Security Speaking with Jeff Zwirn

Security Sales & Integration hosts "Security Speaking," a weekly podcast featuring the industry’s leading business owners, operators, managers and subject matter experts discussing the trends, challenges, technologies and more affecting today’s electronic security professional. Scott Goldfine, Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration, sat down with Jeffrey Zwirn, president of IDS Research and Development, an alarm and security consultation, expert witness and training authority. Here, they discussed the legal implications alarm companies face as a result of installation, some of the most common errors installing and monitoring system, how owners/operators can elevate industry professionalism and more.

Click here to follow the link to listen to this podcast or to download.

This Woman Lost Her Life Due To The Carelessness Of An Alarm Company

A bloodthirsty man invaded a small-town Minnesota home in 2006 and took the lives of his former girlfriend and her companion. The murderer was able to accomplish the break-in and move through the house undetected. Fearing for her life for some time, the victim had recently purchased a customized security system worth several thousand dollars in hopes of gaining early detection of her stalker’s presence should he attempt a home invasion. The system included an inside siren, an outside siren, motion detection, panic alarm, two keypad sounders, an outside strobe light, perimeter system and more, all of which would activate at the same time, once the system detected an intruder.

Sadly, when the attacker did come for her, the system failed catastrophically. The nationally-based alarm company that set up her system was found to have recklessly breached its responsibilities by failing to design, install and test a system that was supposed to be customized for early detection of an intruder.

The investigation was led by forensic alarm industry expert and president of Teaneck, N.J.-based IDS Research and Development Inc., Jeffrey Zwirn. Zwirn determined the company recklessly breached its duties to its customer. While the alarm company did ultimately come to an out of court settlement years later for an undisclosed sum, thought to be many millions of dollars, those lives are lost due to some as simple as a faulty system.

 The carelessness of an alarm company cost this woman her life. Read more here to avoid a tragedy like this in your life.

Fraud Detection: Better methods are needed for purchasers of alarm accounts - Jeffrey Zwirn

How does an alarm company verify that the accounts it is purchasing were properly designed and installed? Traditionally purchasers have been relying on the seller's representations in the asset and purchase agreement of the transaction, financial records of the reported monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and sometimes a visit is performed to a small sampling of the seller's accounts.

Unfortunately, this may not be enough. To attempt to focus on the potential for fraud, new techniques need to be employed by buyers of alarm accounts because in some case sellers representations are not factually accurate and the results to the buyer can be disastrous.

Click Here to Read More on SecuritySystemsNews.com

Expert Witness: Jeffrey Zwirn

SERVICES OFFERED NATIONWIDE

A court qualified alarm & security expert & nationally recognized authority, Mr. Zwirn has provided expert witness, fraud investigation & consultation services across the country in hundreds of alarm related cases & claims. As a specialist, his trial experience & consultation services have included guidance & direction for both plaintiffs & defendants alike.

With over thirty-five years in the alarm and security industry, Mr. Zwirn has been actively involved in the development, recommendations, application, design, programming, installation, application, maintenance, testing, inspection and UL listed central station monitoring of thousands of burglar and fire alarm systems. This long term presence in the industry supports the proficiencies of the services offered by IDS Research & Development, Inc., and has brought Mr. Zwirn across the country, in thousands of alarm and security related cases and claims. 

Jeff Zwirn - The Case of State of Missouri Vs. George Revelle Case Study

Case Study: State of Missouri Vs. George Revelle

"Once Mr. Revelle's new trial was obtained I went about finding the nations preeminent burglar alarm expert. Jeffrey Zwirn was the first expert we retained on behalf of George Revelle. We built our defense around the work that Jeffrey Zwirn perfromed in our case. Mr. Zwirn spent the time investigating the Revelle home alarm system in a manner that the State of Missouri should have done to begin with. Mr. Zwirn ultimately concluded that the possibility of an intruder could not be excluded based on his investigation and findings of serious defects and irregularities with respect to the system and investigation.

I am pleased to report that Mr. Revelle was found not guilty..." Read more about Jeffrey Zwirn - The Case of State of Missouri Vs. George Revelle

Jeffrey Zwirn - Alarm Expert

Jeffrey Zwirn has been involved in the security survey, need analysis, system recommendations, sales, design, installation, programming, testing, inspection, service, maintenance, and monitoring of more than 3000 security and life safety systems.
http://alarmexpert.com