Deep Sentinel Saved My Family: From Our CEO

Sometimes, the importance of strong security strikes close to home. Literally. Hear from our very own founder and CEO David “Selly” Selinger about a recent attack on his home and how Deep Sentinel saved the day.

See the original post on Selly’s Medium page.

People ask me all the time about the inspiration for Deep Sentinel. Why do we do what we do? What is so important about security? How is it different? Is it really that different?

It is. The story below about me, my home, and my family is probably the best proof point I could offer.

Deep Sentinel Stopped an Armed Intruder

“WAKE UP! Mom, Dad, the siren’s going off. Someone’s outside.”

It was a little after 1 AM and I was definitely asleep. My daughter had been awake working on a school project downstairs by the garage (as you’ll later see, less than 15 feet away from this intruder). Groggily, I reached around for my glasses and followed my daughter to our garage door where she said she heard the Deep Sentinel guards yelling and a siren. Still not entirely sure if she was hearing things, I opened the door and went outside.

I didn’t see anyone, but just then my Apple Watch turned off sleep mode. The alerts started coming in.

I contacted the guards on my driveway camera and asked what was going on.

Yup, this is me. Pajamas and all.

They informed me that a stranger came up my driveway with a crossbow (yes, a crossbow!), intending to enter my home.

Fortunately, my Deep Sentinel system had already kicked in. The automatic AI (our trademarked “AI Deterrent”) startled the intruder, giving a guard time to intervene, set off the siren, and call the police. The creep took off and didn’t come back.

My family is shaken, but everyone is A-OK. The story could have been much different if I didn’t have Deep Sentinel and serves as a stark reminder of why Deep Sentinel is so meaningful to me and our whole team.

Why I Started Deep Sentinel

A similar incident near my home was the catalyst that set Deep Sentinel in motion almost 8 years ago.

The Home Invasion

Back in 2016, a neighbor posted an alarming update on Nextdoor: “We just had a home invasion.” Not a burglary, where someone sneaks into an empty house. Armed intruders entered while people were home and tied my neighbors up.

The intruders had guns. They were prepared to use violence. And nothing stopped them.

It was scary, to say the least.

First, I went through the usual thoughts someone has in the face of a fright like this. But we live in a quiet neighborhood! They live right down the street. I can’t believe it. This could have happened to us. Did they have a security system? (Yes, they did.)

Then, I got mad. Doing a little research told me that the home security industry was woefully out of date. Alarm systems churn out 90+% false alarms, and basic security cameras do nothing more than record evidence.

My neighbors had both. The alarm was disabled because they were at home. And the cameras captured wonderful high-resolution images of hooded men entering, with which the police could do nothing. So now I’m frustrated.

Learning from Law Enforcement

I interviewed our chief of police and other officers around the country to try to understand what security measures actually work and why this issue is so rampant. These officers showed me piles and piles of unhelpful security footage that couldn’t be used to investigate crimes, let alone actually stop them.

Perhaps most concerning, I heard just how annoying alarm systems are for many officers and departments. They’re the “Wolf!” cry of the security industry. With the vast majority of the calls being false alarms, there’s an obvious disdain for alarm calls. Many police departments have a special category for these calls that does not require their response. I was blown away when I heard this.

So I asked these officers, “What would work?” They had many suggestions and ideas, but three themes were consistent:

1. Verify calls to ensure there’s a real crime
2. Make calls at the time of the crime (not 24 hours after a package is stolen, for example)
3. Enlist professionals who can prevent the crime and know how to work effectively with police dispatch

The Solution: Deep Sentinel

It’s from these police officers that I got the idea for Deep Sentinel. I have been a student of AI for 20+ years, and I realized that a fully monitored surveillance system could use artificial intelligence to make human monitoring much more affordable and even more effective. Human verification and live intervention would prevent crime, eliminate false alarms, and ultimately do what no other system could do—actually deliver safety and security.

This is the system I would want for my family.

Why It Matters

So, why am I telling you about the attempted break-in at my house? It’s not to garner sympathy. It’s not to prove that, hey, this system really works. We’ve got lots of video proof for that.

I’m telling you because I entrusted my own family’s well-being to Deep Sentinel. And my faith was warranted. My family is safe. My home is still secure.

There’s an adage you’ll hear from time to time: “Never trust a skinny chef.” The point is that a reliable company would use its own product or service. It shows that they believe in what they’re selling and not just giving you lip service.

At Deep Sentinel, we’re eating our own cooking. I have one of our PoE systems protecting my home and my family. Plenty of my team members have their own Deep Sentinel systems. Heck, when employees leave the company, their #1 ask is to keep their system! We’re busting our backs to create the security solution that we would want to watch over every valuable thing in our lives.

Ask a group of people what’s most important in their lives, and most will say that family means everything to them. That’s what we’re protecting.

What’s so important about what we do at Deep Sentinel? Everything.