APPLETON REDUCES CALLS FOR ALARM REPONSE BY 35 PERCENT
APPLETON, Wisconsin (February 8, 2008) – The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) announced today that the City of Appleton, WI, has reduced their number of unnecessary alarm dispatches by over 35 percent through the institution of a more stringent city alarm ordinance. This new ordinance, which became effective on January 1, 2007, encompasses a cooperative partnership between the Appleton Police Department and the alarm companies servicing the citizens and businesses of Appleton.
“Our new alarm reduction strategy has resulted in a 35.5 percent decrease in the number of alarm dispatches, as compared with the baseline statistics for 2005,” stated Captain Julie Bahr of the Appleton Police Department. “In 2005, there were 1,025 alarm dispatches and in 2007, we only had 661. This new policy and partnership resulted in 364 fewer calls for service.”
“Through this partnership between the city government and the alarm industry, the alarm reduction strategy set in place by city officials has proven to be a successful model for other communities in Wisconsin,” said SIAC Executive Director Stan Martin. “We are encouraged by the results we have seen in Appleton and look forward to working with other communities in the state to help reduce their alarm dispatches.”
The new alarm ordinance requires that alarm companies obtain an alarm permit and use Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) prior to contacting the police department to request an officer respond to an alarm activation. Under ECV, alarm monitoring companies contact alarm customers via two separate telephone numbers in order to verify the need for police response.
In addition to ECV, the new ordinance increased fees charged to the alarm customers for repeated alarm dispatching. If an alarm location has more that 12 unnecessary dispatches within a six-month period, the police department may suspend response to alarm activation until the alarm location issues have been resolved.
“We have been working closely with all the alarm companies in Appleton and as a result we currently have no locations with a suspended response,” concluded Captain Bahr. “We are very excited to continue working together enforcing the new ordinance to even further reduce dispatches in 2008.”
ABOUT SIAC
SIAC is comprised of four major North American security associations--Canadian Security Association (CANASA), Security Industry Association (SIA), Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), and the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA)--representing one voice for the alarm industry on alarm management issues. SIAC’s primary charter is to significantly reduce calls for service while strengthening the lines of communication with law enforcement professionals and end users. For more information, contact www.SIACinc.org.