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On a Mission - In California
Protecting Western heritage with WirelessThe Latest from SIW
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By Deborah L. O'Mara
Editor-in-Chief
When you’re a recognized product developer in the industry, you’re also an integrator at heart. Part of introducing new technologies includes installation and beta testing. But when it really all comes together is when you use your vast knowledge and experience to install security for a good cause.
Larry Tracy, president and chief executive officer of The Aleph America Corp., Reno, Nev., is quite literally on a mission. His most recent endeavor, call it an “obsession” is a good one – he’s retrofitting some 21 California missions to save an important part of the heritage of the U.S. (Tracy holds numerous patents for motion sensors, including the first operational animal immune sensor.)
Wireless exceeds expectations
The use of wireless technologies was the key to providing protection and detection at the missions. It proved an extremely effective solution for circumventing the thick adobe walls of the missions. Even when wireless detectors were placed in the attics of these facilities, the receiver still acquired reliable signals through four inches of adobe on top of thick board. Wireless glassbreak detectors also were able to easily transmit signals through the walls to wireless receivers.
Perhaps you haven’t heard of the plight of the missions. Many are deteriorating and have been subject to a constant barrage of theft and vandalism. Irreplaceable artifacts have been stolen or lost. (Visit www.missionsofcalifornia.org.)
During the past decade, the escalation of theft, including the tragic loss of the Mission era Carbajal violin from an unlocked display case at Mission San Antonio, the theft of a baby Jesus from the arms of the Virgin Mary at the same site, the loss of priceless colonial era paintings from Missions San Juan Bautista, San Miguel and San Jose, and the loss of countless California Indian and Hispanic Catholic statuary, reliquary and art, has proven devastating.
Tracy, along with his sons Scott and Patrick, have acted as lead integrators at some 11 California missions, donating time, labor and expertise to install a custom-designed wireless surveillance and intrusion detection and recording system at each of these facilities.
“I became aware of the plight of the missions in December 2006,” Tracy said. “These structures are an important part of the history of the West and the U.S. and the owners didn’t have the resources to put together a security solution. They were losing artifacts from thieves and money from collection boxes and had a wide range of issues – including safety and incidents of devil worship.” He contacted the California Missions Foundation to ask how he could help.
