Det. Ellis,
I thought I would share with you my findings regarding following
up with the Guardian Protection company as a result of the complaints that
you have been receiving from citizens.
On June 10 after I spoke with you, I contacted the Guardian Company
and spoke to the Executive VP of Guardian Protection, Larry Wargo. I
advised Mr. Wargo of the complaints that Guardian is starting to receive from
the citizens of Milwaukee such as; high pressure sales and scare tactics,
misinforming citizens by stating that MPD will respond directly to their
alarms, making it difficult when citizens wish to cancel the contract,
and citizens being charged for fees that they were unaware of until
later, thereby ruining their credit.
Mr. Wargo told me that the Guardian Company is located in
Warrendale, PA and they do the alarm monitoring for Amp Security located in
Orem, Utah. Amp is Guardian's dealer in Milwaukee that sells and
installs alarm systems. Mr. Wargo informed me that Guardian works
closely with Amp as both companies are on the contract. He seemed
concerned and troubled that these complaints are coming in discrediting the
Guardian name as he stated that "Guardian has been in business for 60
years with a high standard of honesty and courtesy to all their
customers."
I checked the City Clerk License Division records and learned that
Amp is not currently licensed; however, per Joy in the clerk's office, they are
scheduled to be granted a license on June 15, 2010. This would explain why the
sales reps did not use the "Amp" name when canvassing the neighborhood.
Guardian Protection is currently a licensed monitoring company.
Mr. Wargo advised me that he would have someone from the Amp
Company call me as they are directly responsible for the sales and installs in
Milwaukee.
On June 11 Brandon Jacobs, the Business Director for Amp Security
contacted me. I advised him of the above complaints and of the
Milwaukee Police Departments Verified Response Policy requiring a Private First
Responder. He asked me about Amp's 2-way intercom voice type of alarm
system and if the police will respond to this type of alarm. I explained
to him the difference between a burglar alarm and an "incident". (See
above attachment for further explanation regarding this.)
Mr. Jacobs advised me that he does not work directly in sales or
licensing; however, he stated that he would be MPD's contact person
regarding Amp and he will send an e-mail to the sales manager
relaying Milwaukee's alarm policy information to the sales
staff. He put together the below e-mail to forward to Amp's
sales manager. (He forwarded it to me prior to sending it on to the Amp
sales manager to be sure the information was accurate.) Below is my
response to him and I included an informational attachment clarifying
Milwaukee's alarm policy. Hopefully this will "nip a potential problem in the
bud."
Feel free to give my name and phone number to citizens that may
approach you in the future with any questions or concerns regarding information
given to them from an alarm sales representative regarding Milwaukee's alarm
policies and / or procedures.
As we discussed on the phone, the next Private Alarm Task Force
meeting is on June 22, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall, Room 301b.
Hopefully you will be able to work it in your schedule. With your experience in
the Financial Crimes area of the police department especially as it relates to
your prior dealings with security companies, you may be able to provide
additional insight as we discuss possible regulation and licensing of Private
First Responders.
Thank you for making me aware of this issue.
Mr. Jacobs,
The language in the below
notice is correct and accurately addresses the citizen
complaints that we spoke of.
The only other suggestion if I may, would
be to include the idea that sales reps should ensure that the terms and
conditions of the contract are explained in detail, (especially when the elderly
are involved), as far as the fees that are required monthly, yearly, etc., and
the length of the contract.
Also, attached is a memo that further
clarifies Milwaukee's alarm policies. Hopefully, this memo along
with the notice to your area manager clarifies any areas of
uncertainty regarding the City of Milwaukee's Burglar Alarm policy.
If there should be any questions regarding
the Milwaukee information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your swift attention to this
matter.
Ann McCarthy
Police Alarm Operator
Milwaukee Police Department
Communications Division Alarm Office
414-935-7167 Phone
414-935-7612 Fax
amccar@milwaukee.gov
From: Brandon Jacobs
[mailto:brandon.jacobs@ampsecurity.com]
Sent: Mon 6/14/2010 11:09
AM
To: McCarthy, Ann
Subject: AMP Security
Policy
Dear Officer
McCarthy,
Please see below language that we will
send to our area manager, immediately upon your approval. Many thanks for your
cooperation and assistance in this matter.
Best regards,
Brandon Jacobs
For Immediate Attention: Milwaukee
Sales
Citizens of Milwaukee have in recent days
complained of tactics used by AMP/Guardian sales representatives, and as a
result Guardian and AMP Security have separately been notified of the
complaints by an officer in the Milwaukee Police Department.
Specifically, citizens have complained of
high pressure and scare tactics, targeting of the elderly, and assertions that
their alarms will be directly connected with the police, fire and emergency
services departments in Milwaukee.
As a reminder, AMP Security and Guardian
do not condone or tolerate the elderly being targeted. It is AMP's policy to
knock every home in each assigned area, regardless of the demographic. Also,
customers are always to be treated with respect both at their doors and in their
homes. Please ensure that you always do so. You are a guest on the property of
these potential customers, so when they have concerns or ask you to leave, you
must immediately respond to their wishes. Again, this is standard protocol, but
the company reminds you of it in light of the recent complaints.
Additionally, Milwaukee is a no-response
jurisdiction. This means that 1) none of AMP's and Guardian's systems are
directly linked to any city or county authorities and 2) after an alarm is
confirmed by the central monitoring station at Guardian, authorities will only
respond if a legitimate emergency is confirmed. For more on this policy, please
read the attached document from Officer McCarthy.
If you have any questions on this policy,
please ask your sales manager or call the corporate office in Orem, Utah.
AMP Security
Corporate Office
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information
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and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review,
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reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended
recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please immediately reply
to the sender by e-mail or telephone and delete the e-mail and any
attachments/material from your
computer(s).