ADT Salt Lake City, Utah
| Why Everywhere Needs Security |
| Nestled in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah and enjoying the beauty of all four seasons, Sandy seems to be a peaceful and quaint part of the country. Most citizens feel safe on the streets and in their homes, but there is still a need for proper security. For lulling oneself into a false sense of security can be a grave danger indeed. Who can forget the horrifying tale of Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year old girl who was kidnapped from her bedroom in 2002 and held captive for over nine months? Unfortunately, that was not the end of this type of crime. On November 6, 2014, a man who was already in the process of burglarizing a home, stumbled upon a 5-year old girl sleeping peacefully in her bed. He snatched her and carried her outside to do who knows what to her. The only thing that woke the parents was the criminal inadvertently making some noise while scaling the stairs to leave the home. While the man was eventually captured inside of a neighbor’s home that he also broke into, this begs the questions of “where were the security systems”? It seems highly unlikely that any of this would have occurred if there were professionally installed alarms and other security measures in place. It is clear that the entire neighborhood was likely ill-equipped for crimes of this caliber. Hopefully, the ease with which this lunatic broke into not one but two home within minutes of each other caused the residents enough alarm that they proceeded post-haste to remedy the security-less situation. In September of 2015, a mother made a frantic call to 911 to report that someone had broken into the home where her daughter was staying. The young teenager was sick and had stayed away from school this day. Unable to speak on the phone, the daughter had sent the mother several texts of a terrifying nature that alerted the mother to the situation at hand. Again, there was no active security system in place that was monitoring the home. While things in this case also did not end badly, they very well could have. What these two incidents have in common is the astonishing lack of any sort of formal security system that could be relied to help keep the family safe and the intruders out. The first case is chilling in the fact that the burglar was in the basement of the home for some time before being caught not even inside the home, but outside the home in mid-getaway. Neither of these crimes would be likely to occur had a system been in place to deter criminals. While smart-home technology is preferable, this is not always practical. At the very least an outside security camera should be in place and an alarm system that is capable of alerting the police department to any signs of potential trouble. While the violent crime rate is quite low for a city of its size, the property crime rate in Sandy is rather high, especially when compared to the rest of Utah. This further drives home the point that security systems are needed throughout the city, no matter what neighborhood a person or family takes residence in. Despite the seeming lack of alarm systems in the city’s residential parts, the local police department has some fine information on the website http://sandy.utah.gov/departments/police-department. Information not only pertains to crime prevention but also to how to prevent “false alarms” sent out by home security systems. In fact, the police actively encourages residents to apply for a permit for home security systems so that they may be properly monitored by law enforcement. They also are known to offer a wealth of strong community outreach programs to aid in reducing crime. The Sandy, Utah police department is located at: 10000 S Centennial Pkwy Ste 111 Sandy, Utah 84070 and can be reached at the following phone numbers: Phone: (801)568-7200 Non Emergency Police Dispatch: (801)799-3000 In addition to a strong police presence, there are several neighborhood watch programs throughout the area, including: Jordan Village Neighborhood Watch 8285 South 560 East Sandy, Utah, 84070 kkirtz@earthlink.net Alta-Falcon Hill-Hurst 1968 E. Falcon Hill Circle Sandy, Utah, 84092 abryant@sandy.utah.gov (this email address can be used to find out information on at least a dozen other neighborhood watch programs within the city of Sandy) When it comes time to have a professional company install a new security system in the home, there are over two dozen options for the prospective buyer. The top five listed (in no particular order) are: Sentinel Systems LLC 8147 S Boysenberry Dr Sandy, UT 84093 801-233-9233 Dixon Security 1744 Sego Lily Drive Sandy, UT 84092 801-758-0653 Ace Digital Security 8730 S 700 E Sandy, UT 84070 801-892-2318 Security Source 8415 South 700 West #34 Sandy, UT 84070 801-997-8435 Pro Security 8745 South 700 E, #7 Sandy, UT 84070 801-255-1003 While Sandy, UT is undeniably a beautiful city to live in and a great retreat for middle-class families that want to enjoy all that the area has to offer, it is quite obvious that one will need to procure the best security system that their budget will allow. This will allow them to sleep soundly and not have repeated episodes of crimes that have previously occurred. Do not let your family down by putting off what could be taken care of today. Their safety and peace of mind depend on it. |