NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Dec. 30, 1999--Standard&Poor's today lowered its corporate credit and senior note ratings on Protection One Alarm Monitoring Inc. to double-'B'-minus from double-'B' and its subordinated and convertible note ratings for the company to single-'B' from single-'B'-plus. The preliminary senior/subordinated ratings on the company's shelf filing are lowered to double-'B'-minus/single-'B' from double-'B'/single-'B'-plus. The ratings for Protection One are removed from CreditWatch with negative implications, where they were placed on Aug.17, 1999. The downgrade is based on deteriorating operating performance resulting in weaker credit protection measures and uncertainty associated with the strategic intentions of its majority owner, Western Resources Inc., for its stake in Protection One. Ratings reflect a highly leveraged financial profile and
