Keefer: Law enforcement-alarm industry partnership remains effective

YARMOUTH, Maine — In February, Security Systems News (SSN) highlighted a growing discussion around alarm response and law enforcement workloads. Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) Executive Director Steve Keefer says the national picture shows a broader, more collaborative trend. 

Keefer said the discussion raises important points about the workloads imposed on law enforcement, but it misses a step in other concerns.  

“It presents an incomplete picture of national policy trends, overlooks the success of proven alarm-management strategies, and the expectation and desire of residents for police response to alarms,” said Keefer. “The facts are that, while a few public safety agencies cannot respond to alarms in a timely manner due to high workloads, they do not represent the majority of the nation’s 18,000 public safety agencies.” 

Created more than 20 years ago by the major North American alarm associations, including the Electronic Security Association (ESA), the Security Industry Association (SIA), The Monitoring Association (TMA) (formerly CSAA) and the Canadian Security Association (CANASA), SIAC has served as the industry’s single voice on alarm management issues. It works directly with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and state and local law enforcement groups to develop effective, balanced alarm-management policies nationwide. 

Keefer says the core partnership between law enforcement and the alarm industry remains highly effective, leading to a decline in false alarms in many communities. That may be due, in part, to the best practices and model ordinances developed collaboratively by SIAC and its partners, including: 

• Having grace for first-time mistakes 
• Escalating penalties only for chronic offenders 
• Using clear registration, appeals and user-education processes 
• Prioritizing response to situations where there is additional evidence of a crime in progress 

“Properly structured ordinances reduce false dispatches by 50% or more in many jurisdictions while maintaining response from highly trained police officers,” said Keefer. “Private response is appropriate in some circumstances, but it should not be marketed implicitly or explicitly as a substitute for effective public-safety partnerships and proven alarm management.” 

SIAC believes that the path to success lies in fostering collaboration among alarm companies, users, and law enforcement in a community. Regular reviews, community outreach, and ongoing education work to keep alarm programs effective, compliant, and trusted. 

“The future of alarm response is the current partnership between law enforcement and the electronic security industry,” Keefer said. “We can protect law enforcement resources and public safety together.”