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MORE ON FINING ALARM COMPANIES AND ALARM VERIFICATION FROM OCTOBER 25, 2014 ARTICLE
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Ken
Jon Sargent and Mitch Cohen are both full of themselves. Jon lists just a few reasons the alarm company should be fined, but doesn't include a host of other reasons to fine the alarm company or dispatching agency. For example, Mistakes are made, police are often sent to the wrong address. Should the customer be fined even though their alarm never went off and the dispatch was made to their home by mistake?
Mitch states a "run" can be $50 in New York. With an average customer being fined once every three to four years, this works out to a little over $1 per month just like you said. I pay about 50 cents per customer per month.
Greg
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Ken -
Subject: Response to Jon Sargent & Mitch Cohen
90% of the lie, remains in the facts never brought to the discussion table. I think it is time to stop tip toeing around the facts and disclose all the facts, so we can bring about a better industry.
The alarm industry has been a prime example of how bad Government develops. In response to Jon Sargent's boasting, of how they bullied the City of Fontana into changing public policy, let me clarify that Fontana simply used money collected from fining alarm companies to pay off the legal fees for the association and then changed the wording from "fining the alarm company, for a false alarm," to "fining the alarm company, for dispatching on an unverified alarm." Different wording, same result.
Jon Sargent flew into Tucson, Az. to lobby for Tucson's existing false alarm ordinance. The Tucson alarm ordinance consists of both unconstitutional provisions and laws that conflict directly with Arizona State Statute. For instance, the Tucson ordinance requires Alarm Contractors and employees to be licensed by the City in direct conflict with A.R.S. 32-1101.01. Tucson's ordinance also requires alarm companies to provide a client's list to police on a monthly basis, to retain all information for 1 (ONE) year and provide that information to any member of the police department or the City within 72 hours of request, without a court order. This is in direct conflict with Article 2 Section 8 of the Arizona Constitution. The Tucson ordinance also removed alarm fines, so citizens could no longer have a day in court. This resulted in citizens either paying the assessment fee, or the citizen gets turned over to a collection agency. Due process has been removed.
Jon Sargent has currently been attending alarm stake holder's meetings at the Arizona Legislature. Along with COX and the Arizona Alarm Association, they have been lobbying for additional Board licensing of the Alarm industry. The Alarm industry, in Arizona, has always been under the Regulatory authority of the Registrar of Contractors, but Jon Sargent, Cox and the AzAA now want to add another Board requiring employee licensing, in a "Right to Work State," and dual licensing of Low Voltage Contractors, who install alarms.
I often hear people ask, "What happened to our country? How did our Government become so corrupt?" I can say that I have personally witnessed the corruption develop. Jon Sargent and these so called "alarm associations" have shown no regard for existing laws, the constitution, nor the best interest of the citizens. The selling of a police response, that does not benefit the client, is border line fraud by those selling it. I do not see Jon Sargent and the Arizona Alarm Association fighting to place pressure onto the police to either respond in a timely manner, or not charge for the response. I do not see Jon Sargent and the Association fighting for less regulations on the industry, or the rights of the citizens.
As far as Mitch Cohen's response, claiming guards in NY cost $50 per response, this is still far cheaper than a $200, 6 hours later, if at all, response from police. A $50 response, instead of a $25 response, would cost an additional $1 per month to those alarm companies who included it. I sent an FOIA Request, to the Tucson Police, in regards to alarm responses. Tucson Police failed to respond to almost 50% of the calls for a response they received. Tucson Police also charged $200 for responses in which the police didn't respond for over 6 hours. This provided no benefit to the client and was done as a means to collect $200 for the police department. This policy has left many citizens with broken windows and lost property as a result. The Police Response Business is protected against being sued by Government Immunity. A Private Response Company does not have this luxury, they would be sued for failing to perform.
The Alarm Industry has a decision to make. Does the Alarm Industry want to continue selling a gun with no bullets? Does the Alarm Industry want to continue dodging responsibility for false alarms and then place the burden upon the very clients they are being paid to protect? Does the industry want to be used as a resource for Cities and Police Departments to raise revenues, by means of running a lackluster guard response program?
Let's face it, Police Response Sucks! Police are usually late for responses, often fail to respond, and Police charge outrageous fees to respond. The only thing a Police Response provides is the ability to pass the buck onto the client and remove any liability, from private sector, for failing to respond. A response to an alarm is the main component of alarm monitoring. Any company selling a response, by solely police, is selling a lackluster response and the alarm company should be held liable for negligence, when selling a response service that they know does not result in any benefit to the client.
Thank You,
Roger D. Score, President
Arizona Alarm Dealers Association
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