Find Your Perfect System
February 2, 2012
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Cable Company Subcontractor Targeted and Burglarized Homes
There’s no doubt that peace of mind is getting harder to find, and increased crime is a big reason. It’s not just more burglaries - now we have to worry about things that didn’t use to be much of a problem. Here’s a partial list: burglars cutting phone lines (which takes out most traditional alarm systems), door knocking salesmen who use pressure, fraud, and deceit to market their wares, and even burglars in disguise, pretending to be alarm sales representatives.
What’s next? Today’s story comes from East Patchogue, New York, on Long Island’s south shore, and it makes me wonder once again about why someone would use a cable or phone company for alarm services – especially since utility providers aren’t known for excellent service, and rarely do the kind of employee back-ground checks alarm companies do. For that matter, more people are questioning the wisdom of letting any service providers in your home. It’s time for more do-it-yourself services, like FrontPoint’s easy-install advanced wireless home alarm system!
A man working as a subcontractor for Optimum Cable picked out homes to burglarize and he and three other men were arrested Friday morning and charged with a host of home burglaries in the county over the past few months, police said.
Fast Police Response Meant Catching the Burglars
The four men were arrested less than 10 minutes after they burglarized an occupied home in East Patchogue around 10:25 a.m., police said. Fifth Precinct detectives responded to a burglary in progress call on Haig Avenue and spotted Marvin Escobar walking out of the backyard and down the driveway of the residence, police said. Escobar fled, but the detectives caught up to him a short distance away, where he was found to be in possession of jewelry, police said.
More Good Police Work
As the detectives were walking to their vehicles they noticed a suspicious van in the area and broadcast a description of the 2000 gray Dodge Caravan with magnetic Optimum Cable logos attached to side doors, police said. Police pulled over the van in Medford and found the three people inside to be in possession of assorted jewelry.
How the Burglars Worked
One of them, Francisco Sanchez, a subcontractor for Optimum, picked the targeted homes and was assisted by the other men in executing the burglaries, police said. Sanchez, Robert Alcantara, and Jose Castro were arrested along with Escobar. Sanchez is also charged with grand larceny for stealing jewelry while he was working as a subcontractor for Optimum at a home on Irving Street in Terryville on July 14, 2011, police said. An investigation revealed that all four men are also responsible for the following burglaries, according to police:
- Jan. 26, 2012 a home on Washington Avenue in Holtsville
- Jan. 26, 2012 a home on Fenwick Avenue in Farmingville
- Jan. 20, 2012 a home on Ohio Avenue in Medford
- Dec. 9, 2011 a home on Boston Avenue in Bay Shore
- Dec. 2, 2011 a home on Illinois Avenue in North Bay Shore
- Sept. 7, 2011 a home on Illinois Avenue in North Bay Shore
Cable Company on the Hot Seat
In a statement released Saturday, Cablevision, which runs Optimum services, said it had suspended work with the subcontracting company, Nationwide, which employed Sanchez. “We are cooperating fully with the police and are immediately suspending work with the Nationwide subcontracting company, which provides a limited amount of work, only in Suffolk County, NY, pending a complete review and thorough investigation," Cablevision said.
Ouch. This is certainly a poor reflection on Cablevision, and on cable companies in general, at a time when they are trying to find a foothold in the alarm industry. It’s no wonder that many alarm industry operators are watching the cable providers closely, but are not feeling too threatened - yet. It takes a lot to protect a home and family, and I heartily agree that the task is best left to the experts.
We’ll keep an eye on the competitive landscape for you, and post the particulars when we see something of interest. As our customers know, FrontPoint was the first alarm company to standardize on cellular and interactive monitoring. We’re the leader in wireless home security, and the #1 ranked alarm company in the US – and we earned that spot with technology, pricing, and customer satisfaction that leaves the others far behind. That’s why smart shoppers choose FrontPoint: safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat. Just read the reviews, and you’ll want a FrontPoint system too. It’s safer because it’s cellular – and it’s monitored 24/7.
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