To our members:

Recent press releases have been distributed by member company Sonitrol Corporation and the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) concerning verified response.

In its press release, Sonitrol touts a study it commissioned that says verified response is a solution to controlling false alarms. SIAC, on the other hand, feels the press release distributed by Sonitrol is nothing more than a self-serving brochure for the company.

The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association has taken a clear stance against verified response and stands behind SIAC and its mission. The goal of this e-alert is simply to inform you of an issue that has been brought to our attention.

Study Probes Verified Response
Burglar Alarm Effectiveness

Sonitrol-Commissioned Research Explores Police Experience with Responding to Verified-Only Alarms

BERWYN, Pa., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A staggering 94% to 98% of all alarm activations that police respond to are false, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A new study explores how police departments are combating this problem by only responding to burglar alarms that have first been verified electronically or by eyewitness. The study shows that the police were able to reduce their dispatch rate by an average of 72 percent, freeing officers' time for higher priority duties. At the same time, the report shows that burglary rates declined in the majority of the jurisdictions with this policy in place for over one year.

The independent study, commissioned by Sonitrol Corporation, a provider of verified electronic security solutions, is titled "Verified Response: Lessons Learned - A Survey of 20 Police Departments across North America with Verified Response Policies." It offers one of the most extensive studies to date of Verified Response, an increasingly popular policy whereby police will respond to an alarm only if it can first be verified through audio, video or by an eyewitness. The survey of 20 departments in the U.S. and Canada that have had Verified Response policies in place for more than a year explores rationales for adopting such policies, as well as the resulting impact on false alarms, police dispatch, crime and apprehension rates.

"Despite assertions that Verified Response would lead to an automatic increase in burglary rates, this research finds these concerns to be largely unfounded," said Sonitrol President Alex Gellman. "This paper shows that Verified Response is a reasonable and legitimate approach for cities looking to combat the false alarm epidemic. Sonitrol supports Verified Response because the status quo of a 98% false alarm rate is unacceptable and wastes police resources. It is also significant that 75% of the police departments interviewed now include electronic verification in their policies. We believe the inclusion of audio and video surveillance in Verified Response is critical for an optimal solution."

The study's key findings include:

• After Verified Response was in place, Police Dispatch rates were reduced an average of 72%
• 69% of the 16 jurisdictions providing specific data show the burglary rate declined, while 31% increased, following adoption of Verified Response
• Many indicated that they have been able to free officers' time to pursue higher priority duties and respond more quickly to verified burglaries
• 75% of the 20 police departments surveyed will respond to monitored audio and/or video alarms
• 100% of the 20 respondents believe Verified Response was and still is the right solution
• In all instances, initial public concern quickly dissipated through public education

The research was commissioned at a time when police departments are being increasingly challenged by the need to respond to all burglar alarms even though, as previously noted, 94% to 98% of all alarm activations are false. Additionally, in a post-9/11 world, many departments have been forced to take on additional law enforcement duties and increased Homeland Security responsibilities, despite budget cuts. As a result, some 30 departments in North America have successfully implemented Verified Response to reduce the amount of time wasted responding to false alarms, allowing them to re-deploy police officers to higher priority calls.

"Verified Response: Lessons Learned - A Survey of 20 Police Departments across North America with Verified Response Policies" is available at http://www.sonitrol.com/vr.

About Sonitrol:

Sonitrol Corporation (Berwyn, PA) was founded by a police officer nearly 50 years ago. The company's security technology was created to reduce false alarms and increase apprehensions through verified response. Sonitrol's proprietary audio verification capability has assisted local law enforcement in the apprehension of more than 155,000 criminals since 1977. Its integrated suite of offerings includes audio intrusion alarms, access control, video surveillance and fire detection. For more information on Sonitrol and its integrated security solutions, please visit the company's website at http://www.sonitrol.com.

A Statement from the Security Industry Alarm Coalition
Concerning a Recent Study of Verified Response

The study is a last desperate attempt to breathe life into an outdated concept that has been rejected by the vast majority of the law enforcement community. After more than six years of heavy promotion, fewer than 30 of the nation’s 18,000 police departments use some form of verified response.

• It does nothing to reduce crime
• It is universally unpopular with alarm users
• There are better, more effective ways to resolve alarm issues

Technology has made verified response obsolete. More than 200 million Americans now have cell phones. Enhanced Call Verification (ECV), by which alarm company dispatchers use multiple phone calls to weed out unnecessary dispatches has cut dispatches by up to 64 percent with no loss of police response and no requirement that the alarm owner purchase new equipment.

In addition, utilizing updated control panels built to the CP-01 standard for new installations reduces user error, the number one cause of alarm activations. With CP-01 equipment, ECV and other industry suggestions, communities have successfully reduced dispatches by more than 70 percent.

Audio verification is one form of verification but not necessarily a technology for reducing alarm dispatches. In Phoenix, systems with audio verification had a dispatch rate 3 times greater than the industry average; Montgomery County, Maryland is twice the industry average.

It is not surprising that a handful of departments that have implemented verified response think it is an effective program. To say otherwise would be to admit they made a mistake and offer their citizens less protection than the vast majority of police departments around the country. Many of the departments that adopted verified response are severely understaffed and have crime rates that are far above the national average for both property and violent crime.

We believe that the media, as well as civic leaders and police officials, will see the “study” as a marketing brochure for a company that is promoting a failed and outdated policy for its own financial gain at the expense of public safety.

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