APB Security Systems

Is an alarm system enough?

Simply put, NO...However, the real answer is much more complex.

Without a doubt, burglars overwhelmingly will target an unalarmed home with some exceptions:

They want YOUR possessions. If they are aware that you have a coin, stamp, or gun collection, or they expect sufficient amounts of cash or jewelry to warrant the risk, they may try despite WHATEVER protection your home is equipped with. A targeted home is usually located in an upscale area and offers a burglar at least one obstructed entrance.

Recently on Flagg Place, Staten Island, a young man entered an occupied, well protected home at 1 a.m. by breaking a first level window (the home had 5 levels). The occupants were elsewhere in the home, and hadn't yet armed their alarm system for the night. Apparently, the husband heard a noise in the kitchen, confronted the burglar, and killed him during the ensuing struggle. An alarm system cannot protect a home, family, or business, unless it is armed.

In another recent case, a long-time customer and friend of mine experienced a "Hit and Run" burglary. The family has a beautiful home with the front door facing a wooded area. It appears that the intruder waited for them to leave, then, using his bodyweight, smashed in the front door, ran to the master bedroom and grabbed whatever he could within one or two minutes. The alarm sounded, the police and the owner were contacted but didn't arrive until several minutes after the criminal(s) fled. This is a very difficult crime to prevent. I recommend using an outdoor camera as deterrent and keeping valuable hidden in unusual places in order to buy time.

The burglar doesn't know that you have an alarm. At 1 a.m., he may be unable to notice that your windows and doors are protected. That's why we supply free decals and lawn signs ONLY for our customer's premises. For those who still insist on not arming the system while the family is home for the night, the decals and signs can be a deterrent. However, customers who don't use their alarms can be foolishly putting their families at risk...! don't depend simply on lawn signs and decals to protect my family.

You're being robbed. Robbery is a more severe crime than burglary because it involves larceny from a person by the use or threat of force. Several years ago, a friend of mine was approached by 3 men as he closed his business. They escorted him home and told him to properly disable the alarm. Once inside, they told him to surrender all his cash and jewelry, or, "When your wife and daughter get home an hour from now, what we do to them will make you regret not cooperating with us!"

Again, the alarm system is ineffective during this type of well-planned crime. Even a successful "duress" or panic signal to Central Station may not be helpful if the owner answers the door with a gun to his back. Those at risk for this type of crime usually give the impression of having large amounts of cash or jewelry on hand. Prevention of such a crime is very difficult, but identification of the robbers is much more likely with installation of hidden cameras with continuous recording capability.

Latchkey children...With school starting, the safety of "latchkey" children again becomes a concern for many families. A new control panel offered by Ademco will now page a parent each time their alarm is either armed or disarmed. This provides a silent method of knowing that your children have come home, turned off the alarm, and then reset the alarm system.

Elderly, ill, or physically weak family members may benefit from a simple system we've installed for some of our customers.. A voice activated intercom is installed so the person can communicate with anyone ringing the doorbell. If the visitor is someone the patient wishes to allow entry to, he/she only has to punch in a code on a portable (cordless) phone to release the door buzzer. This can be done from a bed, a wheelchair, or anywhere in the home. If a stranger is at the door, the patient can still communicate with the person through the intercom and the stranger will know that the home is not vacant and vulnerable to break-in.

CCTV technologycontinues to improve, making it affordable to view your home or office from almost anywhere...Consider the ability to watch your babysitter or children from the computer screen at your office. Would the ability to view an elderly parent or handicapped relative from your home be advantageous?? Costs range from $6,000 to $10,000, but the peace of mind may make it a worthwhile investment.

Insurance Discounts - Many of our customers haven't taken advantage of the huge discounts offered by most homeowners insurance carriers for having monitored burglary and smoke alarms. If you want to save money on your insurance, simply call us and we will send the required form to your insurance broker.

Testing Your Alarm - Your alarm may not be functioning properly and you will never know it unless you TEST IT!! Simply turning the alarm on and off is not a proper test.

If a window or door wire has shorted or a digital dialer is malfunctioning, this will only come to light if you perform a thorough system test. Make this the month that you test your system, or call us and we'll arrange for a thorough testing. Knowing your system is armed while you're sleeping is very comforting, but useless if an intruder enters undetected.

Yard Signs - As our name and reputation has grown throughout the community, so has the prestige and demand of displaying our attractive and practical lawn sign. Even during the night, when darkness inhibits a burglar's ability to see foil or a decal, our lawn sign makes it obvious that the home is protected by a respected alarm firm. As statistics indicate that deterrence remains a major factor in determining which home a burglar will target, our signs may protect you even if you forgot to set the alarm or there's a malfunction you are not aware of. For a free 12" octagon sign, simply call and we'll have a serviceman drop one off when he's in your area.

It's simply good business practice to keep in touch with customers. I wish I had the time to call each and every one of you to discuss your security concerns and offer advice. Unfortunately, time does not allow me this option.

Therefore, I encourage you to call me if you’re trying to solve a special security-related problem. Otherwise, I ask that you please consider this newsletter a personal call.

Articles from Steve Coppola, President of APB Security Systems

Why should I use APB?

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