Sounding Board

Security news you can use

Fall 2008

Oktoberfest

    Sound Security clients, employees and friends celebrated the company’s 30 year anniversary at an Open House September 25 at the Portland office.    

    Party attendees enjoyed an Oktoberfest themed menu, accordion music, door prizes and drawings.  Brad Farmer from Parr Lumber won a gift certificate from Rejuvenation Day Spa ; Tim Schilz from Landscape East and West won a gift certificate from Typhoon! restaurant; Rick Pass from Kanppa School District won a gift certificate from Columbia Sportswear ; and Bob Shroyer from Parr Lumber won a gift certificate from Saint Cupcake .    

    Many Sound Security clients entered the “Groovy 1978 Trivia” for the chance to win a iPod .  Denise Shaw from Sno Cope Federal Credit Union in Everett was the lucky winner.  Denise’s name was drawn from among all those who submitted correct answers to the trivia questions.

Groovy 1978 Trivia Answers
• Answers between 46 and 52 were accepted for the property crime rate (per 1000) in 1978.
• Answers in the $15,000 range were accepted for the median household income in 1978.
• Dallas defeated Denver, 27-10, in the 1978 Super Bowl.
• “Grease” was the highest grossing movie of 1978.
• Answers between .65 to .90 were accepted for the cost of a gallon of gas in 1978.
• The Sony Walkman was the name of the portable stereo introduced in 1978.

Sound Security's
"Believe It or Not"
October 6, 2008: A man somehow squeezed through the seven inches between the security bars covering a drive through window at a Portland Taco Time only to be heard by Sonitrol Pacific’s audio sensors and promptly arrested.

Police Soccer Tourney Visits NW
    Washington police officers hosted the 2008 North American Police Soccer Tournament in Seattle September 11-13 and Sonitrol Pacific was thrilled to provide sponsorship support and volunteers to help. 
    The event delivered three fun-filled days of great soccer for more than 600 police officers and firefighters from the U.S. and Canada.

Intrusion News: The security foundation
    Effective facility security is constructed in layers.  Like blocks, each new layer builds upon what was established by the previous layer and they all depend on the stability of the foundational layers in order to successfully protect a facility.
    To lay a strong security foundation, start with perimeter security, including lighting, landscaping, and well-fitting doors and windows.  Once the perimeter is secure, develop a plan for ongoing inspections to ensure it is maintained.  Your Sonitrol Pacific Security Consultant can help you with this.
    The logical compliment to perimeter security is audio intrusion detection.  Savvy criminals can evade traditional perimeter security and burglar alarms.  Impact activated audio sensors, monitored by experts in sound analysis, serve as the best line of defense for a break in, regardless of point of entry. 
    Once the foundation of perimeter security and intrusion detection is established, build on that with access control and/or monitored security cameras.  Both of these systems integrate seamlessly with our audio intrusion systems and offer facilities an even higher level of protection.
    To be most effective, facility security requires critical attention from multiple perspectives and needs to be constructed in layers.  The Sonitrol Pacific team is here to help you ensure each layer of protection is in place before adding the next security building block.

Accessing Access Control: More secure by design
    Managed access control systems deliver powerful security and management technology.  They create a record of who is coming and going in a facility, allow for control of  days and times employees can enter a building or specific areas within that building, and save businesses money by reducing shrinkage and unauthorized overtime.  Plus they’re wicked cool.
    Often, due to the coolness factor, many people get enthusiastic about access control without first giving attention to doors and locks on the building and rooms the system is meant to secure, creating the effect of putting a lock on a paper bag.
    In order to get the best return on your investment in an access control system, first inspect your doors, door frames and locks to make certain they are sound, fit securely, and hold firmly.  A Sonitrol Pacific expert can help you with this assessment.
    Once high security doors and locks are in place, you too can be wicked cool with managed access control.

Eye on SonaVision: Winter ready cameras
    Lens, light and resolution make up the trifecta of video surveillance.  These three key factors require regular attention in order to ensure a system continues to meet an organization’s surveillance needs. 
    As crisp fall evenings fade into dark winter nights cameras may face new lighting challenges and autumn is the perfect time to review the images captured by security cameras to make any needed adjustments.
    Check settings, timers, and ensure the lighting around your camera captures the images you need.  Give particular attention to outdoor lighting that can create a glare and distort or obliterate images. 
    Call your Sonitrol Pacific customer service representative today and let us help you with this system review.

