Amherst Alarm CEO Tim Creenan has committed a financial pledge to SIAC in support of our legal efforts to battle ordinances that threaten non-response and other factors, such as those adopted recently in Sandy Springs, Ga. We’ve known Tim for a long time as a friend and a highly respected security industry colleague. His unique pledge speaks volumes about his character and commitment to better alarm management practices in our industry. We can’t thank him enough for the contribution.
Creenan is a newly inducted member of the Security Sales & Integration (SSI) Industry Hall of Fame. He will donate 10 cents for each Amherst Alarm customer to SIAC, resulting in a substantial donation. The donation will be divided between the fund established to fight the Sandy Springs ordinance and funding for SIAC’s ongoing nationwide activities to promote a “Model Alarm Ordinance” that has dramatically decreased false alarms in communities nationwide.
“There is no question that cities such as Sandy Springs negatively impact our business and our customers with ordinances based on misinformation or animosity toward our industry. A small investment now will pay tremendous dividends if ordinances that fine alarm companies, impose outrageous fees for registration and false alarms, and generally discourage or punish people from protecting their lives and property go unchallenged,” Creenan told SSI recently.
Let’s not kid ourselves. There are individuals in the country who spend a considerable amount of their time trying to undermine our industry’s credibility and promote ordinances that either fine alarm companies or severely limit police response to alarms. Their misinformation campaigns can take root when there is no alternative voice to provide expertise on the issue.
Without a proactive program to engage the nation’s 18,000 public safety agencies these efforts will gain momentum, harm our relationship with customers and place excessive administrative and financial burdens on our businesses.
Creenan, who serves on the SIAC board as a representative of the Electronic Security Association (ESA), is urging other companies to make the same donation of 10 cents per customer. We deeply appreciate Tim taking these steps to further a cause that benefits all companies in our industry. If you’d like to set up a similar program, contact Stan Martin directly at stan@siacinc.org. If you’d like to make a direct donation to our collective cause, follow this link on our web site.
“I can’t think of any investment with a higher potential ROI than funding SIAC’s well-established track record for promoting the Model Alarm Ordinance and fighting back when our industry and those we serve are attacked. It is clearly a case of pay now or pay much more later,” Creenan told SSI.