SAN DIEGO — Eric Dempsey says the service calls have been nonstop from San Diegans, primarily in the North County needing new or improved security systems.
This need is coming after a recent series of high-end burglaries targeting wealthy San Diego homeowners, that the San Diego County Sheriff's Department says is the work of an organized crime ring operating out of South America.
“We're completely slammed right now, everyone is either calling us to upgrade their alarms and adding glass-break protectors,” said Dempsey, owner of Dempsey Alarms since 2009.
"Anything you can do to make it look like you are at home because they don't want to interact with anyone, They just want to steal high-end goods and leave,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey says even in communities with security guards, he is selling more loud sirens, detection devices and cameras.
"We start our installations for small homes at $99 for installation with a two-year contract and monthly price is $36.99 a month that includes the alarm monitoring that is 24- hours,” Dempsey said.
ADT Security Services has a range of high-tech surveillance cameras for homeowners.
"If you want to go onto the smart home feature of the system, that type will go into the cameras, the door locks, thermostats and lighting,” said Wayne Fonseca, ADT general operations manager.
Fonseca says more customers are requesting perimeter protection and Geo fencing systems that link to your cell phone. Starter security packages for smaller homes start at about $200, depending on installation, equipment and app features.
"Let's say it is about a three-bedroom two-bathroom home, that is when you can start getting into north of the $500 range," said Joe Gois, ADT district manager for custom homes services division.
For larger 5,000 square-foot homes, it can cost about $5000 for a two-system multi-coverage security unit with ADT's full service monitoring.
"They have the intrusion protection system that you see here, and then in addition to that, they typically do what is known as a hardwire camera system or video surveillance system,” Gois said.
The company Ring offers its top picks to keep homes secure, including the Ring Video Doorbell 4 at $199, which the company says is best for renters and has advanced motion detection.
Both the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and Ring Alarm Pro sell for $249, which can add better protections for homes.
Fonseca says the best security is just being vigilant.
“Don't assume those windows are locked, check them, and the best thing is to have a nosy neighbor and get to know your neighbors because that is the best security, besides a system itself, and don't post your vacation plans on social media and become a target,” Fonseca said.
WATCH RELATED: New information about a series of burglaries targeting wealthy North County homeowners (Jan. 2022).