On August 31, some 300 teenagers allegedly broke into – and totally trashed – the upstate New York home owned by former New England Patriot Brian Holloway.
Holloway told NEWS10 ABC he was in Florida when he heard about the break-in from his son, who had seen notifications about the bash on social media.
Police called to the scene, said they found the yard full of cars and about 300 teens trying to run away. Investigators documented the damage, including broken windows, spray painted walls, and urine soaked carpets.
A break-in is right at the top of the list of homeowner’s worst nightmares. Imagine you arrive home from a vacation to find your home in utter chaos – your belongings strewn across the floors and your valuables missing. You’re scared and angry. You don’t feel safe in your home any longer – and maybe you never will feel that sense of security again.
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Home Fire System: Avoid Fall Fire Dangers
/2 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging TeamThis year daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3. So when you get ready to turn your clocks back an hour, remember to replace the batteries in your smoke detector — as well as your carbon monoxide detector. If you have a monitored fire alarm system make sure you call to have it tested at least once a year. American Alarm is one company that offers free annual wellness inspections to monitored residential customers for this purpose.
Here are a few less obvious steps you can take to reduce the risk of fire in your home.
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The Dangers of Cigarette Smoking at Home
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamThe woman — who was on oxygen — lived on the first floor and after firefighters knocked down the fire, they removed at least five oxygen canisters in danger of exploding. The Arlington woman was very lucky. Every year nearly 1,000 people die in home fires started by cigarettes, according to the U.S. Fire Administration — and one in four of the people killed in those types of home fires was not the smoker whose cigarettes caused the blaze.
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Did Ex-Patriot Fumble the Home Security Ball?
/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging TeamHolloway told NEWS10 ABC he was in Florida when he heard about the break-in from his son, who had seen notifications about the bash on social media.
Police called to the scene, said they found the yard full of cars and about 300 teens trying to run away. Investigators documented the damage, including broken windows, spray painted walls, and urine soaked carpets.
A break-in is right at the top of the list of homeowner’s worst nightmares. Imagine you arrive home from a vacation to find your home in utter chaos – your belongings strewn across the floors and your valuables missing. You’re scared and angry. You don’t feel safe in your home any longer – and maybe you never will feel that sense of security again.
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Personal Safety — Urban Legend or Truth?
/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging TeamConsider a recent report from the Today show about ‘sliders.’ This unlikely term has been applied to thieves who target women pumping gas into their cars. With the purse on the front seat, and their attention diverted to the act of fueling up, these women are victimized by individuals who emerge from a nearby parked car, stay low to the ground, and snatch the purse through either an open window or an unlocked door. Although it sounds incredible, police are warning women not to leave their purses unattended at gas stations unless all of their doors are locked and their windows are sealed.
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Homeowners: Beware of Unlicensed Security Companies
/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging TeamA recent letter from the Massachusetts Systems Contractors Association warns consumers about the dangers of hiring unlicensed companies to secure your home.
It said security companies in the state are required to be licensed by the State Board of Electrical Examiners and have a public safety license to protect you from people who may have a criminal background and to ensure their system effectively works in an emergency situation.
Watch our video below for this and important tips to consider when selecting your home security company:
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Sun is Setting on 2G Cellular Security Systems
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamIt’s a fact: AT&T has called for 2G cellular networks to go away by Jan. 1, 2017. That means alarm companies must swap out security systems that use 2G networks to ensure the safety of their customers.
About three million cellular alarm system communicators currently use the 2G spectrum with about 80% to 90% of those provided by AT&T, according to Alarm System Report.
Many other service providers are also setting their own schedules so they can use the new bandwidth to increase capacity for 3G/4G services to handle the increased data use. Read more →
Video Surveillance Cameras Keep An Eye On Safer Schools
/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging TeamA significant portion of the effort to keep kids safe at school involves keeping a watchful eye all of the activities that take place on campus. Security systems that monitor a school’s entry points, the perimeter of its grounds, classrooms and other shared spaces are crucial in helping law enforcement and other emergency personnel respond quickly to an incident. It also allows for less obvious threats, such as patterns of theft or vandalism, to be dealt with using a firm chain of evidence.
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Westborough Police Announce Check Cashing Scam
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamWestborough Police are reminding people to be vigilant when dealing with unusual financial transactions or offers in order to protect themselves from both financial and potential identity theft as well. Offers to transfer money into your bank account — a portion of which you get to keep — are almost always bids from criminals to gain access to your banking details in order to defraud you.
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AIREF Report Underscores Efficacy Of Burglar Alarm Systems
/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging TeamOne of the key findings of the study is one that shouldn’t surprise any home or business owner who has invested in a high quality alarm system: a full 83 percent of the roughly 400 incarcerated burglars made sure to check for the presence of a security system before they broke into a building. In fact, more than half elected to move on to a ‘softer’ target once they realized that they were dealing with an alarm, underscoring the deterrent power of this form of precaution. Even among those who discovered a location was protected by an alarm in the midst of their break-in, its presence was enough to cause 50 percent to immediately cease and desist their crime.
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Attleboro Police Warn Seniors of Telephone Scam
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamMuch of the focus when it comes to seniors and safety has to do with their health, such as preventing falls, or making it easy to access medical care in an emergency situation with a medical alert system. The financial health of the older population, however, is just as at risk, due to a new generation of scammers who target elders.
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