Highland Park (Texas) Adopts Automated Secure Alarm Protocol for Faster Emergency Response

The town, located near Dallas, is the first to implement the ASAP solution provided by Tyler Technologies for New World CAD systems.

HIGHLAND PARK, Texas – Located near Dallas, this affluent town became the 22nd public-safety answering point (PSAP) in the United States and the fifth PSAP in Texas to join the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program.

ASAP automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response.

Highland Park went live with Vector Security on April 19. Within hours, other alarm monitoring companies also went live with Highland Park, including Affiliated Monitoring, Central Security, Guardian Protection Services, MONI, Protection One, Rapid Response and Vivint, according to a Vector Security press release.

ASAP was created in partnership with The Monitoring Association (TMA, formerly CSAA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), with Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow co-chairing the steering committee. Vector Security became the first alarm company to use ASAP in the City of Richmond, Va., in 2012.


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The ASAP program is designed to eliminate telephone calls, mistakes and miscommunication between alarm monitoring companies and 911 PSAPs and has effectively reduced 911 processing time, enabling a faster response time by public safety.

“As a security provider, we actively seek ways to promote ASAP’s value to municipalities and public agencies, and help other alarm companies implement it for the greater good of the industry and the safety of our communities,” Petrow says.

The implementation at Highland Park represents another milestone for the ASAP program, with Tyler Technologies becoming the newest CAD provider to implement an ASAP interface solution. The solution is now offered for Tyler’s New World Enterprise CAD product line.

Former Highland Park Chief Chris Vinson, who passed away unexpectedly in 2015, was a proponent of law enforcement priority responses to verified alarms. Vinson met with New World Systems prior to its acquisition by Tyler Technologies to gain support for Highland Park’s becoming the first New World ASAP interface deployment site to facilitate the rapid delivery of alarm notifications from alarm monitoring companies without the use of a telephone call.


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“In an emergency, time is critical,” says Greg Sebastian, president of Tyler’s Public Safety Division. “With the ASAP program, call processing time is reduced, inaccuracies in alarm and location information are minimized, and 911 call takers stay available to answer emergency calls for service. We’re pleased the ASAP functionality in Tyler’s New World Enterprise CAD solution helps public safety personnel provide a rapid response to the residents of Highland Park.”

Highland Park’s deployment of the ASAP implementation is a tribute to Chief Vinson’s vision and passion in the pursuit of technology for the benefit of law enforcement and increased citizen satisfaction, says Bill Hobgood, nationally recognized ASAP program expert and a public safety IT project manager for the City of Richmond.

“Tyler Technologies made good on that promise and fulfilled Chief Vinson’s vision. The job is done in his honor. Congratulations to both Highland Park and Tyler Technologies,” Hobgood says.


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