October 2012, the city of Baltimore, Maryland implements a measure that will change security for the city’s infrastructure in a major way. The “Charm City” is now facing some reactions that well, aren’t so charming. So we’d like to know, whose opinion have you heard?

- Comment at:  http://www.louroe.com/blog.php -
 
Trending on an increasing commercial use of audio monitoring and the benefits it holds for crime prevention, legal cases, and law enforcement agency response time, the Maryland Transit Administration authorized the use of audio monitoring devices on public buses. The new security system was deemed legal by the state attorney general's office, and a spokesman for the attorney general's office confirmed that transit officials were advised by their counsel that based on a 2000 appeals court decision, the audio recordings did not violate the state wiretapping law.

Still, the decision to record the conversations of bus drivers and passengers to investigate crimes, accidents, and poor customer service has come under attack from privacy advocates and state lawmakers who say it may go too far. David Rocah, a staff attorney with the Maryland chapter of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) represented a cynical, but well heard stand point - “People don’t want or need to have their private conversations recorded by MTA as a condition of riding a bus…”
Others are ecstatic to see the city’s commitment to public safety seeing public audio monitoring as non-intrusive and beneficial – “We want to make sure people feel safe, and this builds up our arsenal of tools to keep our patrons safe,” said Ralign Wells, the Maryland Transit Administration chief. “The audio completes the information package for investigators and responders.”

And that’s very true – audio monitoring devices are, in the least, a secure, second response device for the authorized dispatch of law enforcement. Furthermore, this initiative falls right in line with a number of harassment, abuse, and other criminal investigations that have been laid to rest through the use of audio monitoring security.
While the content of these investigations lie on a large spectrum, they truly represent the magnitude public safety being provided in lue of the conundrum that is public privacy.

At Louroe Electronics, we value our position as a knowledgeable on issues surrounding Audio Monitoring and the Law. We’ve picked up a wealth of experience over our 33 years in manufacturing audio monitoring equipment – large scale c

In our last blog post, we at Louroe Electronics were proud to promote our continued growth throughout the economic recession. This has been the result of continuing to provide the perfect products for integrated and stand-alone security solutions around the world. Well, we have some more news of our continued commitment to service the security industry. Louroe Electronics has been invited to sit on the SIA Government Summit Planning Committee!  We will also be receiving our 10-year celebration certificate from SIA for our continued membership in their association. This relationship has allowed us to develop our products and research relative to changes in the security industry, and, subsequently, relative to the needs of you, our consumer.

We’d also like to announce that we’ve reached another incredible plateau in sales and product distribution. As of October 2012, Louroe Electronics now has products in 34 countries! We are truly value our reputation as the World Leader in Audio Monitoring Technology, and have been expanding our product line and integrated security solutions by identifying new and untapped applications for audio monitoring technology across the world.

Finally, Louroe Electronics is coming to ISC East 2012!

Visit us at Booth # 1023 and pick up a free product catalog, application guide, or some great Louroe merchandise! We're excited to unveil new technological developments, along with our World Leading product line of Mics, Audio Base Stations, DVR, NVR, & VMS-compatible Audio Monitoring equipment, and more; all made especially for security monitoring, law enforcement, medical research and facility equipment. Be sure to ask us about our up-coming products! Our R&D team has been developing some amazing new products and concept work including POE extractors for base stations and mics with AGC.

The end of 2012 is around the corner. It’s amazing, during this period of economic struggle, the value and quality of Louroe Electronics has resulted in the continued growth of our business (and the protection of yours)! We have seen over a 17% increase in sales during 2012. This has come from the high amount of requests to integrate our audio monitoring equipment in medical labs, law enforcement agencies, and industrial sites.

We’d love to hear where you’ve applied Louroe Electronics. In the meantime, here are a few applications to keep you inspired and your security systems up to date.

Louroe Electronics Product Applications:

CCTV Systems - Louroe microphones add audio functionality to new and existing CCTV systems. Installing microphones external to the camera ensure that microphones are properly positioned for ideal audio pickup. Audio in CCTV systems provides for alarm verification and the capture of additional evidence in the case of a crime.

Law Enforcement - Used often in law enforcement interview rooms, Louroe microphones are sensitive enough to capture a suspect’s comments even when whispered. Our ASK4-601 and ASK4-631 kits are specially designed for law enforcement with a built in mute switch so that a suspect may speak privately with a lawyer without leaving the interview room.

