How Night Shield Prevented Theft on a Residential Property in San Marino, CA

Security cameras and alarm systems allow you to monitor and check in on your property. However, these security measures are only effective in preventing crime if you actively review footage and respond to alerts in real-time. 

One San Marino resident discovered this when he returned home from visiting his children for Thanksgiving. After landing at LAX, he turned his phone back on and found a slew of messages and notifications from his security company and local law enforcement saying their house had been robbed. He returned home to find a burglar had broken in during their flight through a second-story door, ransacked their home, and stolen valuables and cherished items. Their alarm system was activated once the burglar moved into the main house, and while this notified his security company and law enforcement of the event in progress, there was no measure in place to prevent the break-in and theft.

Advanced methods of burglary and trespassing have been on the rise in San Marino and surrounding areas within the last couple of years. Local police believe this home was targeted by an organized burglary ring, like several other nearby properties.

After the break-in, the homeowner decided he needed to update his security measures. A friend of his recommended a live video monitoring solution that would allow for immediate response to potential threats or incidents. They invited the Post Alarm team to his property to discuss their services and learned that they were beta-testing Night Shield®, Post’s live video monitoring solution.

With Night Shield®, monitoring agents are immediately notified of suspicious activity flagged by cameras with advanced analytics. They’re then able to verify a crime in progress, intervening and notifying local law enforcement often before a break-in can occur. Post Alarm even has its own locally based central monitoring station, where they keep a watchful eye on their clients’ properties. 

“One of the advantages of our video solutions is that they’re just much more affordable than other services that are out there…because we do it all in-house,” says Rob Bado, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Post Alarm. “Virtually no one does their live monitoring in-house or through their own facility, and we do.”

The homeowner was interested in upgrading his alarm system and installing Night Shield®. Still, there was one challenge: He was traveling again for the holidays in just a few short weeks and wanted to get the security system up and running before he left. This wasn’t an issue for Post Alarm—the installation was prioritized and completed in just two days. 

“A significant portion of the installation was replacing the intrusion equipment, the alarm control panel, [and] the keypad,” Rob explains. “Most of the programming of those cameras is done remotely by our in-house technician, so it doesn’t greatly extend the time of the installation.”

With the installation complete, the homeowner and his family left for their holiday ski trip. While on the mountain, they received a call from Post Alarm: Someone, a potential intruder, was on their property while they were away. 

With the newly installed Night Shield® services, Post Alarm’s dispatchers saw this person from the central monitoring station. They observed them peering into the home’s windows and making their way around to the back of the property. Immediately, they activated the outdoor cameras’ lights, sending a warning to the potential intruder. The person left the property as soon as the lights came on. Break-in averted.

Relieved not to relive the nightmare of another home burglary, the homeowner said of Night Shield®, “It did its job; it protected us and did exactly what it was designed to do. The sense of comfort you have knowing someone is watching when you can’t is priceless. It’s so much better knowing you have technology on your side. On top of it, you have someone being alerted when the technology sees something, and that person can call the police instead of you being on vacation and watching your cameras.”

With Night Shield® in place, this San Marino family feels comfortable leaving home knowing their property is under watchful protection. “It definitely saved us from being robbed a second time.”

Shields Up With Post Alarm

A local, family-owned company, Post Alarm has protected people and neighborhoods across Southern California since 1956. Our proactive, layered approach to security keeps our clients’ homes and businesses protected, wherever they are. 

To learn more about Post Alarm’s Shield Services, contact us and get a free security quote.