Today we’re going to talk a bit about false alarms and how we reduce them with video verified alarms.
The problem with standard alarm systems is that they are essentially blind. We have electronic sensors and switches, and whether they be a door contact or a motion detector or any other kind of sensor, they only know that they have been tripped, they don’t know how, or by what or who. With motion detectors, this is especially troublesome because we never really know if the motion was caused by a person or something else.
If its something else, say a spider crossing the front of the motion detector, or a curtain blowing, or an animal the system sees it as exactly the same type of motion as if it were a human being. When we’re talking about outdoor systems such as those protecting outdoor storage lots, HVAC units, fenced lots, rooftops or anything else, this becomes a real nuisance.
Eventually, with enough false alarms, the police stop responding, or at the very least, it stops being a priority call for them to respond to.
False alarm rates have an enormous impact on the response of the authorities, which is why we actively design systems to limit falsing and increase verification before dispatch. This has a double effect on quality. The first effect is that we are simply reducing the number of calls the police get from Hoosier Security and increasing the percentage of those calls that are real intrusions. The second effect is a result of our SITEWATCH system.
SiteWatch takes a motion detector, outdoor or indoor, and adds a wireless video camera. When the system sees motion, it sends a live 10-second clip to our operators who can then verify if its an animal or a real person doing something they’re not supposed to be doing. This further reduces the false alarms by eliminating dispatches caused by false sources of motion, but exponentially increases the quality of the calls we DO send to the police dispatchers.
When the operator says, I SEE A PERSON DOING XYZ, the call stops being a simple alarm call, of which 99% are false and becomes a verified crime in progress. This leads to DRASTICALLY reduced response times.
See, police departments know the stats on false alarms. 99% of alarm calls are false, and not all calls to police dispatch are equal. In most jurisdictions, police responded to a standard alarm call can take up to 20 minutes, even longer in some jurisdictions.
With systems like SITEWATCH those response times are drastically reduced because there is a genuine opportunity to catch a bad guy, cops like to catch bad guys. With SITEWATCH, you’re looking at an average of 6 minutes. In some cases, that is 6 minutes from siren to cuffs because of all the additional information that SITEWATCH offers the police department when compared to a traditional alarm.
This technology can be applied to all kinds of applications because it’s so versatile. It can be installed as an add-on to a standard residential or small commercial alarm, but where it really shines is when the conditions are less than ideal. Because SITEWATCH can be run entirely on battery power for up to 3-4 years and requires no phone line, it can be installed ANYWHERE, and by anywhere, I mean ANYWHERE. No power? No problem. No phone line? No problem.
Rooftop HVAC keeps getting stolen or tampered with? No problem. The construction site that doesn’t even have walls yet? No problem, SITEWATCH can cover it. Vacant Property? No problem. Outdoor lot coverage that currently gets lots of false alarms? No problem, that’s our specialty!
Because SITEWATCH can be run on batteries it’s also extremely portable from property to property, so its ideal for users whose security needs may not always be at the same place, as construction companies.
So, when you’re looking to secure your outdoor assets, consider SITEWATCH from Hoosier Security. Contact us at 317-644-0570 or by clicking on the request a quote button.
