corporate partnership, SONITROL joins a select group of organizations that share a commitment to supporting PASS's mission of providing resources, guidelines, and best practices to help create safer environments for

students, educators, and staff. As well as being able to use PASS branding, SONITROL’s employees will have PASS access, five full days of on-site training and the availability of all PASS webinars.

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome SONITROL," stated Chuck Wilson, Board Chairman and co-founder of PASS. "PASS continues to develop valuable resources, such as the PASS Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools, which serve as a cornerstone for proactive safety planning. SONITROL’s support enables us to further our efforts in promoting comprehensive approaches to school safety, encompassing everything from infrastructure enhancements to emergency preparedness. Together, PASS and SONITROL will work tirelessly to ensure that schools remain safe, nurturing environments where students can thrive."

SONITROL is getting set to celebrate its 60th anniversary at its annual SONITROL National Dealers Association (SNDA) Convention, which this year takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 14th-17th. Dealers, employees, and their families will gather to recognize the best in leadership, sales, marketing, administration, customer service, operations, human resources, and technical support throughout North America.

Attendees from the SONITROL dealer network will also be able to take part in product education sessions and there will also be an exhibit hall with a variety of vendors. There will also be a very special event at the famous Churchill Downs horse racing complex on Friday 15th to celebrate SONITROL’s 60th anniversary. An awards banquet will then be held on Saturday 16th, where various accolades will be presented to winners across the dealer network for their outstanding performance.

"2024 is a very special year for SONITROL and our 60th anniversary provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the company’s many achievements," concluded Julie Beach. "Given that Robert Baxter and Al Cronk built the early franchise network around providing impact-activated audio detection technology to schools, becoming a PASS Partner is particularly appropriate, and we are honored to contribute to the collective goal of safeguarding our nation's educational establishments. The SNDA Convention is a great opportunity to celebrate SONITROL’s past, present and future, and I look forward to welcoming members of our dealer network to Louisville."

Featured

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • 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.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • 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.