Pulaski

You are correct about the false alarms, BUT in your efforts to weed out false alarms your proposal would massively delay responses to a genuine break-in. If responses had to be verified by a security guard showing up I wouldn't bother to pay for an alarm service.

Might I suggest that you get your system inspected, and adjusted so that it doesn't go off in error. In the two and a half years, my alarm system has never been triggered accidentally, and there has only been one false alarm shortly after the alarm was installed when I left home in a hurry and forgot that the door alarm had been set overnight.

Cliffordc

According to false alarm statistics provided by the Orlando Police Department, 99.9% of the alarms reported were false. As a result, the cost of false alarms to the public rose to $216,000 in one year.

Pulaski

Which is why you were levied a fine!
Likewise! Sounds like your sensors are too sensitive. The motion detectors in our home are set off by a human being, but are not sensitive enough to be set off by a cat. As I said above, our system has never generated a true false alarm, just me being forgetful once.

Jerseygirl

We have had alarms for 35 years in the UK and US...can't say we have ever had a false alarm due to a spider crawling over the sensor. Besides...I thought sensors had got round that problem. Ours wasn't triggered by our small dog running around.

I would call ADT...get them to replace your existing system.

Nutmegger

Is this all hypothetical, or has this happened to you? My service immediately calls me to see if there has been an accidental activation, and if they don't reach me they then call the police to check the property. There's no point in having a central monitoring system if the company doesn't act upon an activation.

Jerseygirl

That's what our company did. A few years ago we were on holiday when the alarm company called saying the fire/smoke alarm in the loft had been activated. Their system didn't show smoke or fire...only heat. We called the local police...told them how to gain access to the house and asked if they would take a look. The police promptly called back saying they had checked the loft and house...and that the temp in the loft was very high so they left the trap door open.

Needless to say if fire had been detected their first call would have been to the emergency services.

Pulaski

Ours too - they called me when I triggered the door alarm, I told them what had happened and apologized for the error. Sheriff's deputies showed up anyway!

Jerseygirl

Off topic a little...our lock police dept were excellent. One morning I decided to call my parents in the UK. Instead of dialing 011 I must have misdialed and dialed 911. The call was quickly interrupted by the operator...I explained I must have misdialed. She asked me a few questioned then left me to continue my call. Within a couple of minutes there was banging on the front door. I was in my PJs so didn't bother...the banging got louder andlouder...so I took a look. There were several cop cars on my drive and cops around the house. I opened the door...the cop asked a lot of question and asked if they could come inside and take a look.

That's what I call good service.

Pulaski

I had something similar happen - I misdialed on my cell phone, note cell phone, but the phone wouldn't let me hang up, so it connected. I told the operator it was a bum dial, and hung up. A few minutes later an officer was at my door, even though it was my cell phone , to "check everything was OK".

I learned that if you need to cancell a 911 call they need certain information to prove that it is a genuine cancellation, not under duress or with malicious intent.

Jerseygirl

Yes that was obvious from the questions the operator asked...but she alerted the cops anyway.

Nutmegger

We have questions on file that the monitoring company asks to try to ensure that it really is us and we're not under duress.

Jerseygirl

Yes we had the same but the questions the operator and cops asked were obviously not previously arranged questions.

lansbury

My alarm company Protection One the initial call from the alarm goes to their own control room. They can then listen and talk to us using the alarm control box, or call us by phone. They make the determination to pass it to police or not.

If the panic button is pressed, or the alarm is turned off using the duress code they pass to the police immediately.

LondonSquirrel

Gosh you guys get good service, I don't think anyone takes a blind bit of notice in the UK if an alarm goes off! Certainly shop alarms will go on for hours.

My sister has a very good security system (alarms/CCTV) but I don't think it has ever been triggered accidentally, even though she's got a cat.

I think in the UK the idea is just that burglars would be put off by an alarm from even attempting breaking in. After all, why burgle a house with an alarm when there are plenty that haven't got one? Even if there is an alarm activation I believe it is a private company who do the monitoring and only if they verified a genuine alarm situation would police be called.

Jerseygirl

I think the service very much depends on where you live. Property taxes and donations pay for the local police and emergency services...our property taxes where extremely high. Many locals were heavy hitters when it came to donating.