Fontana Response Policy Aired at CAA Summer Convention

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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — During the California Alarm Association (CAA) summer convention, held May 1-3 in Palm Springs, attendees received an update on the legal quagmire in Fontana where the police department unilaterally adopted verified response in 2007.

“The police department acted improperly,” Les Gold, a partner in the law firm Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp (MSK) and legal council to CAA, stated at the convention’s general assembly. The department should have sought the expertise and input of the alarm industry on how best to reduce false dispatches, Gold explained.

Now the industry just might get that chance. The Inland Empire Alarm Association (IEAA) proved victorious in a suit it had filed in San Bernardino Superior Court seeking a writ prohibiting the department from instituting the policy. The court’s May 8 decision directs Fontana police to comply with the city’s 1968 alarm ordinance, which requires a response to activated alarms.

Elsewhere on the convention’s agenda, the educational component featured an “IP Inside and Out” session presented by Steve Eisenstadt (Professional Sales Representatives), Marek Robinson (Honeywell Security Group) and Chris Garner (Optelecom-NFK). Harvey Eisenstadt provided the keynote address, “Selling Is a Science.” The industry veteran and SSI Hall of Famer gave a lively seminar that touched on the fundamentals for successful salesmanship.

As is customary, Alan Pepper, a partner with MSK, moderated the convention’s “Industry Incorrect” breakfast, which closed out the event. Attendees got to hear CAA President Jon Sargent, and board directors Mark Sepulveda and Rod Uffindell, describe what their association involvement has meant to them personally and professionally. Pepper used the personal accounts of his associates to segue into an appeal to other CAA members to assume greater responsibility in the association’s endeavors. In speaking to members who haven’t joined an association committee, Pepper said while time constraints keep many from participating, their involvement nevertheless is vital to the well-being of CAA.

“You get to influence where the industry goes,” he said. “You have more to give than you’ve given. Be more active instead of just a dues-paying member.”

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