Monthly Archives: June 2012

Texas Oil towns bring economic boom and increased Crime

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By: Jimmy Maddox
Alarm consultant/ technician – AUS Inc.

Texas oil towns are booming.

Carrizo Springs, Asherton, Pleasanton, Kennedy, Three Rivers, George West, San Diego, Alice, just to name a few oil boom towns.
Oil companies are hiring roughnecks, tool pushers, pipe inspectors and entry level jobs as fast as they can get them. Men and women are uprooting their families to relocate in towns where the demand is needed.

ADT booming in oil townsWhat does that mean ?
It means a boom in infrastructure, a boom in housing and unfortunately a boom in other things that aren’t necessarily glamorous. Crime has also been a concern. Let me explain.
Small towns that get a wave of population growth do the best they can to accommodate the increased traffic. Restaurants stay open longer, grocery stores stock up more, and Motels begin to build and build. Near by land owners spread caliche rock to set up make shift RV parks to accommodate traveling oil workers. Manufactured housing has seen a rise in sales due to the fact oilmen want to set up fast housing in the oil towns they have now adopted as home. Many oilmen still roughneck it on a daily basis when it comes to lodging. Many of them sleep on job sites in the back of their pickup trucks with camper shells on them. Some will fetch a tent, some live in camper trailers and some will pay upwards $150 a night to rent a bed in a local house inside the oil town. Motels get booked to the max at full occupancy and local business owners are raking the $$$.

The Police departments are busy as well. Increased traffic in what was once a 2 light town are dealing with more speeders, and perhaps, although not specifically documented car accidents etc.
New over sized truck ordinances are being implemented due to the increased traffic of big rigs running through these small dusty south and West Texas towns. Many oilmen have chosen to move their families to booming oil towns in order to be with them on a nightly basis. New construction homes are going up and as I mentioned earlier, mobile homes are popping up everywhere.

Many oil workers and linemen working 60 – 90 hour weeks in the field are stepping up security for their homes and for their families, wives, girlfriends, children or significant other. Home protection is assuring and important, especially living in a new unfamiliar town. After all, their families deserve it. Alarm companies have seen an increase of inquiries and security system sales.
Special promotions come their way if the timing is right.

“It’s assuring to know that my wife has a panic button, and medical alert for her and the kids while I am away … I feel better knowing that they have it as opposed to not having it, you know.. “, says David Liscano, a married man from Mission Texas who moved his family to a booming oil city in west Texas.

caliche rock roads in south texas

south texas oil towns are booming

Some of you may ask , well how do the glorious day of oil town booms bring a negative impact to the once forgotten little villages of south and west Texas? According to one report in the Huffington Post, oil towns have seen a boom in crime including a rise in drunken driving and bar fights, threatening to overwhelm Law Enforcement. Many in the industry obey the law even though rig workers are used to raising hell and getting a pass from law enforcement. Oil boom towns also have seen a rise in marriage break ups due to the fact that the men are away from their wives and girlfriends for so long. That’s why many are choosing to uproot and relocate closer to their job sites, to be with their families every night.

While the oil towns enjoy the boom, many issues are created from it. City councils talk about increasing its fire department, police department, infrastructure such as water pipes, sewer, and annexing more land to the city to make room for more Hotels and motels and restaurants to build.

new construction carrizo springs texas

booming oil towns see growth of new home construction

For oil workers and their families living in the oil towns who have questions or if they are in need of home security We at America’s Ultimate Security can help you get connected with ADT home Security. We do offer promotions and specials on equipment. There are many monitoring rates to choose from. Visit our site to lean more. TexasBestAlarms.com

One of the most popular requests we get at AUS inc, is the use of ADT Pulse… ADT Pulse is where you can monitor and control your security system anywhere there is cell service or a internet service. You an arm or disarm via your smart phone (or any phone that has a web browser) or via a computer. Arm or disarm, or receive text message alerts whenever there is an alarm event.

Call us at (800) 394-0238. We have offices in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Austin and other locations to serve everyone.

ADT pulse Texas

Stay in touch, stay informed with ADT Pulse

This BLOG is written by Jimmy Maddox, employed by America’s Ultimate Security. The opinions and advise are strictly his and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the company, AUS Inc., ADT Security or any other company that may have been implied.

Silent Alarms should be a Must for your Alarm System | They are Duress Codes

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Most alarm customers are aware that they have a PANIC button on their keypad. Many of them do not realize that there may also be a “Duress Code” or silent alarm, aka “Hostage Code”.

If you’re not sure if your alarm system has it, you need to call your alarm company to see if they have any indication of it being programmed into your panel. If you own an older alarm system it may be difficult to tell, and even if there is one programmed chances are you may not know what the Duress Code is (usually 4 digits). A Duress Code is different than a Panic button in that it is silent. A Panic button generates an audible alarm sound (Siren) which is good if you want to try and scare an intruder out of your home or cause a lot of ruckus in hopes that a neighbor or passerby will hear that something is wrong. A Panic Button also sends signals out to the alarm company as well.

A Duress code on the other hand is very similar to a panic but it does not generate the siren noise. Not only that, most keypads will pretend to shut off, or turn off when the user enters the duress code so if an intruder see’s the actions, it will appear as though the alarm is OFF. For example, if someone were to follow you into your home and order you to turn your alarm off and you walk straight over to your alarm and enter your Duress Code, then the keypad should play along and turn OFF. The Honeywell Lynx Plus keypad will actually speak and say “SYSTEM DISARMED” for those of you who have a talking keypad (Voice descriptor announcer).

A Duress code alerts the alarm company that this is a serious signal. It could mean a number of things. A person being held at gun point, a person being robbed or some other crime where the homeowner does not want the intruder to know that an alarm signal is going out. It may be a situation where the user wants a Police response but does not want the robber to know that help is on the way due to fear.
There is no playing around on a Duress Code because a user has to go out of their way to enter the special 4 digit PIN number into the keypad. Your Duress Code will be different than your alarm’s main master code. We at America’s Ultimate Security program a Duress Code for our customers but the customer can change Duress code at any point in time to a unique Duress code of their liking. If you press a Duress code, most alarm dispatchers will not even bother calling to verify it; they will just notify the local authorities that it is a Duress signal. Most law enforcement agencies will run a code 4 or a code 3 to respond. They will be aware that they are going on a duress code call because the alarm companies will advise that.
If a user calls the alarm company to advise the duress code was a mistake, don’t be surprised if they police show up anyway.

A Duress code is like a hold up button that banks, convenient stores and other businesses may use. It’s in the same category. When officers respond to a Duress code, you can expect more than one squad car showing up, and, be prepared to come out with your hands up. Police do not play around on a Duress code.

To reset your Duress Code most alarm panels allow you to enter your main 4 digit master code, twice, then press OFF if necessary. That should reset your security system and clear all signals.

If you are planning to get a new alarm system installed you want to make sure your dealer or technician programs your keypad for the Duress code. Almost every brand of keypad is capable of having the Duress code programmed. If the installer doesn’t program your alarm system for a Duress code option then it doesn’t do you a lot of good. Hopefully you do have some sort of PANIC button programmed at least.

If you are in the Texas area and would like us to upgrade your old alarm system, we might be able to help you if you are not in a contract with another alarm company. Visit our website here at www.TexasBestAlarms.com.

Leave us a comment if you have any questions.

This BLOG is written by Jimmy Maddox, employed by America’s Ultimate Security. The opinions and advise are strictly his and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the company, AUS Inc., ADT Security or any other company that may have been implied.