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THE FALSE ALARM EPIDEMIC, AND HOW TWO-WAY VOICE CAN CURE IT

Make no mistake—you are not selling your customers an alarm system. You are selling emergency response. Without timely emergency response you are not providing the service that your customers are paying for.

Because false alarms are at epidemic proportions, alarm verification is the hot topic at virtually every law enforcement agency in the country. The time is coming where most or perhaps all communities will require a higher level of alarm verification before responding. In other words, if the alarm company cannot verify that a crime or emergency is in progress, the police will not respond! Don’t believe us, read the headlines!

First it was Las Vegas, then Salt Lake City, and now Los Angeles. Like a virus, verified response – the requirement that an alarm be physically confirmed prior to police dispatch – is spreading to other communities across the country. The false alarm virus is spreading and will likely kill the alarm industry as we know it unless something is done right away. (Security Systems & Integration, April 2004)

Fortunately, American Two-Way offers a much higher level of verified alarm response. Our two-way audio verification services give you the tools you need to ensure timely and appropriate emergency response when your customers need it. Two-Way voice sharply reduces the number of unnecessary dispatches your systems will generate.

At last count, 47 cities, both large and small, throughout the United States, are considering adoption of some form of verified alarm response.

(Security Systems & Integration, 7/02)

Your customers, monitored by American Two-Way, will appreciate the highest levels of customer service possible, the peace of mind that their two-way voice system gives them, and the protection they need in an emergency. All at some of the lowest prices in the industry!

Dec 22, 2003, Frisco, CO - A sheriff in Colorado is instituting a verified alarm policy

for his department’s response to burglar alarms after what he says are excessive

false alarms. (Security Systems & Integration, 12/22/03)

Read MORE Headlines!

Oakland May Not Respond to Alarms:

Jan 21, 2003, Oakland CA – Besieged by escalating violent crime and dwindling resources, Oakland Police is the first big Bay Area law enforcement agency to consider no longer responding to every burglar alarm.  (SS &I  4/27/04)

False Alarm Update: Winnipeg, Canada:

Police in the Canadian city of Winnipeg have announced that they will soon no longer respond to burglar alarms that have not been verified by an alarm provider.  (SS&I, 12/9/03)

SSN, Aug, 2002: Alarm industry tackles verified response issues: it’s been called the greatest issue facing the alarm industry, but the proliferation of policies that severely limit or eliminate response from local police or fire officials has seemed to be reaching a peak, industry veterans said, as municipality after municipality considers or adopts non-response policies.

SSI, Jul 2004: Milwaukee going to verified response:  Police in Milwaukee say as of Sept. 19, they won’t respond to burglar alarms unless they are verified by an alarm company representative at the site of the call.  The verified response policy…applies to all home and commercial burglar alarms in the Milwaukee area.

SSI, Jun 2004: False alarm update: verified response in effect in Yakima:  Verified response is now in effect for Yakima, WA.  Yakima officers will no longer respond to home and business burglar alarms without verification from the company that supplied the alarm.

SSI, Jul 2004: The city council in Raleigh, NC has approved a new false alarm structure that could mean as much as a $500 fine for a false alarm call and also calls for voluntary verified response among alarm owners.

SSN, Sep 2003: St. Louis, MO:  Thanks to a renewed insistence that alarm companies have identification numbers for each customer and keep records of installation permits, police here will no longer respond to all alarms at residences in the city.

Vacaville, CA – Police officials here will present a verified response policy to the City Council this month.  Under the proposed policy, alarm companies would be required to verify the need for police response by talking with a resident, neighbor or private security guard before calling the police. (SSN, 12/03)

January 18, 2004 – Broomfield Police Department, Letter from the Chief of Police Thomas C. Deland:

In an effort to reduce the number of false alarm responses and more efficiently deploy police resources, the Broomfield Police Department will institute a new Alarm Response Procedure.  The new policy mandates a police response whenever the alarm company….can provide additional information that confirms criminal activity is occurring at the site of the alarm.  Methods for confirming criminal activity include….audio devices monitored by the alarm company.

SSN, May 2004:  Salem police are no longer required to respond to unverified burglar alarms, due to a policy enacted by the city council.

SSN, Dec 2002: Olympia mulls response issues:  Local officials here are mulling their options, including verified response, as law enforcement and city officials try to find a solution to the false alarm problem.

SSN, June 2002: Verified response policy takes effect in one Canadian province:  Nova Scotia alarm dealers here are struggling to deal with a new blanket policy that required alarms to be verified before provincial authorities will respond.

Costs of Guard Response May Be Too Great for Some Providers:

The profitability of patrol guards is at the center of the issue of verified response.  No company wants to relay the additional costs to customers who could be priced out of a security system altogether. (SS&I, 9/03)

False Alarm Ordinance Watch:

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island – Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments here will no longer respond to non-verified alarms. (SSN, 12/03)