Police are stretched extremely thin, which makes an increase in calls even more problematic. Ultimately, it creates slower response times, and that doesn’t serve anyone except criminals. The proliferation of alarm systems in recent years has caused a real problem with false alarms. Police Departments report that up to 98% of alarms are false, and this represents an enormous waste of time they could spend responding to actual emergencies.
There are any number of things that can cause a burglar alarm to go off, ranging from human error, to faulty equipment, rodents or other pests, and low power. For each false alarm, police spend up to $400 in taxpayer money answering it, which is why many departments today charge for false alarms. It is one way to defray the cost of sending officers out on an unnecessary call – but for people who actually need the police, the fact that false alarmers are being fined is of little solace.
Video Becomes a Requirement for Police Response
The false alarm problem has become so big that cities like Detroit have upped the ante and will respond to alarms only if the owner can prove that an officer is needed. They will only send an officer out if the alarm has been validated by a third-party security company or a building owner at the property.
If video systems or remote video monitoring (RVM) solutions are in place, the owners or security companies and business owners can avoid going physically to the crime scene if they send a videotape of the crime to the 911 operator. “Video Alarm Verification (VAV),” as it is called, has been around for a long time, but now more police departments are requiring it, in an attempt to reduce the number of false alarms.
How Pro-Vigil Decreases False Alarms
There are several ways that Pro-Vigil mitigates false alarms. First of all, in most cases our “virtual security guards” can tell right away whether or not an alarm is genuine because we will see the presence of a criminal on video. Because our RVM solutions are powered by AI, our systems can analyze video events faster and only alert our virtual guards to the most pressing issues. Second, since we are mostly deployed on the outside of businesses, we can detect malefactors before they have a chance to attack the core business and trip an alarm. Third, we contact law enforcement as a last resort. We will have used all sorts of audio and visual deterrents before we call law enforcement and, with the help of our artificial intelligence, we can send 911 centers VAV very quickly.
We also detect crime in areas that typically don’t have alarm systems – outside of a building or in remote locations – so we can catch criminals in situations where there is no risk of them tripping an alarm.
The bottom line is, whatever police regulations are in your area, we can comply and, equally important, eliminate financial penalties and police officer waste from false alarms. This helps police departments and, most importantly, makes our customers more secure and profitable. For more information contact Pro-Vigil today.
