How many crimes have been averted as a direct result of the systems and services provided by the professional security industry? There is no way we will ever know the answer to how many, although we know through both scientific and anecdotal research that security systems absolutely do deter criminal activity.
Looked at another way, how many people have been apprehended by law enforcement either during or immediately following a verified crime? Thousands — and probably tens of thousands — each year. Not every security company keeps apprehension records, but the Sonitrol companies do. Kimberlite Corp., which operates 14 Sonitrol-verified electronic security franchises in California, recently reported that its central station in Fresno, Calif., assisted law enforcement with 1,081 apprehensions in 2014. (See story on page 48.) The company says it has assisted police with 8,576 apprehensions since 2000, which it believes is more than any other alarm monitoring station in the U.S.