Sonitrol’s Human Intel and Verification Protocols Reduce False Alarm Rates, Expedite Police Response Times

National False Alarm Rate as High as 98%, Unverified Alarms Costing Taxpayers Billions Annually

ORLANDO, FL- December 4, 2013-  Sonitrol, an industry leader in customized, state-of-the-art, verified electronic security solutions for homes and businesses, has dedicated the last 50 years to developing and refining their alarm verification technology.  Utilizing their impact-activated live audio and hands-on monitoring techniques, Sonitrol is able to better protect the properties it secures, while enabling law enforcement to respond quicker and more tactically to an imminent security threat.  As an increasing number of security companies provide their customers’ properties with universal—sometimes archaic— unverified security systems, the national false alarm rate remains as high as 98%.  Sonitrol’s operators employ verified response protocols, as they work with customers and local law enforcement around the clock, to deliver tailored solutions that best protect homes and businesses, and best utilize the resources of local police departments.

In the past decade,  the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)* reported that in just one year, $1.8 billion of taxpayers’ money was spent on police responses to over 36 million alarm activations around the country.  The COPS Report stated that between 94 and 98 percent of these alarms were false, and went on to conclude that the average security alarm’s reliability is generally between 2 and 6 percent, with only $40 million to $110 million (out of $1.8 billion) spent on legitimate alarm activations annually.

Each year, to combat the wasted resources and departmental inefficiencies experienced as a result of the high national false alarm rate, an increasing number of local governments throughout the United States continue to pass ordinances and regulations that penalize repeat—and even first-time—false alarm offenders.  Fines that can begin at around $100, and increase incrementally for each subsequent offense, are a first step that local governments often take in order to recoup the cost of false alarms, and to help mitigate the wasted time and resources of their local police. Many municipalities, such as the city of San Jose, CA, have even introduced Verified Response Regulations, stating that police will not respond to burglar alarms without prior verification. 

“Nationwide, false alarm frequency is at a shocking rate,” said Bruce Winner, Director of the Sonitrol brand.  “The level of inefficiency in the security intrusion industry regarding false alarms, and the unmitigated costs to taxpayers and local governments, is unacceptable.  Sonitrol’s highly trained operators, who monitor properties 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement departments and officers, utilizing the most proactive and productive alarm verification process in the industry to ensure each individual threat is treated as such, and that police are dispatched accordingly.”

The most common alarm company policy is to automatically request dispatch of local law enforcement at any indication of a triggered alarm.  These inefficient, unverified automated response protocols are the easiest way for most security companies and their central stations to attempt to monitor massive amounts of properties for as little money as possible.  While these generic security systems and protocols are cost-effective for the alarm companies, they do little to decrease the national false alarm rate, as high as 98%, or the estimated $1.7 billion spent annually on false alarm dispatches.   

Sonitrol’s verified alarm technology directly addresses the inefficiencies of other, sometimes passive alarm companies.  Sonitrol’s verified, impact-activated audio surveillance assures that there is an operator monitoring a secured property at all times when the system is armed, adding an element of human intelligence that is unmatched in the dispatch and response processes of other security companies. 

 “With impact-activated live audio, our operators are able to verify a threat to a property as the event is happening.  In addition to giving us the ability to provide police with as much information and detail as possible, we can even supply responding officers with a live audio feed to discreetly listen in on the situation currently taking place at the property. Police are able to approach situations more tactically, and are ultimately safer and more confident in responding to our alarms. At Sonitrol, we dislike false alarms as much as police do,” Winner stated.

*United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Problem-Oriented Guide for Police, Problem-Specific Guide Series No. 4, False Burglar Alarms 2nd Edition  http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/CDROMs/POP1_60/Problem-Specific/FalseBurglarAlarms2nd.pdf

About Sonitrol

Sonitrol Verified Electronic Security provides homes and businesses with a single source of integrated, state-of-the-art security solutions for audio intrusion detection, video, access and fire, all backed with professional monitoring by experienced, trained personnel. Sonitrol’s ability to verify an intrusion in real time, utilizing their impact-activated audio verification technology, offers unrivaled credibility with local law enforcement, and is a key advantage, as a growing number of municipalities and states pass Verified Response regulations requiring verification that an intrusion is actually taking place before police dispatch personnel to the site. Sonitrol has the highest apprehension rate in the industry, at over 170,000 —and the fewest dispatches for false alarms. Sonitrol offers integrated components to customize a solution that can expand easily with the growth of customers’ needs. Sonitrol’s trusted technology and responsive service provides peace of mind and a measure of quality that is unmatched in the industry. 

Sonitrol is available throughout the United States, Canada and the UK.

For more information, please call 1-877-SONITROL, or visit www.Sonitrol.com.

For more information, contact:
Jack Knott
jack@murphyknott.com
Murphy Knott Public Relations, Inc.
312-867-9177

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