Citizens Report Security Scam

DAYTON - Monday night the Dayton City Council field- ed complaints from concerned citizens and voted to uphold the revocation of the solicitor's license for Stryke Alarm Inc.

The alarm company's so- licitor's license was revoked for the Dayton area last week because of the complaints and calls city hall received.

Citizen complaints includ- ed Stryke Alarm employees giving false or misleading statements or withholding information about the com- pany. Residents also reported the employees giving false or misleading information about the company's purpose in Dayton, poor conduct of the salespeople and using scare tactics to encourage people to purchase the products. Several reports indicate the salespeople openly and falsely said the city of Dayton would pay for the installation or had requested Stryke's presence in the city.

During the council meet- ing, Dayton resident Janice Agenbroad gave a report of her experience with one of the Stryke salesmen who she found frustrating to work with because he answered several phone calls during the sales call.

"He was a very smooth talker," Agenbroad said. "We said we would think it over and that he should come back tomorrow."

In the meantime, Agen- broad said she contacted Sher- riff Walt Hessler who came to her house to advise her not to do business with the alarm company, saying the sales pitch was a scam. When the salesman returned to follow up, Agenbroad told him they were not interested in the alarm system.

"He was very irate," Agen- broad said. "He stomped off and walked past the walnut tree (in the yard) and stripped the leaves off of one of the branches on his way by."

Hessler was out of the of- fice and unable to comment at the time of publication.

Two council members ex- pressed uneasy discomfort with the company's door-to- door strategy as well. Council- member Jim Cooper said the product, home alarm systems, was something a consumer would normally seek out to purchase, not something a door-to-door salesperson usu- ally solicits.

Councilmember Christine Broughton filed one of the complaints against the com- pany saying the salesman she spoke to indicated he was from Honeywell, never mentioning the name Stryke during their conversation. He informed her that Honeywell was installing free alarm systems to selected individuals in Dayton and that the company was coming through town because of the increasing crime rate. Broughton asked if he had a license to sell door-to-door and the sales- man said yes, but didn't show the permit.

"I felt uneasy about the situation," Broughton said in her e- mailed complaint. "I asked for a business card so I could call him and he didn't have one, but (he said) to call the Blue Mountain Motelhellip;"

Broughton also reported the salesman used scare tactics by mentioning theWallaWalla Peni- tentiary and "all the criminals that get out and go to Dayton."

Deputy City Clerk-Treasur- er Debbie Hays said there were some issues with the company after the solicitor's permit was issued. The permit was issued for Stryke Alarm Inc., but the salesmen drove vans with another company name on the top.

"Things just didn't match all of the way," Hays said.

Mayor Craig George af- firmed there were no represen- tatives from the Stryke Alarm company out of Denver, Col.

Hays said there has been no complaints since the city canceled the license.

Cooper urged the public to talk about the issue with neighbors to help protect one another.

The scam was reported around town in Waitsburg, but the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Department received no reports of the alarm scam in Waitsburg.