The CANASA breakfast on Feb. 25 in Burlington, Ontario, featured a panel of experts on the topic of video-verified alarms from Videofied (RSI Video Technologies), Tyco, and Norelco safeCAM. Sergeant Carolyn Sweenie, the alarm coordinator from the Toronto Police Service, was there to interact with the panel members and provide feedback to the CANASA attendees. The room was full, with more than 40 dealers from the Golden Horseshoe area southwest of Toronto.

They discussed what verification is, how it works, common misconceptions, and why remote video monitoring is becoming so popular.

In opening presentations, Robert Harmon, representing Tyco, spoke of how there was a significant interest in video-verified commercial alarms and that the new Neo product line was intended to meet that need with PIR cameras that send 10 snapshots to the central station in the event of an alarm. Alex Savoie, of Noreclo safeCAM, spoke of the Paradox product line the company introduced in October to meet the growing need for video-verified alarms.  Keith Jentoft of Videofied outlined the value of video verification to both consumers and law enforcement — and how dealers can actually increase their RMR.

During the question-and-answer period, Sergeant Sweenie underscored how Toronto has already raised the priority for verified alarms. Sweenie also outlined some of the processes that they had introduced in the Toronto PSAP to collect and analyze the incoming alarm data. They have been steadily improving their ability to quantify the incoming alarm signals based upon technologies, verification, and arrest rates.  A key point, stressed Sweenie, was the verification processes used to confirm that the alarm was probable criminal activity instead of a false alarm or random activity.  Sergeant Sweenie applauded the efforts of CANASA to educate its members on the benefits and value of video-verified alarms to create stronger partnerships with law enforcement and build safer communities.

CANASA board member, Anna De Jager-Duplick of Lanvac stated, “This was a great meeting full of energy. It is exciting to see our members begin to understand the potential value video-verified alarms bring their company and our industry.”