Top Ten Ways to Prevent Shoplifting

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Shoplifting. It may seem like an innocent crime, but it’s costing retailers nearly 11 billion dollars in loss every year. Some of the most common items include clothing, books, music, jewelry, and pretty much anything you can fit in your pocket or purse.

A good video surveillance system can help identify and prosecute a suspect after a theft occurs — but, wouldn’t you like to stop it from happening altogether?

In this video, American Alarm Blogging Team’s Sunny Gault will give you the top 10 ways to help you prevent shoplifting.

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Business Security Trends for 2014

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

american-alarm-business-security-trendsThe business security system market will show strong growth in 2014, driven by access management and video, according to James Cook, sales manager for American Alarm.

The Boston Marathon bombings demonstrated the importance of video cameras, as we mention in a recent blog post. Investigators used video from a number of businesses in the Copley Square area to identify Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who are suspected of the bombings.

The need to manage access to buildings via video surveillance systems and alarm systems that include enhanced access control is being driven in large part by the school shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut as well as other schools across the country, Cook says.

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Top 5 Home and Business Security Posts of 2013

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

top5_american_alarmIt’s the end of the year and time for a look back at the Top 5 Home and Business Security Posts of 2013. This year we saw a focus on keeping homes and valuables safe in the most-read content from our blog. Each post below offers some great tips to add to your calendar as we start a new year. Here’s a look at our top five posts of 2012.

Number 5: Is a Dialer Delay in Your Home Putting You at Risk?

The all-in-one security system is attractive, but many systems include a four-minute notification delay to avoid false alarms. This post explores how thieves can rob you blind in four minutes and why you need to question your alarm company about such a delay.

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Video Surveillance System Trends for 2014

/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Camera Video Record in the evening.Video surveillance systems are quickly becoming key components of both business and home security strategies — a trend that will expand into 2014.

For business owners, incorporating IP video surveillance into your business security system can play multiple roles when it comes to protecting your company’s assets.

With a high-quality business video surveillance system, you can see what’s happening inside your store at any given time, and trained personnel can keep and eye out for potential shoplifters. If you catch a criminal, your video surveillance system can give you evidence you need to hand over to police.

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4 Tips to Protect Your Retail Business During the Holidays

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

4 Tips to Protect Your Retail Business During the HolidaysThe period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often the most profitable time of the year for retailers. Unfortunately, it’s also a profitable time for thieves as well.

Of course, you should always pay attention to your business security and thwarting shoplifters, but you need to be extra vigilant during the busiest time of the year.

To help you protect your retail business, we want to offer you four tips courtesy of the Business2Community website to help you protect your business against some of the most common holiday scams.

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Sun is Setting on 2G Cellular Security Systems

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

sun setting

It’s a fact: AT&T has called for 2G cellular networks to go away by Jan. 1, 2017. That means alarm companies must swap out security systems that use 2G networks to ensure the safety of their customers.

About three million cellular alarm system communicators currently use the 2G spectrum with about 80% to 90% of those provided by AT&T, according to Alarm System Report.

Many other service providers are also setting their own schedules so they can use the new bandwidth to increase capacity for 3G/4G services to handle the increased data use. Read more →

Video Surveillance Cameras Keep An Eye On Safer Schools

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

school video surveillanceSchool security is a subject that strikes close to home for millions of Americans. Each and every day parents send their children to school hoping their experience isn’t interrupted by the kind of violence or chaos that all too often makes national headlines. It is more than just keeping an eye out for potentially tragic situations; it also means keeping the educational environment and students safe from the perils of theft, accidents, and harassment.

A significant portion of the effort to keep kids safe at school involves keeping a watchful eye all of the activities that take place on campus. Security systems that monitor a school’s entry points, the perimeter of its grounds, classrooms and other shared spaces are crucial in helping law enforcement and other emergency personnel respond quickly to an incident. It also allows for less obvious threats, such as patterns of theft or vandalism, to be dealt with using a firm chain of evidence.

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AIREF Report Underscores Efficacy Of Burglar Alarm Systems

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

burglar alarm systemsWhat goes on inside the mind of a burglar? For many of us, the thought process of someone willing to break into our homes are a dark place that we would prefer to avoid dwelling on — but for those in the security and law enforcement sectors, understanding a burglar’s motivations are a key component of protecting individuals and businesses from being victimized. A recent report from the Alarm Industry Research & Educational Foundation (AIREF) sheds some light on why criminals chose specific locations to rob, what keeps them away from others, and the techniques that they employ while breaking the law.

One of the key findings of the study is one that shouldn’t surprise any home or business owner who has invested in a high quality alarm system: a full 83 percent of the roughly 400 incarcerated burglars made sure to check for the presence of a security system before they broke into a building. In fact, more than half elected to move on to a ‘softer’ target once they realized that they were dealing with an alarm, underscoring the deterrent power of this form of precaution. Even among those who discovered a location was protected by an alarm in the midst of their break-in, its presence was enough to cause 50 percent to immediately cease and desist their crime.

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How to Protect your Business from Scrap Metal Theft

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

One of the fastest growing crimes in the United States is scrap metal theft. Thieves looking for a fast buck are stealing copper, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel and scrap iron from any number of businesses.

Business Security: Prevent Scrap Metal TheftFor example, in February a Nashua, New Hampshire man was charged with stealing a scrap-metal bin containing 20,000 pounds of scrap metal from a recycling company, according to an article in the New Hampshire Union Leader — and police believe the alleged thief is also involved with the thefts of scrap metal bins from other locations.

Even more recently, police in Charlton, Mass. arrested two men they allege stole scrap metal from a railroad year, according to the Telegram & Gazette.

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Prepare Your Business for Natural Disasters

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Can your business survive a major fire or other natural disaster?

Business Security: Prepare Your Business for Natural Disasters

Unfortunately many companies never open for business again after a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood or other weather-related catastrophe shuts them down — but that doesn’t have to happen to your business.

The key is putting a disaster recovery plan in place – and reviewing it once a year – to protect your employees, customers, your physical assets and your investments.

Here are some tips to help you get started with keeping your business secure in a disaster situation:

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