CSAA On-line Operator Training Now Released; LA Council Support; Cersosimo; McDonald

Please thank our 2003 NAMTSE sponsors: Alert Alarm of Hawaii (Opening Reception's wine & beverages); Altronix Corp. (Happy Hour in the Exhibit Hall); Dice Corporation (Badge holder pouches); DMP (Partial sponsor of the Opening Reception's dinner); ( Digital Security Controls, Ltd.-DSC (May 17th continental breakfast); Fire-Lite Alarms (May 17th afternoon coffee break), GE Interlogix (May 18th continental breakfast); and TRG Associates (Entertainment during the opening reception-Margaritaville)

CORRECTION: Bob Dolph's affiliation was reported incorrectly in yesterday's NAMTSE Flash. It should have read "Security Sales & Integration Magazine."

The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) is pleased to announce the release of its Central Station On-Line Training Course.

A course that covers eight modules and tests, which will be administered by our on-line training management company, the CMOOR Group. After each successful completion of a module, the operator can continue to the next one. The modules are:

Upon the successful completion of all eight modules, central station operators will be given a certificate, which will designate them as "CSAA Certified Central Station Operators". Those companies with 100% of their operators trained through the on-line course will be designated as a "CSAA Five-Star-100% Certified Operator Trained Central Station" for that year. Names of those companies will be publicized on the CSAA website. Press releases will be sent to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO), and security industry trade press to showcase those central stations that have a 100% successful participation in the program.

The CSAA Operators Course empowers employees with the skills and understanding that are critical before taking a call. They are presented with policies and procedures for handling a wide variety of situations they will face as central station operators. Students are given the chance to test their knowledge at every level of content. Results are measured and tracked in a state-of-the-art learning management system, which includes a full transcript for employer evaluation.

On-line learning has other tangible benefits for the company as well. It reduces employee travel and minimizes downtime. In addition, operators can learn at their own pace in the office or at home. The eLearning format provides the ultimate flexibility for both the student and the company. Regardless of whether the operator is an apprentice or a veteran operator, this course will help all to be on the "same page".

The course may be purchased individually or for an entire group. A substantial discount is available for CSAA members. You may sign up for the course by:

going to the CSAA website at www.csaaul.org,
clicking on the "Central Station Operators Course" icon in the upper right-hand side of the Web page (see sample on right), and then clicking on the menu choice "Register HERE for CSAA Members (Discount Opportunity)" to get the promotional CSAA member discount code. You will need to enter the following access information when prompted: User Name: Password:

This course was funded in part by the Security Industry Association (SIA), and is hosted at the SecurityLearning Network Web site.

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously 11-0 on Tuesday, April 22 to accept the report of the Burglar Alarm Task Force. The City Council strongly urged the Los Angeles Police Commission to withdraw the LAPD verified response policy and implement the alarm response recommendations of the Task Force.

The move followed the unanimous support of the Public Safety and Neighborhood and Education Committees of the Council, and left the Police Commission and LAPD alone in their support of verified response. Verified response eliminates police response to calls for service from alarm activations until a person has confirmed a crime is in progress.

CSAA is pleased to announce the appointment of Russell (Russ) L. Cersosimo, President of Guardian Protection Services to serve on the CSAA Board of Directors.

He began his career in the security industry in 1972 as an installer. In 1975, he founded Guardian Protection Services as a one-man operation. Under his leadership, the company built itself entirely from internally generated sales. Today it employs 500 people, and is the 10th largest security firm and the largest privately held security company in the nation. In 1999, Security Distributing & Marketing (SDM) magazine recognized Guardian Protection Services with the highly esteemed "Dealer of the Year" award.

Russ Cersosimo and Mel Mahler at CSAA's 2002 Annual Meeting in Cancun

Cersosimo is also a past recipient of the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award sponsored by USA Today, NASDAQ and Ernst & Young.

"I can remember the exact day I met Russ, July 4, 1989," said CSAA President, Mel Mahler. "He gave me a tour of his company facilities and we became friends. He has built a very successful company almost entirely through internal growth, which is unusual in our industry. I believe that he is probably the brightest marketing person in the security industry," added Mahler.

For his part, Cersosimo indicated that he's "happy to serve on the CSAA Board. When I was asked by Mel to join the Board, I felt honored to be asked to work together with so many industry veterans. I'm looking forward to working with them to continue to improve the industry and the Association.”

CSAA is pleased to announce the return of John S. McDonald to CSAA. McDonald replaces Tara Flynn, as Director of Membership and Member Services. In addition, he is also the Associate Director of Meetings and Conventions.

John is well-known to the CSAA family, since he was its and NBFAA’s Director of Meetings Services from 1990-1996. Before returning to CSAA, he worked as the Director of Purchasing for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

John S. McDonald

“It is nice to be back and to hear from some of the members that I have worked with in the past. I look forward to renewing acquaintances and to recruiting many new members,” said McDonald.