Sonitrol Pacific’s audio verification technology was put to the test during our number four spot on the 2012 countdown–a burglary spree that stretched across three Tacoma area schools last April. With expert monitoring skills and fast police response, we passed with flying colors!

Operator Jessica Culver received an impact-activated audio alert from an elementary school at 2:10 a.m. and heard a loud crash followed by glass breaking and banging noises. Over the audio verification panel, Jessica also heard voices whispering to “hurry up!” Jessica immediately called police, who arrived within minutes but found only a broken window–the suspects had already fled.

At 2:56 a.m., Jessica received a series of audio activations from a second school in the area and quickly dispatched police. She again heard voices and banging noises, but all went quiet at 2:58 a.m. For the second time in a row, police were on the scene within minutes after the school security system was activated and located a broken window, but the intruders had disappeared.

At 3:32 a.m., the pattern began again at a third school. Jessica let police know that she had an activation at the school with what sounded like the same whispering voices. Police responded quickly, but the suspects evaded capture once more.

The suspects were clearly moving very rapidly from school to school. The city’s police force was on high alert to catch them when a patrol car spotted four people waking through a field towards another school. The four were detained and confessed to having broken into the three schools.

Police located and impounded the suspects’ car, which had been reported stolen and was filled with objects from the schools.

Thanks to Jessica’s expertise in monitoring audio security sensors and the fast response by police officers to verified alarms, school property was recovered, losses were kept to a minimum and the suspects were caught before breaking into a fourth school.

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