Alternatives To Traditional Public Safety Delivery Systems Alarm Systems Management

Author : Institute for Local Self Government
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (791 download)

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Download or read book Alarm Systems Management written by Institute for Local Self Government and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Falsing" is a police and alarm industry term denoting a growing problem for police administrators who claim that nearly 90% of all activated alarms are false. The security industry prefers to differentiate false alarms, limiting them only to those resulting from equipment malfunction. This distinction is unacceptable since every alarm requires police response. The false alarm problem is now so acute and widespread that many departments either assign low priority for patrol response and investigation or leave the decision to the patrol officer. Drastic consequences now attend the falsing problem. Akin to the boy crying "Wolf," the alarm is presumed false and responding officers tend to be less apprehensive and alert, or don't respond at all. The problem is compounded when alarm bell ringing provokes citizen telephoning which impairs normal police communication. There are other serious consequences from widespread installation and use of alarm systems, the falsing rate and the lack of police response. This report examines the falsing problem and discusses various alternatives which are designed to ameliorate the excessive number of false alarms. The position adopted by the Institute regarding falsing is that the crux of the problem is attributed to inadequate alarm system management. The proliferation of burglar alarms has occurred within the past decade and prior to this time no effort was taken to insure accountability. Municipalities had adequate public safety staff in which to respond to the high number of false alarms. Rapid expansion in alarm installation (and subsequent increase numbers of falsings) coupled with diminishing government financial resources to support large numbers of police staff has caused a situation in which alarms, as a police tool, are in danger of becoming ineffectual. Review of all past and current research and literature on the false alarm problem discloses, in sum, more diagnosis than prognosis. Moreover, research also discloses, unfortuantely, widespread application of remedies which are counterproductive to the basic purpose of alarm installation, namely, the apprehension of criminals whose activity, through the alarm signal, can be reported to police in sufficient time for immediate response, capture and conviction. The primary response adopted by cities in handling the falsing is through adoption of punitive ordinances which penalize the customer through fines, if not eventual termination of police response. Other methods re viewed in this report all point to a piecemeal approach. The problem, however, requires the development of a community security plan which views alarms as part of a whole system. Incrementalism is only postponing a more comprehensive approach which will be required when the absolute number of alarm installations exceed current response capabilities. It is postulated that the public will not continue to accept curtailment of police response as a remedy to falsing. The report develops a framework for cities to develop a community security master plan. The plan is based on the efforts achieved through Fire Master Planning as developed by the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration. This plan is designed to enable cities to evaluate current efforts in alarm system management and to assess the alternatives which are discussed in the report. The alarm management alternatives are all based on the assumption that more centralization of authority is necessary if adequate control over falsing is to be assumed. Centralization of authority can be vested in either the private or public sector. Private sector alarm service delivery is discussed in the forms of consolidation and franchising. Public sector service provision is through expansion of technical personnel subsidized by user service fees. In either type of service delivery, moreover, accountability is achieved. The report ends with a look at the prospects offered through future technology such as the "wired city" concept wherein every home is connected to an alarm system. No date is set when such a system is to be developed, though the technology is already available. The point is that the alarm problem will not go away on its own; proliferation of alarms is inevitable. Steps must now be taken to address the problem in its full magnitude through an adequate and effective alarm management system. This report is directed toward elected public officials who may not be familiar with alarm technology but who are or will be responsible for managing the public safety resources committed as a result of alarms. Based on the data collected, various alternative alarm system management approaches were considered on the basis of the problems and difficulties identified in existing practices.