Vol. 14, No. 20 - November 14, 2008
440 Maple Avenue East, Suite 201, Vienna, VA
703-242-4670; Fax 703-242-4675

This issue of the CSAA Signals is brought to you by our sponsor:

Please visit http://www.security.honeywell.com/about_us/features/209564.html for more information.

Table of Contents

• "Red Flag" Enforcement Date Extended
• Attention: CSAA Five Diamond Full-Service Members
• A Stake in CSAA’s Future
• Seattle Police Department New Response Policies
• Reduce Electrical Safety-Related Incidents

FTC "Red Flag" Enforcement Date Extended to May 1, 2009
But Delaying Implementation Of Program May Not Relieve Financial Liability

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has suspended enforcement of the “Red Flag” Rules until May 1, 2009, to give creditors and financial institutions additional time to implement identity theft programs.

However, the enforcement delay may not relieve a business from financial liability to a customer whose identity is stolen and the business did not have a Red Flag program in place by Nov. 1. Also, certain rules governing the issuance of calling cards and the use of credit reports will apparently become effective Nov. 1 without an enforcement delay. 

Under the new rules, all businesses that maintain a creditor-debtor relationship with customers, including virtually all telecommunications carriers, must adopt written procedures designed to detect the relevant warning signs of identify theft, and implement an appropriate response. 

The Red Flag compliance program must be in place by Nov. 1, 2008.  But the FTC will not enforce the rules until May 1, 2009, meaning only that a business will not be subject to enforcement action by the FTC if it delays implementing the program until May 1.

For background on these rules, see the September 8, 2008 CSAA Signals at http://www.csaaintl.org/signals/csaa_signals_vol_14_no_15.htm.

For FTC information on these rules, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/alerts/alt050.shtm and ftc.gov/opa/2007/10/redflag.shtm.

Attention: CSAA Five Diamond Full-Service Members

If you are a full-service central station company, you are now eligible to participate in the CSAA Five Diamond Alarm Systems Certificate Program and issue CSAA Five Diamond certificates to your customers. Five Diamond contracting ("third-party") central station companies' certificates are under development.

Please remember to complete, sign, and return the Agreement form sent to you in your enrollment packet for participation in the program. CSAA must have the signed form prior to your enrollment. To download a copy of the form, please visit www.csaaintl.org/FiveDiamondCertificateTerms.pdf.

Please remember that only those persons previously identified by your company will receive the username and password information needed to purchase certificates. You may contact Grace Fanzo at 703-242-4670x 10 or gfanzo@csaaintl.org to add and/or delete authorized names.

A Stake in CSAA’s Future
...will put a steak in your future!

CSAA’s Member-Get-a-Member campaign is generating quite a buzz as we continue our Omaha Steaks membership campaign.

Remember, every time you sponsor a company to become a CSAA member, you will receive a gift certificate of $25.00 for any product from The Omaha Steak Company. This is a very fun way to introduce CSAA to someone you know.  Our continued growth helps CSAA with the growing demands of the security industry.

A big "thank you" to the following members who have already participated in the campaign:

 Please contact Becky Lane at membership@csaaintl.org or by calling 703-242-4670 x 18 for more information.

Seattle Police Department New Policies

CSAA recently received a request from the Seattle Police Department to distribute to our members the following information linked here.

The letter to the alarm industry includes new requisites for responding to alarms, including the need for a permit number/Unique Identifying Number (UIN), the requirement of using enhanced call verification (ECV), and others. The new policies will become effective on January 1, 2009.

Reduce Electrical Safety-Related Incidents

Participate in a free one-hour webinar hosted by Occupational Health & Safety magazine on November 19, 2008 at 2:00pm ET and you will be armed to reduce electrical safety related incidents in your organization.

You will learn how the enforcement of NFPA 70E 2004, the Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, protects electrical workers from injury when working on energized electrical equipment, employer and facility responsibilities for compliance, and the current OSHA enforcement of these standards. Plus, you’ll receive real life examples of electrical safety initiatives and best practices from the Department of Energy and the Electrical Safety Working Group (ESWG). You will also learn about unique electrical safety hazards specific to the R&D environment.

To participate in the seminar, visit www.1105info.com/t.do?id=1748558:2936189.