Fire Watch: Got trouble?
    False fire alarm signals occur more than any of us would like and when they occur, knowing the cause is crucial.  Whether Sonitrol Pacific maintains your fire system or another vendor maintains a system Sonitrol Pacific monitors, the rules remain the same.

1. If you’re certain the fire alarm is false, silence the fire panel and promptly notify the monitoring center so that the fire dispatch may be cancelled. Confirm the cause has been eliminated and then reset the panel.
2. If you are uncertain the alarm is false, clear the premises until the Fire Department determines it’s safe to occupy the premises.

    If the fire alarm is false and you are uncertain of the cause, silence the fire panel, but DO NOT reset the panel. Notify your service company as soon as possible. If the panel is reset in the process of silencing the system, the service vendor may not be able to determine the cause of the false alarm. Remember to reset the panel once the system has been serviced. The fire panel will not be able to communicate new fire alarm signals to the monitoring center if it is not reset following any alarm episode.
    A fire panel trouble signal that does not restore to normal within a reasonable amount of time may mean your panel would not be able to communicate fire alarm signals. Most fire jurisdictions require monitoring centers to notify their fire marshal in the event of a “standing trouble signal”. Trouble is not a normal condition and should be addressed as soon as possible by your fire system service vendor.
    Contact your Sonitrol Pacific customer service representative with questions about your fire system.

Apprehension Round-up

Persons apprehended since August 1, 1978: 4,979

Persons apprehended 2008 year to date: 139

Persons apprehended in the 3rd Quarter of 2008: 47

Sonitrol National Apprehensions: 160,066

View our 2008 apprehension record or read stories about specific Sonitrol Pacific Apprehensions  

Employees of the Month

Cathy Fuller

Leslie Erickson

Michael Young

    Cathy Fuller, Operator; Leslie Erickson, Accounts Receivable Specialist; and Michael Young, Operator, were named the Sound Security Employees of the Month for June, July and August respectively.
    Cathy Fuller earned the June Employee of the Month award when the entire Portland technician team nominated her.  Time and again Cathy impressed the technicians with her willingness to help, her kindness and her genuine concern for clients’ needs.
    The Board of Directors named Leslie Erickson the July Employee of the Month to recognize her hard work and helpful attitude.  With the accounting department down a member four of the first seven months of 2008, Leslie took the ball and ran with it.  Thanks to her efforts, neither clients nor teammates experienced a decrease in the quality of service they received from Leslie or her department.
    Operator Michael Young has continually demonstrated his commitment to excellence and professionalism since joining the Sound Security team in 2005.  He’s impressed team members, Sound Security clients and the Board of Directors with the faithful execution of his duties, causing the Board to name him the August 2008 Employee of the Month.  Michael is a verification superstar and expert sound analyst.  He won the “Most Apprehensions” award in 2006 and 2007 and is racking up impressive numbers in 2008.

Irving Named Employee of the Quarter
    DeJa Irving was named Sound Security’s Employee of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2008.  The Board chose to give DeJa this honor to recognize her commitment to professional growth and development, the support she gives her team, the professional relationships she develops with clients, and for winning the Administrative/Customer Service category of the SNDA National Achievement Competition.
    DeJa regularly demonstrates a desire to learn and to put her new skills into action.  She provides content input for Customer Service training and her participation makes these sessions more effective.  She attends the optional consultant training and contributes valuable information from a fresh perspective to the benefit of all in attendance.   DeJa proactively seeks opportunities to grow and challenges herself to an ever higher standard of excellence.  Her SNDA award is proof of that.  
    With equal focus on clients and teammates, DeJa is always willing to take on whatever is asked of her and she never says “that’s not my job”.  She played a key role during the transition from one Puget Sound Schools Account Manager to another and the transition from one Seattle Customer Service Representative to another.

     All of this stems from DeJa’s commitment to clients and willingness to do what it takes to meet their needs.  DeJa’s clients love her for all she does and for who she is.  DeJa’s joyful spirit is infectious and she makes everyone laugh and her commitment to clients, team, and excellence challenges the entire team to be on a continual path of improvement.  The Board had to choose between DeJa, Minta Christopherson and Cathy Fuller for this honor.  DeJa is now eligible for the Employee of the Year award.