Atherton Police Department Alarm Report 2024
The purpose of this report is to provide information on alarm permits, false alarms, real alarms and alarm revenue made while providing alarm monitoring and Police response services to the Atherton The False Alarm Billing Procedures were introduced shortly after Resolution 18-23 was approved by Council on October 17,2018. APD began educating residents in 2019 with alarm notification letters and eventually post cards mailed via US Mail to notify residents when APD responded to their residence for false alarm activations.
Resolution 18-23 amended the Town's Master Fee schedule to add an annual alarm permit fee and other fees associated with false alarms. The resolution established the following fees:
Description Fee
Initial Alarm Set up Fee $100
Annual Alarm System Service Fee (Jan 1) $50
False Alarm Fee Service Charge - Fee
One year period (12 months)
$400
$500
Subsequent alarms after 5 $600
Beginning in January 2023, alarm billing for alarm permits and false alarms was based on a calendar year schedule, January 1 through December 31.
In 2024, Atherton Police Dispatchers handled 1,408 alarm calls, either from the Bosch alarm panel in dispatch or from outside alarm companies/reporting parties calling into dispatch. Below is a breakdown by alarm type and numbers of alarms processed:
ALARMAUD - audible alarms heard in the area 50
ALARMDUR - panic/duress alarms 34
ALARMFD - fire alarms predominantly cleared out as 54
outside referral meaning the Fire Department
handled/responded, PD generally does not respond.
ALARM - general burglary alarms 1270
When an alarm comes into Dispatch, the process is lengthy. First, a call is created in CAD. Then, officers are dispatched to the address. While enroute to the address, the dispatcher is making phone calls to numbers listed in the premise file, trying to determine if the alarm is false or needing continued police response. Our most frequent alarm type is ALARM - general burglary alarms. Of the 1,270 general alarms that came into APD, below is a breakdown of the number and the disposition - how the alarm was cleared out.
537 Disregard/Cancel
340 1* False Alarm
122 2nd False Alarm
59 3rd False Alarm
4** False Alarm
5th False Alarm
12 6F Gth False Alarm (6 or more false
3 BI Beat Info
1 FA False Alarm - Not APD
Jurisdiction
2 LN Log Note
13 ML Malfunction
NA No Action - Info Only
OA
OK
10 00
128 OT
5 RT
Of the alarms received, three resulted in confirmed residential burglaries. All three alarms were called in by an outside alarm company.
FINANCE:
Finance provided the following financial information:
False Alarms 2024
Billed: $14,100 Paid: $9,700
4th $6,800
5th $$3,000
6**+ $1,400.00
Alarm Permits - in the process of revamping the alarm permit process New permits - 11 issued ($1,100)
Renewal permits issued - 6 ($300) |
379-25 Will neil to continue to bille
S-AA