Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA), said a new Schaumburg law would be tantamount to the government confiscating customers from private alarm companies.
According to the new law, any new alarm installation for commercial fire in Schaumburg must be monitored by Northwest Central Dispatch, which is the 911 center for 10 nearby communities. As any commercial fire contract comes due, Lehan explained, they must then have the system monitored by Northwest Central Dispatch. “In many cases, that is going to require buying a new radio and having that installed. So you could have a perfectly operating alarm system, and you are going to have to take your existing radio off the wall and slap in a brand new radio from another entity.”