Additional Industry News
Dallas Considers Verified Response Policy
Police in Dallas are proposing to the city’s council that they no longer automatically respond to burglar alarms at homes and businesses unless they are verified. Under the plan by Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle, alarm companies would have to hire security guards to confirm alarms. Only after confirmation would police respond.
The Dallas City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance on Oct. 12. If approved, the move would make Dallas the largest North American city to institute a total verified alarm response policy.
North Texas Alarm Association (NTAA) President Chris Russell says that he and Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) Executive Director Stan Martin have had several meetings with Kunkle, but with little opposition seen from the council, he is pessimistic on the chances of avoiding verified response.
“I believe the police department is not wanting to listen to anything other than verified response and how it’s going to be implemented,” says Russell, of Dallas’ Amazon Alarm Systems Inc. “Our city leads the nation in crime. I don’t see how this is going to help with the police doing less.”
Report: Smart Cards, Convergence to Boost Access Control Market
A report from a European research firm with an eye on the North American access control market predicts $766.7 million in business by 2009 for physical access control manufacturers and installers.
IMS Research’s report says the trend toward smart cards and the convergence of physical and IT access will be huge drivers for the market. The report by the Wellingsborough, England, research firm predicts 22 percent of the readers shipped in North American will be contactless smart card readers within four years.
Panasonic Launches Technical Support Center
Combining several support functions under one roof, Panasonic Security Systems has opened its National Technical Support Center (NTSC) in Rockville, Md. The NTSC will provide technical support and service for the company’s consumer base and sales network.
The NTSC is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and can be reached at (800) 528-6747 or on the Web at www.panasonic.com/NTSC.
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