Vector Security Inc. of Pittsburgh has captured the
inaugural Police Dispatch Quality Award (PDQ) for its
demonstrated commitment to and excellence in minimizing
false police dispatches. The award was announced jointly by
organizers the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC),
False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) and Security
Sales & Integration.

Vector was cited for implementing a comprehensive 12-step
plan that resulted in a reduction of annual dispatches per
account from 1.37 to .8. The program includes internal and
external training; counseling offenders; inspecting system
designs; enhanced call verification (ECV); user
introductory training periods; and new technology involving
control panels compliant with the Security Industry
Association (SIA) CP-01 standard.

Vector President John Murphy was thrilled about winning the
honor, and lauded his dedicated personnel for the
achievement.

“I’m delighted! It’s really a credit to the staff we have
here. Vector is a true team. Pat Killian (false alarm
program manager) has already won an award as the FARA alarm
person of the year and she has some people, such as Derrick
Jackson and Afornia Hawthorne, who do a great, great job,”
says Murphy. “Pam Petrow runs our central stations and this
success is also a result of how well she trains her
people.”

SIAC, FARA and SSI launched the PDQ program in 2005
to stem the false alarm problem by recognizing those
installing and monitoring companies that follow established
industry practices and partner with law enforcement to
achieve the highest quality in police dispatch requests.
The goal is to raise industry-wide awareness, motivate
alarm companies to be proactive and provide models that
work for others to follow.

“SIAC and FARA are very pleased with all of the applicants
for the inaugural PDQ Award. The submissions clearly show
that there are many alarm companies that take false alarms
seriously and make false alarm reduction a part of their
integral business plans,” says FARA President Norma
Beaubien of the Montgomery County (Md.) Police
Department. “It is our hope that others can and will learn
from the PDQ Award winners how they, too, can become part
of the solution.”

Vector has developed an integrated approach to alarm
management, which involves every facet of the company.
Sales, installation, service, monitoring and management all
bear responsibility for seeking and implementing solutions.
It all trickles down from the top, as Murphy has made the
false alarm issue a personal crusade.

“We track the 10 highest false alarm abusers each month and
also the 10 highest year to date. That makes 400 alarm
situations each month that I personally review with my
managers,” says Murphy. “It is an enormous investment we
make; we spend a lot of time doing it. I encourage other
companies to do the same thing.”

As PDQ winner, Vector – which has in excess of 150,000
residential and commercial customers throughout the Mid-
Atlantic states and also services 50 of North America’s
most well-known retailers – will be formally recognized
with a special plaque at the HREF=’http://www.thesammyawards.com’ TARGET=’_blank’>SAMMY
Awards gala April 4 at 4:30 p.m. at the Venetian Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas to kick off ISC West. A
representative from the company will receive a $1,000 check
from PDQ sponsor Honeywell to make the journey.

Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., was the PDQ runner-up
after notching a 17.6-percent decrease in false alarms and
a 42.3 percent cut in false dispatches. Overland, Kansas-
based Atronic Alarms was the other finalist, receiving
attention for creating a Quality Assurance Department whose
primary purpose is to address false alarms following each
installation.

“We are grateful to all those alarm companies that
submitted applications for the PDQ Award. Public safety
personnel across the United States are grateful for their
dedication and commitment to reducing false alarms, which
in turn increases officer safety and allows us to focus our
efforts on other crime prevention initiatives,” adds
Beaubien.

Be sure to see the May issue of SSI for a detailed
profile of Vector’s false dispatch program as well as
highlights of the other finalists’ schemes.

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