When Edwin Holmes, a Boston hoop-skirt manufacturer, developed what is considered to be the first electronic burglar alarm nearly 150 years ago his idea was simple – to scare away would-be thieves.
Holmes used the wiring experience he had gained from skirt-making to devise an electrically wired bell that would ring loudly when a door or window was opened. Before the days of the modern telephone, Holmes' design was meant to not just scare away the burglar, but alert his surrounding neighbors so that one of them would summon help from the local constable. After installing the first of these systems in his own home on February 21, 1858, Holmes then began successfully manufacturing and marketing these audible electronic alarms to wealthy home owners in crime-ridden New York City.
Since that time, there have been many technological advances in the development of security devices?yet the original premise of the electronic burglary system has remained virtually unchanged. That is, when an electrical circuit is opened or closed (e.g. a door is opened or a motion detector is activated), an audible alarm is sounded to scare away the would-be burglar, alert surrounding neighbors and lead to the summoning of police.
Unfortunately, although this tried and true method has been successfully used to protect homes and businesses for more than a century, its very design and operation can also lead to what is now becoming a growing problem for companies and municipalities nationwide: the burglary system false alarm.
Putting the inconvenience of a late night phone call for the business owner aside, more major issues face those involved in a false alarm situation.
Unnecessary calls to local police departments drain valuable manpower and resources that would otherwise be dedicated to other public safety efforts. In the City of Carlsbad specifically, it is estimated that the police department responds to an average of 300 false alarm calls every month. Of those calls, the overwhelming majority are from commercial businesses with audible alarm systems that have falsely activated at least three times or more within a given year.
Estimating that an officer spends less than twenty minutes for the offense, responding to the business, inspecting the premises for burglary and writing a report, the average number of false alarms still translates into a loss of eighty plus hours of valuable police time for the City each month. Factoring in the cost of subsequent false alarm fines and the administrative costs for both the city and local business owners, the true cost of a security system can be…well, alarming.
Still, there are steps a business can and should take to minimize the number of false alarms that are activated from their traditional security systems. By properly maintaining the alarm system and ensuring all users know how to operate it, false alarms due to user error can be diminished. In addition, the sensitivity of interior motion sensors can be lessened to limit the number of activations due to dust, insects or other objects that may be mistaken for an intruder. Of course, decreasing the sensitivity of a motion sensor can also mean decreasing the security of your building's interior, so err on the side of caution when considering this option.
Lastly, companies with chronic false alarm problems can also consider installing cost-effective 'verified' burglary systems. Whether using audio or video technology, verified burglary systems can allow a security company's central monitoring station to listen to or view the business' premises from an offsite location. They can then confirm or 'verify' that a burglary is actually being attempted before the police are notified.
By implementing these types of silent alarm systems, police are then spared unnecessary false alarm calls, business owners can have increased protection without endless fines from the city and the true cost of crime can be better shouldered by those who deserve it most, the criminals and vandals that cost the Carlsbad business community and taxpayers millions of dollars in losses every year.
Gregg Gragnani is North County Business Development Manager for Sonitrol Security of San Diego. One of the largest security companies in the nation, Sonitrol's verified audio security systems have protected commercial, educational and governmental facilities nationwide for nearly fifty years. Visit www.sonitrol.com for more information.
Holmes used the wiring experience he had gained from skirt-making to devise an electrically wired bell that would ring loudly when a door or window was opened. Before the days of the modern telephone, Holmes' design was meant to not just scare away the burglar, but alert his surrounding neighbors so that one of them would summon help from the local constable. After installing the first of these systems in his own home on February 21, 1858, Holmes then began successfully manufacturing and marketing these audible electronic alarms to wealthy home owners in crime-ridden New York City.
Since that time, there have been many technological advances in the development of security devices?yet the original premise of the electronic burglary system has remained virtually unchanged. That is, when an electrical circuit is opened or closed (e.g. a door is opened or a motion detector is activated), an audible alarm is sounded to scare away the would-be burglar, alert surrounding neighbors and lead to the summoning of police.
Unfortunately, although this tried and true method has been successfully used to protect homes and businesses for more than a century, its very design and operation can also lead to what is now becoming a growing problem for companies and municipalities nationwide: the burglary system false alarm.
Putting the inconvenience of a late night phone call for the business owner aside, more major issues face those involved in a false alarm situation.
Unnecessary calls to local police departments drain valuable manpower and resources that would otherwise be dedicated to other public safety efforts. In the City of Carlsbad specifically, it is estimated that the police department responds to an average of 300 false alarm calls every month. Of those calls, the overwhelming majority are from commercial businesses with audible alarm systems that have falsely activated at least three times or more within a given year.
Estimating that an officer spends less than twenty minutes for the offense, responding to the business, inspecting the premises for burglary and writing a report, the average number of false alarms still translates into a loss of eighty plus hours of valuable police time for the City each month. Factoring in the cost of subsequent false alarm fines and the administrative costs for both the city and local business owners, the true cost of a security system can be…well, alarming.
Still, there are steps a business can and should take to minimize the number of false alarms that are activated from their traditional security systems. By properly maintaining the alarm system and ensuring all users know how to operate it, false alarms due to user error can be diminished. In addition, the sensitivity of interior motion sensors can be lessened to limit the number of activations due to dust, insects or other objects that may be mistaken for an intruder. Of course, decreasing the sensitivity of a motion sensor can also mean decreasing the security of your building's interior, so err on the side of caution when considering this option.
Lastly, companies with chronic false alarm problems can also consider installing cost-effective 'verified' burglary systems. Whether using audio or video technology, verified burglary systems can allow a security company's central monitoring station to listen to or view the business' premises from an offsite location. They can then confirm or 'verify' that a burglary is actually being attempted before the police are notified.
By implementing these types of silent alarm systems, police are then spared unnecessary false alarm calls, business owners can have increased protection without endless fines from the city and the true cost of crime can be better shouldered by those who deserve it most, the criminals and vandals that cost the Carlsbad business community and taxpayers millions of dollars in losses every year.
Gregg Gragnani is North County Business Development Manager for Sonitrol Security of San Diego. One of the largest security companies in the nation, Sonitrol's verified audio security systems have protected commercial, educational and governmental facilities nationwide for nearly fifty years. Visit www.sonitrol.com for more information.