The firefighter whose house burns down and the lactose-intolerant milkman serve as examples of irony.
Also in that group would be Ken Jezorio.
He was working as a Cheektowaga police officer when in 1976 his own house was burglarized. Jezorio, who runs Shield Security Systems Inc., launched his business from that experience.
After the robbery, he looked into installing a security system for his home on Buffalo’s West Side. But he said the cost was so steep he installed it himself. Then he installed one for someone else. In 1977, he founded his company that today has more than 200 franchises nationwide, plus 11 in Australia. There are 40 employees in Western New York.
According to his website, security is a $200 billion-per-year industry and growing. Burglaries occur every 15 seconds, yet less than 20 percent of households have an alarm system.
Jezorio retired after 24 years with the Cheektowaga Police Department and now focuses on franchising. He also recently established a company that trains people how to run electronic security companies. Many business owners are good technicians, he said, with little experience in sales, recruiting or interviewing prospective employees.
How much was that first home security system, including installation? They wanted $14,000.
And how much did you pay for the house? I spent around $12,000. It was my grandparents house. When they passed, I bought the house. I was 21.
So you were a police officer at age 21? Yes, but I became a police officer at 20.
Isn’t that a little young to be carrying a gun? Yes! You couldn’t carry a gun in New York state until you were 21. To work as a police officer, I had to have my parents sign for me to be able to carry a handgun.
So, how was the old house broken into? There was a small door on the outside of the house. On the inside was a matching door, held closed by a little thumb latch. Between them there was a cavity. In the the 1920s and ‘30s, the milkman would put your milk in there. My paperboy had come and shoved a small kid through the door. Once inside, the little kid walked to the front door and unlocked it.
What was stolen? Three handguns. Upon graduating from the academy, I had won them. They were presented to me in display cases for earning Top Gun, a high academic award and a physical fitness award.
So your own home was your first install? Yes, that was my first one.
How did you learn to do that? I read the instructions. I have a bachelor’s in criminal justice and an MBA. Neither does anything for me when it comes to technology.
Who was your next customer? A lieutenant in our department. He bought the equipment and I put it in.
You were paid about $14,000 to do the job, right? No (laughs). He bought me a lawn mower.
Did you ever cross paths with that paperboy? Around seven or eight years (after the robbery), I got a call about a guy passed out on the lawn at the McDonalds on French and Borden in Cheektowaga; it was him. He had $10,000 and cocaine on him. I got him, but it took a few years.
Shield Security Systems Inc.
5170 Genesee St.