SSI Industry Hall of Famer Stan Martin Earns a Curtain Call
Stan Martin is the third selection into the SSI Industry Hall of Fame Ring of Honor.
Stan Martin alongside the famed Sully Sullenberger, captain of US Airways Flight 1549, which made an emergency water landing on the Hudson River.
Our annual SSI Industry Hall of Fame Issue not only features this year’s inductees but the third selection into the Ring of Honor. The 2023 honoree is Stan Martin, who for 25 years was a lauded security professional before becoming the industry’s most prolific false alarms spokesperson as executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). I have long had the pleasure to know and collaborate with Martin, co-founding the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award program with him in 2006. Prior to that, in 2001 when he left ADI, we all thought he was retiring. Boy, were we wrong!
In February 2002, I wrote a tribute to him published in SSI. On this occasion of his new accolade, here is my original column, “My Favorite Martin Departs Security World.”
Sound the sirens; this is not a false alarm! It has been verified that Stan Martin — longtime crusader for the reduction of false alarms — is leaving the security industry. In response, I am dispatching this well-deserved tribute.
I recently spoke with Martin, who is retiring to pursue a ministry in Texas, about his career accomplishments and contributions to the security industry. “It’s been great through the years getting to know thousands of dealers and making so many good friends,” says the humble, easy-going Martin. “It’s been exciting to see the industry grow and change.”
One of the most widely recognized figures in the alarm industry and to law enforcement, Martin has spent the last several years serving as a liaison between the two in the most comprehensive efforts ever mounted to lessen false alarms and dispatches. He is responsible for organizing the successful “Model Cities” and “Model States” programs — joint projects between the alarm industry and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) that proved a concerted effort could dramatically reduce false alarms. Among the valuable findings was that 80% of false alarms are caused by 20% of users.
Under Martin’s guidance, those programs led to the Coordinated Alarm Reduction Effort (CARE), which continues to promote the effective and responsible use of alarm systems. Martin also served as chair for the Private Sector Liaison Committee (PSLC), an IACP false alarm subcommittee, and was active in the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF). A constant presence at major security industry exhibitions and conferences, he has addressed more than 1,000 police agencies.
“I believe we have seen a reduction in false alarms of at least 50% during the past few years,” says Martin. “Certainly, there has been a vast improvement in the relationships between law enforcement and the alarm industry. We have been trying to educate them with everything we have learned so they can become self-sustaining. It requires vigilance.”
Martin’s roots in security stretch back more than a quarter century. After working as an applications engineer, he founded a Texas-based alarm company that, during the ensuing 15 years, grew into a multimillion-dollar operation. He eventually sold the company to Chubb Security, but continued on as a manager before leaving to become executive director of the National Fire and Burglar Alarm Association (NBFAA).
Martin spent three years with NBFAA, dedicating much of that time to the Telecommunications Bill and the association’s Chartered States process. In 1994, he left to become vice president of industry relations for New York-based ADI, where he remained until September 2001. It was in that role that Martin tackled the false alarm problem.
“It was probably the best job in the industry because it gave me a lot of freedom to work with the national associations and law enforcement, and to put together the ADI Expo series,” he says. “Then, I became fully engaged in the false alarm issue. ADI is probably the best company I have ever worked for. It has always supported the industry and I know it will continue to do so, whether I am there or not.”
Although Martin has decided to answer a higher calling, he has not lost faith in the industry he loves and one that was so good to him. “It really has been a privilege and honor to work in the security industry,” he adds. “As a transition in 2002, I will be involved part-time in managing and working with the AIREF program.”
With Martin’s work nearly done, it’s up to the alarm industry and law enforcement to run with the torch he lit. Regardless of how far that torch is carried, the industry owes Martin and ADI a debt of gratitude.
Thank you, Stan, well done!
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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