Introducing the SSI Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Ron Walters | Director (retired), Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC)

Bio

• Born 1948 in Portsmouth, Va.
• Middle child to two sisters, father was a WWII U.S. Navy surgical nurse and Navy pharmacist, mother a homemaker
• Divorced with three daughters (one deceased) and a one son, with two granddaughters
• Completed three years at Miami Dade Junior College in criminal justice and municipal management
• Other honors include Miami Police Bronze Star for Valor (1975), Alarm Association of Florida Most Valuable Member (1990), False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) Member of the Year, SIAC William N. Moody Award (2014)
• Says if career had taken a different path would have stayed in law enforcement in some capacity; “law enforcement is a calling not a job”
• Other interests include woodworking and building furniture, especially from reclaimed lumber, and painting, watercolor landscapes in particular

Why He’s on the List

• A half-century of distinguished service and unique contributions to the mission of safety and security through a three-phased career in law enforcement, the alarm business and national trade groups
• From 1968-1979, worked for the Miami (Fla.) Police Department where he received numerous commendations and merits for exemplary service
• Served as president and CEO of Secure America, delivering alarm and security systems, services and monitoring to commercial and residential clients throughout the Miami area
• As regional coordinator of the Model States program, in 1996-1997 worked with 30+ Florida law enforcement agencies in a landmark study of false alarms
• Went on to become a field director for the Alarm Industry Research & Education Foundation (AIREF) and Coordinated Alarm Reduction Effort (CARE) and eventually became director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC)
• His 20+ years of industry alarm management advocacy and law enforcement relationship building was an invaluable asset to the profession
• His industry contributions spanned dealer training, writing educational material, authoring dozens of profound and issue-solving articles, addressing city councils and engaging law enforcement on onerous ordinance provisions

2 Decades as Alarm Industry Crusader

“In 1996, I got a call from [SSI Industry Hall of Famer] Stan Martin asking me to serve as Florida coordinator for the Model States study with its goal to identify the cause and cure of the false alarm issue. It was to be a one-year and during that process I wrote and passed two ordinances that achieved over 80% reductions in false dispatches. Little did I know this ‘one-year’ program would take up the next 20 years of my life. Model States became CARE, which became SIAC. In my role I traveled across the United States making hundreds of presentations to the wonderful people making up the alarm industry. But the biggest benefit of the job was the many friends I made.”

Beefing Up Burger Chain Security

“In 1979 as director of security for Wendy’s Corp., realizing more than 95% of theft is by employees, I developed a security process that ranged from properly handling cash deposits to inventory control. I trained area managers to ensure all procedures were strictly followed and held everyone accountable, resulting in the reduction of employee theft issues to less than 1%. I also advised National Cash Register [NCR] in developing the first computer-based cash register that worked beyond simple point-of-purchase machines. All store management cash deposits by shift were compared with inventory consumed, inventory received and labor costs. This showed the home office what profit levels were by shift, day, week and month.”

Finding a Way to Fill a Need

“Having formed what would become Secure America in 1982 as a commercial market specialist, in 1984 I formed a second company, Central Alarm Control, which was a UL-Listed monitoring center. My reason was because contract monitoring providers would not telephone-verify any alarm signal, and banks and jewelry customers were required to report and verify open and close signals. In short order many local installers came to us to monitor their systems, providing us a second income stream. It was about this time that monitored residential alarms took off.”

Bridging the AHJs Gap

“From the 1980s into the 1990s, I served over 10 years as an officer of the Alarm Association of Florida [AAF], holding every position on the board including president. Working closely with the state fire marshal’s office, we jointly created the Practical Fire Alarm Course, a three-day curriculum that covered the specification and design of fire alarms in all occupancies. What was unique about the course was that for every paid attendee from the industry, a scholarship was provided to local AHJs from the community. The course was highly successful, not only from an academic perspective but also in opening communication paths between the industry and the AHJs. I was given a special award by the state fire marshal, the only person outside their office to ever be so recognized.”

Continue to the next page for an interactive timeline of all SSI Hall of Fame inductees…

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