Success Story
City of Huntsville, AL
Honorable Mention 2004 FARA Public Safety False Alarm Achievement Award
Nominated By: Rex Bell, Huntsville,AL
Rationale:"HANDS ON IN HUNTSVILLE" (A CITY OF 170,000 IN THE HILLS OF NORTH ALABAMA)
November, 1996, Huntsville had about 5,450 alarm sites with no false alarm program. The Police were responding to better than 1,300 false alarms per month. With alarm system mass marketing starting in this market, steps needed to be taken and a False Alarm Ordinance was introduced and in full force by March, 1997.
The program is a "hands on" operation that is community oriented administered under the "Spirit of the Law" rather than under the "Letter of the Law". In the first 12 months over 800 alarm sites were personally visited, Appearances were made at all the civic clubs, business associations, schools, SeniorCenter and neighborhood centers. There was also media publicity where possible; the approach taken was "everyone must accept their responsibility as an alarm user".
Our alarm program does require the permitting/registering of all alarm sites. It requires the alarm companies and monitoring companies to register with the HPD, We have established policies regarding ethical selling proper installation, full review and explanation of the system to the alarm user and policies for the monitoring service to follow.
There has been a close working relationship with the members of the alarm industry from the beginning.
Classes for the alarm users are our primary enforcement program. We emphasize that every alarm user must "accept their responsibility as an alarm user", Our classes are a combination education and enforcement program that is user friendly. We conduct a monthly required class for alarm users with three or more nonexcused activations.
We also conduct "on site" classes for retailers, industry, financial institutions, churches, commercial sites, etc,, as well as, classes at Senior Centers, neighborhood civic centers, etc.
We make personal visits to problem sites; usually recommending upgrading of alarm systems. We also make visits to sites to help make suggestions for layout, etc, In addition, we are a mentor to other Jurisdictions in our area.
When one considers that this Jurisdiction put its alarm program into force with responding to over 1,300 false alarms a month from about 5,450 alarm sites and now in 2004 are responding to only 575 false alarms a month from some 18,000 alarm sites, we think our "hands on/community oriented program" of "it's everyone's responsibility to stop false alarms" is worth the effort and time put forth!
We have made mistakes but are learning from each and continuing to improve the program; yet keeping it "Community oriented".
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