Digital Monitoring Products’ newly appointed president and chief operating officer, William E. (“Bill”) Jackson, points to nuisance and false alarm dispatch concerns as some of the biggest challenges facing the security industry. Jackson, who assumed his new duties for the security equipment manufacturer on June 12, comes to DMP from Per Mar, a large Davenport, Iowa-based central station alarm company, where he also was president and COO.

“The central station is at the forefront of the nuisance and false alarm dispatch challenge,” Jackson wrote to SDM in response to interview questions. “The problem does not get easier with continued rapid consolidation, the subsequent assimilation of multiple monitoring technologies and the customer service challenges this dynamic creates. Excellent operator training becomes essential, as does the selection of open-platform products that are both reliable and intuitive. It is my belief that my background will result in products and a level of service that provide a real competitive advantage to our dealers.” Jackson also pointed to the need to contain and improve operating costs as other key challenges for security dealers.

In his new position, Jackson will be responsible for day-to-day management of DMP, which has a heavy focus on alarm monitoring and products that communicate over data networks. “We have been working toward this goal for some time now and the management team is excited about the great opportunities and possibilities,” said DMP owner Rick Britton in a prepared statement. “With Bill in this new position, I will be able to devote my time to key customer relations and product development and research.”

Referring to Jackson as a “true security industry leader,” Britton also said that Jackson’s “leadership skills, executive management experience and central station background make him the perfect fit to lead DMP into the future.”

In his comments to SDM, Jackson said he was attracted to DMP’s opportunities for growth and leveraging its network monitoring success in new markets. “I was impressed by the recent development of its two-way wireless line, which is going to help us make inroads into new markets,” Jackson said, adding that DMP’s biggest challenge will be maintaining its technical advantage. “It is a company that innovates, one that leads the way,” he said. “Our challenge is to design products that maintain and increase the value of central station monitoring and to provide services that add value to DMP’s relationships with dealers.”

Since 2003, Jackson has served on the board of directors of the Security Network of America (SNA). Previous senior executive positions include AMR Corporation and The Wackenhut Corporation.

At press time in early July, Per Mar had not yet appointed a replacement for Jackson.