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Enhanced Call Verification Cuts Alarms in Sparks, NV by 27%

Responding to false alarms in Nevada has cost the Sparks Police time and money in past years, but a year-old ordinance has resulted in fewer calls and actually generated money for the department.

Since March 2007, when the council approved the ordinance that implemented a call-verification system, the number of calls that required police response was down more than 27 percent, saving taxpayers an estimated $27,539, Police Chief John Dotson ssaid.

Meanwhile, the department collected more than $130,000 in fines, and that money has been used to purchase items for the police department, including new ballistic vests and a digital recording and transcription system.

He said since contracting with the company Alarm Tracking and Billing Inc., the collection of fees is much improved over past years in which the majority of fines went uncollected.

Dotson said Sparks has 42 alarm service providers who serve 3,131 registered users in the city. That includes business and residential customers.

The enhanced call-verification system ensures the validity of an alarm.

For instance, instead of automatically dispatching police, the contracted alarm monitoring company will attempt to contact the alarm site or user by using two designated phone numbers before making a police dispatch request. Police will respond to the alarm once the monitoring company has completed the call verification protocol and determines the signal is valid.

"A vast majority are human-error false alarms," Dotson said, saying a person usually enters an incorrect code or fails to enter the required code in time.

The residents or businesses are fined $75 for the first false alarm call. After three false alarms, the users face suspension.

"There are no free rides anymore," Dotson said.

He said Reno is rewriting its ordinance in dealing with false alarms and using the Sparks ordinance as a model.