WHY I BELIEVE IN ADT

As the daughter of a retired New York City policeman, I was always aware of the importance of common sense security. Growing up my father drilled my sisters and I on the dos and don'ts of being safe; reminding us to be aware of our surroundings at all times, walk confidently and establish eye contact, never leave notes on anyone's door (it's like announcing nobody's home), and the like.

The trauma that my sister and robbery victims like her experience is something I had never considered. Watching my once fearless sister grapple with fears about being in her own home, a place that had formerly been a safe haven, broke my heart.

According to a report by the Virginia State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Program 7,635 robberies were reported in Virginia in 2011. Of those approximately 6,500 involved theft from individuals and 930 from businesses. The cumulative financial loss is calculated at over $50 million, but the emotional toll on the victims is impossible to quantify.

Since the 1880's ADT has aided law enforcement to protect millions of homes, business and municipal facilities in the United States and across the globe. Their technological expertise is unmatched by any competitor and their reliable service and dependability coupled with their overlapping 24-hour monitoring centers and state of the art equipment has made ADT the watchword for safety in the 21st Century.

I am proud to be an ADT representative and firmly believe that the service we provide is an invaluable tool in the maintenance of public safety and piece of mind.

As young people it was easy to think that we could overcome anything, after all, how could anyone pose a threat to us? Besides, we didn't have anything real robbers would want, right?

Then one day my oldest sister called to tell me she'd been the victim of a robbery. Someone had invaded her home while she was at work, stealing jewelry and personal items, wrapping them in a sheet off her bed for easy transport. Two years later I was shocked to learn that my sister was still unable to sleep in that bed and she could only relax if she kept the lights on at night.