COPS Monitoring welcomes two former alarm company owners to its team

July 30, 2015
Ernie Gambone, Charlie Crenshaw join company's executive team

Williamstown, NJ – July 30, 2015: COPS Monitoring, the largest independently owned provider of nationwide wholesale alarm monitoring and dealer services, adds two former alarm company owners to its account executive lineup. 

"We’re excited to welcome Ernie Gambone and Charlie Crenshaw to our team," says Jim McMullen, COPS Monitoring’s President and COO. "With more than four decades of experience owning and operating alarm companies, both Ernie and Charlie are uniquely positioned to identify with alarm dealers’ needs and help them understand how to grow their business by leveraging the exclusive benefits of being a COPS Dealer." 

Ernie Gambone began his career in the security industry in 1973 with Robinson Alarm Company; one of the largest providers of alarm systems in the Philadelphia area. For more than 20 years, Ernie ultimately served as Robinson’s Operations Manager and has breadth of experience in numerous areas including sales, installation, service, and central station operations. 

In 1994, Ernie left the alarm industry to work as an Operations Manager for a large beverage distributor. "I’m glad I got the opportunity to work in the logistics industry," says Ernie. "In my four years with that company, I was able to gain experience in procurement, warehouse operations, logistics, distribution, and fleet management, which were all skills I was able to use when I returned to the alarm industry in 1998 to start my own alarm company." For more than 13 years, Ernie nurtured Sera Security into a thriving business by providing what he describes as "good old-fashioned service." Ernie lives in Southampton, Pennsylvania with his wife of 37 years and joins COPS to put his skills to work for dealers in the Northeast helping them to be more successful. 

Charlie Crenshaw also brings over 40 years in the electronic security industry, including various sales and management positions with companies such as Ademco/Sontrix, ADT, and Smith Alarm Systems. "In 1987, my passion for this industry inspired me to leave my VP position at Smith in Dallas, Texas to purchase and run my own alarm company in Austin," says Charlie. He remained CEO of Crenshaw Alarm until 1994 when he sold to Alert Centre in Colorado to pursue other opportunities. 

In 2001, Charlie re-established Crenshaw Alarm and has been running it as a successful business for the past 14 years. He was also appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and continues to serve as a commissioner on the Texas Private Security Board. Charlie attended the University of Texas and still resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Julie. Charlie looks forward to using his extensive experience to benefit COPS' alarm dealers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.