School Districts - Microphones are commonly used to capture facilities/classroom audio as well as integrated into after-hours security systems. Classroom microphones enable monitoring of the education process without disrupting the classroom, while sound activated alarming security systems alert guards or central stations that unauthorized activity is taking place on the campus.

Convenience Stores - When applied to fast food restaurants or convenience stores, Louroe Electronics microphones add to both security and service. In the event of a robbery, microphones capture additional evidence (such as voice recognition) that video alone does not provide. Audio is also used as a training tool to ensure that employees provide proper customer service and create additional profitability through loss prevention and up-sells.

Medical Labs - Louroe Electronics hands free two-way audio systems establish communication between medical staff and patients rooms. Frequently used at nursing and technician stations, personnel are able to communicate with patients at the touch of a button.

Louroe Electronics is coming to ASIS 2012!

We're excited to unveil new technological developments, along with our World Leading product line of Mics, Audio Base Stations, VRE-compatible Audio Monitoring equipment, and more; all made especially for security monitoring and research facility equipment.

And be sure to ask us about our up-coming products! Our R&D team has been developing some amazing new products and concept work including POE extractors for base stations and mics with AGC. For 33 years, you've enjoyed the luxury communication and support features that Louroe Electronics offers. In 2012, Six Powerful Categories of Priemere Audio Equipment are ready to be revealed!

Visit us at Booth # 3840, and pick up a free product catalog, application guide, or some great Louroe merch!

July 4, 2012. Fireworks weren’t the only thing lighting up the sky this night, as another day at the Franklin County Court House and Jail came to an end. In this St. Louis court house, a few economical upgrades had been made to ease the trial and acquittal summoning of its adjacent courthouse.  By connecting a wireless audio and video transmitter to an audio encoder, the courthouse was able to communicate with inmates remotely saving time and money (and most likely a lot of stress on the bailiff’s behalf).

On this a shocking display of lightning and stormy weather set the scene for an unscheduled test of product durability.

As the night wore on, a bolt of lightning struck near the jailhouse, sending currents through the electrical equipment it housed. When the calamity settled, repair surveys were taken on the facility. Needless to say a majority of electrical units physically grounded to the site were fried, destroyed by the lightning wave. Two products stood true to mother natures quality assurance test, though.

Louroe Electronics AOP-SP-E (a speaker-phone in the Franklin County Jail for inmate correspondence) and the AOP-SP-70 (a partnered, audio converter in the Franklin County courtroom). These two sole products, still connected to the fried audio/video transmitters, weathered their test of durability, coming out unscathed and fully operational.

It just goes to show you, when you go with the best, you get the best. We at Louroe Electronics have been in business +33 years. We know audio, we know quality, and we know our industry.

So often you hear manufacturers saying their products are Made in the USA as a way to say they’re protecting American jobs and driving economic growth.  While there’s no doubt these two points are important, here at Louroe, Made In the USA takes on a much larger meaning.

Our goal is to exceed our customer’s expectations, be it in product availability, performance, tech support, service, or whatever need they have.  Since our products are US made, we can get them to our customers much faster than if they were produced in China, India, or even Mexico. 

It also means we can provide top quality, not in just the materials we use or in the finished product, but through the entire production process.  My office is 20 feet from our production facility.  I can communicate any concerns with the manufacturing team in a matter of seconds.  This would be impossible if they were on the other side of the world.Made In the USA isn’t just jobs or the economy.  It means we can make sure our customers are getting the absolute best we can give them.

Whenever I talk about audio monitoring I’m usually met with a response along the lines of “isn’t listening to a conversation illegal?” or “won’t I get sued for that?” and even “who are you, the CIA?”  It shows me that there are a lot of prevalent myths and uncertainties about audio monitoring law.

If I’m monitoring audio covertly or surreptitiously, then it is 100% illegal.  Not only have I broken the law, but I can’t use any of that audio as evidence in a court case.  But if I’m overt about audio monitoring taking place, clearly state that communication is being monitored, and obtain consent to do so (either express or implied, and then my actions are entirely legal. For more information click the following link http://louroe.com/decal.php

Louroe Electronics has been manufacturing audio monitoring equipment since 1979 and for the past 32 years we’ve been sure to comply with all laws on audio.  Though we’re not lawyers and this is not legal advice, we work very closely with our distributors and customers to make them aware of Federal, State, and even municipal audio laws and outline the steps to take to make sure they use audio legally.