These Security Devices Might Even Cure Paranoia : Peace of Mind--for a Price

Are you in the market for a door with nine dead bolts and hack-proof prison bars? How about a security gate that’s designed to close on any hostile pursuers?

Or a driveway sensor that sounds an alarm and switches on blinding floodlights if an intruder tries to sneak up while you’re relaxing one evening out in the pool or jacuzzi?

For the right amount of money--and it can run into the tens of thousands of dollars--these security devices and many more being displayed this week at the Anaheim Convention Center are available, and they are sophisticated enough to pacify even the worst cases of paranoia.

The state-of-the-art security and alarm equipment is being exhibited at the convention center as part of the 22nd annual International Security Conference and Exposition West. The three-day conference, which ends today, has drawn 250 exhibitors, mostly from the West.

Within the civilized confines of the convention arena, the exhibitors cited dark figures of rising crime and public paranoia to demonstrate what they insist is a growing need for home and business protection. According to the National Burglar and Alarm Foundation, Americans are spending more than $5 billion annually on alarm systems and services and the figure is rising.

“No city, or suburb or neighborhood is absolutely safe,” intoned a videotape at one exhibitor’s booth.

Devices that could have jumped right out of the screen of a James Bond movie are presented as the answer.

A Redwood City company called Unity Systems displayed a computerized security system that a homeowner can activate by touching a video screen. A layout of the home or business is depicted on the video screen, and rooms can be labeled “authorized” or “unauthorized” at the touch of a finger, said company president Tom Riley.

With this “Home Manager” system, the homeowner can assign separate pass codes for cleaning, repair or delivery people, and can also limit their access to specific times, days and areas, Riley said.

The plumber, for example, can be permitted entry to the kitchen but not to the living room, he said. If he tried to enter an unauthorized area, electronic sensors flash an alarm which summons police or private security guards.

Riley said lights and music can also be set to random schedules during vacations to give the appearance of activity, and the porch light can automatically switch on if someone approaches the front door after dark. If the homeowner forgets to turn on the system before leaving, he or she can activate it remotely by using a touch-tone telephone.

The “Home Manager” is not for everybody, though. With a price tag of between $5,000 and $15,000, Riley said the system is marketed almost exclusively to an upper middle-class clientele.

Another device catering to an upscale market is a guard gate sold by Elite Access Systems of Orange. For a mere $20,000, the swinging metal gate can be programmed to close immediately after allowing the first vehicle to drive through. If a second vehicle tries to follow, the gate will strike it and activate an alarm, said company Vice President Alex Parsadayan .

A more affordable screening device is a driveway sensor called CarTell offered by Preferred Security Components of Pennsylvania. With this system, which retails for between $700 and $1,500, an alarm is activated and, at night, floodlights switch on whenever someone drives up, said company President David Bohannon.

Although the price is more in the working person’s range, Bohannon said the sensor is designed to work only on driveways of at least 100 feet, a bit longer than that in typical tract-style residences.

Vault Lock Systems of Redondo Beach offers a door which can withstand almost any attack. It costs $233 and is equipped with nine dead bolts--five on the side and two each on the top and bottom--and double-reinforced steel prison bars which salesman Bill Gray promises can withstand the force of a hacksaw.

“Even if they take the hinge pins out, the dead bolts on top and bottom keep the door from being taken out,” Gray said with assurance, noting that added protection is available through his company’s dead bolt-equipped sliding-glass windows.

If valuables are at stake, and an intruder somehow makes it past all the dead bolts, driveway sensors, swinging guard gates and computerized alarm systems, yet another layer of security is available through specially protected safes.

Using a seismic detector produced by Arrowhead Technologies of Massachusetts, the slightest attempt to break into the safe by drilling, hammering or burning will set off alarms into the nearest police or guard station, said product salesman Tommy Blankenship.

Although hammering and burning sets off most typically safe alarms, Blankenship said, drilling does not. Arrowhead claims that besides being used in homes, its seismic detectors are popular in Pentagon circles. It retails for around $400.

Many of the security systems on display targeted business owners. For that market, exhibitors had closed-circuit television, infra-red floodlights, access control, and security wiring. Other devices address the problem of false alarms.

“Shake hands with the ‘Shatterbox,’ ” a bass-voiced salesman said in touting one such product via a videotape presentation.

One product on display addressed the problem of a single security guard trying to monitor a panel of, say, six closed-circuit television screens. The product, a video sensor produced by American Security Equipment Co. of Carson, enables the guard to place an electronic marker over the portion of the camera he wants watched.

If there is any movement past that marker, which may be directed over a door or a safe, the video sensor activates an alarm and the guard’s attention can be quickly directed to the source of intrusion, said Marvin Plummer, director of sales and marketing for the equipment company. This system lists for about $12,000.

If all these products sound like they cost a lot of money, security industry representatives insist that no amount is too much when it comes to safeguarding one’s life and property.

“The world today is a dangerous place,” Security Systems & Design of Van Nuys says in a press handout. “From common crime to counter-terrorism, this country’s citizens are crying out for safety and security.”

LATEST SECURITY DEVICES

Looking for state-of-the-art security equipment? Here is a list of some of the latest devices.

The Home Manager--Sold by Unity Systems of Redwood City, Calif., this is a computerized security system which is activated by touching a master video screen. Cost: $5,000 to $15,000.

The CarTell outdoor vehicle detector--Manufactured by Preferred Security Components of Landisville, Pa., this device is a driveway sensor which activates an alarm and, at night, switches on floodlights whenever someone drives up. Cost: $700 to $1,500.

The Vault Lock--Produced by Vault Lock Systems of Redondo Beach, this device is a door locking system consisting of nine dead bolts and hack-proof prison bars. All nine dead bolts are locked into place with the turn of a key. Cost: $233.

Automatic guard gate--Produced by Elite Access Systems of Orange, this swinging gate can be programmed to close after the first vehicle drives through, striking any second vehicle and activating security alarms. Cost: $20,000 (for all security features).