Don Young, president of the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response (PPVAR) was the keynote speaker at the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU), Illinois Chapter. The Illinois CPCU is the largest chapter in the world, with a strong membership base from State Farm, All State and several other major insurers based in Illinois. PHOTO COURTESY OF KEITH JENTOFT

Video verification is critical to the industry’s future — and determining the best way to utilize it and create best practices will involve all the different stakeholders, including security industry, law enforcement, the insurance industry and end users.

Alarm verification has evolved with approaches such as enhanced call verification (ECV) and audio verification technologies. Those types of verification remain significant, but over the last few years, video verification has risen at a rapid rate due do technological advancements, changing central station capabilities and falling prices as IP cameras now cost under $100, which were a key initial barrier to mass installation and usage.

“Video verification is advancing daily in cost, quality, and capability. Costs are falling, image quality is improving, and the alarm industry is quickly adapting automation capabilities to interpret video more effectively and make the information available to consumers real-time through hand-held devices and online portals,” says Steve Walker, Stanley Security Solutions, vice president, Customer Service, Plymouth, Minn.

The trend to cost-effective video verification has strong support from law enforcement and the insurance industry.

“Alarm verification is not a new idea, it is the natural outcome of these different forces and it is bringing these stakeholders together for constructive dialogue over a common purpose with a passion that is unprecedented,” says Donald Young, chief information officer, Protection 1, Chicago.

There are two groups tackling the development of video verification. The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) Internationalformed the CSAA Video Committee with two subcommittees — the Managed Services Subcommittee and the Enhanced Video Verification Subcommittee.  And a second industry group, Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response (PPVAR), was created with a strong emphasis on the public/private partnership to promote video verified alarm systems as a means to combat property crime and reduce insurance losses. PPVAR supports traditional police response to classic burglar alarms and priority response to video alarms that are verified by a certified central station — promoting the value of video to verify alarm activity.

“PPVAR seeks strong engagement from law enforcement, the insurance industry and the electronic security industry as it develops standards “to fairly represent all interests in the battle against property crime,” according to the group. It is very active in reaching out the law enforcement and insurance and promoting the benefits of video verification — proactively defining the future of video verification one meeting at a time.

On Monday, Don Young, president of the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response (PPVAR) was the keynote speaker at the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters (CPCU), Illinois Chapter.  The Illinois CPCU is the largest chapter in the world, with a strong membership base from State Farm, All State and several other major insurers based in Illinois.  As the presentation opened, the CPCU confirmed that shrinking law enforcement budgets have impacted loss control; underwriters viewed video alarms and priority response as an important development.

The theme of the presentation was “partnership” and Don Young’s message underscored how monitored video alarms and priority response deliver value to all the stakeholders in the battle against property crime.  Video verified alarms reduce response time, deliver more arrests and have now become affordable to mainstream commercial and residential consumers. Young stressed the importance of insurance discounts relative to the alarm systems installed by their policy holders; underwriters play an important role in this area.

This CPCU keynote invitation was the result of a PPVAR “insurance working group” held at State Farm headquarters where several PPVAR members including Don Young of Protection 1, Larry Folsom of i-View Now, Tom Connaughton of Intertek, Ed Bonifas of Alarm Detection Systems, Jacky Grimm of Diebold, and several others met with a team from State Farm to discuss video alarms, priority response and an updated certificate concept for small business and residential policy holders.

At the 2013 CSAA International annual meeting to be held in Quebec City in October this year, Young, and PPVAR vice president Walker are scheduled to meet with other CSAA members, and the current hopeful prediction at press time is the meeting may be an important step towards the groups merging and collectively working together.

UPDATE: On Oct. 14, the CSAA board of director voted to take initial steps to establish PPVAR as a standing committee within the association. The terms and structure of the group under CSAA are to be determined. Young will lead this effort for the PPVAR. 

Check the CSAA schedule to attend the presentation. Then open your November issue of SDM and read “Defining Video Verification’s Future” for an article diving in to video verification, its development, and the affect it will have on your business.