By Pamela Singleton, Sonitrol Pacific Director of Communications
Posted July 15, 2009

I wasn’t always the pillar of propriety I am today. Once, a very, very, very long time ago, I went on a mission with a few friends to break into our high school. We planned it for weeks. We researched the best way to get inside (shimmy up a drainpipe, then traipse along the roof to a small hatch) and investigated the janitorial staff’s schedule (to spring into action at shift change). Much to my amazement (after all, we were four giggly 16-year-olds), we were successful. Once inside, all we did was take pictures of ourselves to document our triumph, then we hightailed it out the same way we got in. I’m not even sure why we did it … although I think it had something to do with wanting to do something not expected of National Honor Society members and cheerleaders.

Turns out, my attempted rebellion was a rather pedestrian and predictable one. I learned this when I came to work for Sonitrol Pacific and was charged with writing “arrest alerts” following an apprehension incident at one of our protected facilities. In 2009 alone, 75 people have been arrested for trespassing, vandalizing or an attempted burglary of a school a due to our detections.

Most security systems rely on traditional motion sensors/door contacts … easily bested, even by giggly girls. Sonitrol Pacific’s security relies on an entirely different technology and we catch suspects all the time.

So, here’s a little tip from me to the wanna-be hooligans out there: if your school has Sonitrol Pacific security, settle for TPing the star quarterback’s house instead. Getting caught breaking into a school will leave a nasty blemish on your permanent record.