DEL.ICIO.USSecurity firms thrive amid uncertain economy, crime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, February 08, 2009
It has been the perfect formula to build homeowner fear.
Take some high-profile home invasions and killings, add digitally connected residents, throw in a stress-inducing economic meltdown and you have security businesses scurrying to keep up with demand.
ELISSA EUBANKS / eeubanks@ajc.com
Sales of trained Doberman pinschers and German shepherds are rising steadily at US K-9 Command Dogs in Atlanta as uneasy homeowners react to reports of violent crimes.
Stories of criminal mayhem have spooked homeowners from Atlanta to Alpharetta to McDonough, causing them to batten down homes and possessions with fortified doors, barred windows, safes and fierce dogs.
These days, gatherings that resemble Tupperware parties are used to sell Tasers, stun guns and pepper spray.
“With the economy getting worse, my business is getting better,” said Collise Jackson, an office manager from Conyers who throws such a party each week. “You hear the news and you’re frightened — especially if you’re a woman.”
She said $12 pepper spray and $80 stun guns are hot. The $300 Tasers are harder sells, with the economy.
Burton Kolker has been in the security business 37 years. “I’ve never seen [public concern about crime] as bad as it is now,” he said. “I think it’s exacerbated by the economy.”
He rattled off home invasions last month in Roswell and Johns Creek where victims were tied up and terrorized. Incidents like those resonate, especially in areas where crimes like those have not been commonplace.
Kolker, who owns Sandy Springs Locksmiths, started a home alarm company that was later purchased by Atlanta-based Ackerman Security.
Alarm sales have dropped because fewer homes are being sold, industry analysts say. But security companies have seized on public unease to keep customers on monthly monitoring contracts and to recruit homeowners who have been on the fence about buying.
Many people want more than an alarm, Kolker said.
In recent months, Kolker has built three “safe rooms” — fortified interior doors where a homeowner can flee during a break-in. “It’s like safes for the person,” said Kolker, who has also been selling several $999, 400-pound home safes.
“It doesn’t make people feel safe the banks are failing,” he said. “People are concerned about their stuff in security boxes.”
Those worries may not be housed in reality, but that doesn’t matter. Perception is reality.
Crime has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s. Atlanta averaged about 250 murders a year when Kolker got into the business in the early 1970s. The past three years? It’s less than half that.
But crime has begun to tick up and publicized crimes, such as the killing of Grant Park bar worker John Henderson last month, can scare the public. That crime united the community to pressure police to increase patrols. Much of that movement was organized on a Facebook page.
Kolker asks why customers are doing business with him and increasingly they say they have been alerted about crimes via computer.
“In the world we live in with e-mail lists, it’s people who know of a crime but are not necessarily a victim,” he said. “They are a victim by association.”
Security door proprietor Drew Matteson sees more walk-ins telling of a neighbor who has been burglarized. The proprietor of Ornamental Security in Lake City said business has bloomed because of increasing crime in surrounding Clayton County.
“People are just kicking in front doors,” he said. “Break-ins have increased so drastically.”
Matteson has been in business 30 years, “the last four years have been the busiest. So many people are out of work it’s scary.”
Those in the security business know fear is a motivator, that protecting one’s family is perhaps the paramount human emotion. Matteson’s Web site has a photo of a smiling family with red lettering saying “STOP INTRUDERS.” A cartoon masked burglar continually darts across the scene.
Brinks Home Security has shown several ads playing on a fear of intruders smashing into homes that are occupied by lone women. In the ads, the alarm scares away the bad guy and the frightened damsel gets a reassuring call from an alarm company employee monitoring the situation.
Tricia Parks, whose Dallas-based company monitors and researches digital living, said sales of home alarms have actually dropped since 2007.
Security firms now must keep revenue flowing by peddling new safety features — such as fire alarms or energy programming — and by keeping customers on monitoring services. With business flat, fear can be a good seller.
Jim Salva, who has been in the guard dog business 42 years, chuckled when asked about the Brinks ad.
“If you had a dog in the house, it’d be at the door sounding off,” he said. “The dog is there with the girl like a bodyguard.”
Salva runs US K-9 Command Dogs in East Point. He trains dogs and sells trained dogs. Business is picking up, he said.
“When things get bad, a lot more people will go with dogs; they’re fail-safe,” said Salva, whose firm runs a newspaper ad saying, “Don’t live in fear! Stop Muggers, robbers and rape.” The ad displays a husky German shepherd. “People are looking for an alternative to fear. We’re selling peace of mind.”
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