New security system for Hill stores

By KATIE WORRALL

The Chestnut Hill Business Association recently instituted a new security notification system for its retail members. The merchant organization is working with SwiftReach, a Ramsey, N.J. company, to offer a system in which retail members will automatically be notified by phone when a crime or other security incident occurs in Chestnut Hill.

Suzanne Biemiller, the CHBA executive director, said that “if, for example, a shoplifter steals an item from a local store, the merchant should call 911 and notify the police. He should then call the CHBA office [at 215-247-6696] and give a description of what occurred.  Upon receiving the call, a CHBA staff person will phone a dedicated SwiftReach line and relay the message. Within minutes SwiftReach automatically places calls to the phone number that stores have provided to us and the CHBA staff person’s recorded voice message is played when the call goes through.”

Although SwiftReach has worked with retail customers in the telemarketing field, this is the first time the business worked in emergency notification, according to Raju Rishi, thee firm’s chief operating officer.

The system can make 1,000 calls in five minutes, Rishi told the Local, noting that the only delay with the system would be the speed with which the crime is reported.

SwiftReach has worked with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Streets, according to Rishi, who said that after a hurricane last year, SwiftReach called targeted recipients about street closures and trash collection delays.

The SwiftReach system replaces beepers in each store, which often were lost or ran out of battery power. Biemiller said that SwiftReach would e-mail the Business Association when all the calls were made.

The cost of the system to CHBA members is included in membership fees, Biemiller said.