False Alarm Reduction Achievement Award
Winner
Kansas City Police Department, Missouri
Nominated by: Mike Thoelke
Rationale: The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has accomplished significant false alarm reductions over the last five years. As you know, Kansas City, Missouri has a population of approximately 500,000 and is spread out over a four county area which has an excess of 300 square miles for its 1,400 sworn officers to police.
Kansas City has struggled with the problems created by false alarms since the early 1970’s. Between 1980 and 1997, several unsuccessful false alarm programs were tested. In July 1997, the current false alarm ordinance was passed. The ordinance has many weak points and differs from most model ordinances because the ability to fine alarm abusers in a timely manner is not included. In short, the ordinance requires alarm users to pay a $45 fee to obtain an alarm permit. The permit must be renewed each year. The renewal fee is determined by the user’s false alarm record during the previous permit year. If the alarm user has no false alarms, the permit renews at no charge. Those experiencing false alarms are charged a renewal fee of $25 per false alarm. Residential alarm users are allowed two “free” false alarms and have a $75 cap on their renewal fees. Commercial alarm users are charged a renewal fee of $25 per false alarm with no limitations on the renewal fee.
At first, the new ordinance did not appear to have much of an impact on the false alarm problem. The Department initially assigned two civilians to the Alarm Section and they had little time to address false alarm problems. Most of their workday was committed to issuing new permits and attempting to update permit records with the voluminous false alarm dispatch data. By mid-year in 2000, the Alarm Section was over ten months behind in its work and false alarms were still on the rise. In 2000, the 31,000 registered alarm users had 51,426 false alarms which resulted in a false alarm rate of 1.77 false alarms per user.
In October, 2000, I was appointed to my current position of Alarm Administrator. At that same time, the office staff was increased to include five Administrative Assistants. Within a few months, the Alarm Section became current with its workload and gained the ability to address false alarm problems as they arose. As a result, the number of false alarms in Kansas City has dropped significantly each of the years that have ensued. By the end of 2006, although the number of registered alarm users had increased 45% to 45,087, the number of false alarms for the year had been reduced 59% from the year 2000 to 20,911. The False alarm rate during this time frame dropped from 1.77 to 0.64 which is a 64% reduction – see attached chart for details.
During the last five years, the following Alarm Section policies and procedures have helped to identify alarm abusers and address their problems in a timely manner:
- Sites must have a valid alarm permit to be eligible for police response to alarm activations.
- Alarm permit applications are processed the day they are received.
- False alarm incidents are posted to permit records the next business day
- Informational letters are mailed to the alarm permit holder after their first, third and fifth false alarms.
- Permit holders receive a courtesy call from the Alarm Section staff after their third false alarm.
- For continued police response, residential permit holders must attend Alarm User Awareness Class once they have experienced six false alarms in a permit year.
- For continued police response, business permit holders must attend Alarm User Awareness Class once they have experienced ten false alarms in a permit year.
- Staff members are assigned to personally contact all alarm users summoned to alarm class to help them determine the source of their false alarm problem and to monitor their progress.
The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department’s “Alarm User Awareness Class” has been conducted monthly since November, 2001. Approximately 1,300 alarm permit holders have attended. Although numerous new permit holders have attended class, most of the attendees were alarm abusers whose attendance was mandatory for continued police response to their alarm calls. The class has been considered very successful because only 7% of the attendees had future false alarm problems. The class is patterned after the NBFAA model and was formed with the assistance of two local FARA members – you, from the Leawood Police Department and Debbie Austin and Jerry Tallman from the Overland Park Police Department. The Kansas City Burglar and Fire Alarm Association also has contributed heavily to the success of the class. The organization actively supports the class and its False Alarm Chairman, Joe Pfefer of the Jade Alarm Company has taught over fifty of the classes. Mr. Pfefer, who owns a local alarm installation and monitoring business, is extremely dedicated to teaching the class and gives individual problem-solving attention and advice to each attendee.
In summary, it is my opinion that the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has been successful in reducing the City’s false alarm problem even though its ordinance is less than ideal because:
The Department has staffed the Alarm Section adequately.
- False alarm problems are identified and addressed in a timely manner.
- Problem alarm users are contacted personally by the Alarm Section staff.
- The Alarm Section offers public education on solving and avoiding false alarms with its monthly presentation of the “Alarm User Awareness Class”.
- The local alarm industry professionals have partnered with the Alarm Section in addressing false alarm problem.
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