Why Law Enforcement Leaders Value Conversations with the Security Industry Alarm Coalition
By Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC)
Major Allan Rutledge (Ret., CMPD) is a National Law Enforcement Liaison for the Eastern U.S. at the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). A retired Major with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina, Rutledge is a member of the Major City Chiefs Intelligence Commanders Group and the Police Executive Research Forum. He brings command-level credibility to SIAC’s mission of building trust between law enforcement and the alarm industry — work that has produced a Model Alarm Ordinance now used in roughly 1,000 jurisdictions and endorsed by both the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Sheriffs’ Association.
You spent your career in command at Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD before joining SIAC. How does that background help you build trust with police leaders across the country?
There has never been a more challenging time for law enforcement. Chiefs and their teams are dealing with fast-moving technology, political pressure from all sides of high-profile issues, staffing shortages, and demands that police address many of society’s most intractable problems without the resources to do so. Law enforcement leaders appreciate organizations like SIAC that understand those challenges, support their mission and bring real expertise to alarm management. A background in law enforcement, combined with personal relationships built over many years, is what makes that possible.
What’s the accomplishment you are the most proud of during your time as a Law Enforcement Liaison?
It’s the sheer reach of the relationships we’ve built. In any given year, I’m engaging with law enforcement at every level of national meetings with the IACP and the National Sheriffs’ Association, regional gatherings with the Major City Chiefs and Major County Sheriffs’ associations, and state and local meetings with organizations like state chiefs’ associations and individual departments. I’m proud of the state Alarm Management Committees we’ve helped stand up around the country, which bring police leadership and the alarm industry together to work through ordinance issues collaboratively rather than adversarially. That kind of sustained, multi-level engagement is what makes the Model Alarm Ordinance work in practice, not just on paper.
SIAC’s Model Alarm Ordinance is now in use in about 1,000 jurisdictions and has been endorsed by the IACP and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Why do you think it’s caught on so widely?
The Model Ordinance, developed in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association, provides a framework for continued police response which taxpayers value while significantly reducing unnecessary calls for service. It’s a win-win outcome, and that’s exactly why it has spread to roughly 1,000 jurisdictions nationwide.
After more than two decades, how would you describe the relationship between police departments and the alarm industry today?
The relationship is very positive. We now have a new generation of leaders who grew up with the Model Ordinance already in place, rather than the earlier era when it was still unproven. Today’s law enforcement leadership understands the value of technology when it’s properly applied to reducing crime, and they see electronic security as a key factor in doing so.
Why does an organization like SIAC still matter, and what would you tell a chief who hasn’t worked with SIAC yet?
There is always significant turnover in police leadership each year. Making sure current and future leaders have a trusted resource on alarm issues is invaluable both to law enforcement and to our industry’s ability to protect and serve the public.
