The Harsh Reality of Home Security & Alarm Response Times
Home security systems are meant to keep intruders at bay and notify the authorities, but delays in alarm response can really weaken their effectiveness. Discover what causes these delays, like system glitches or human mistakes. By understanding these issues, homeowners can make smarter choices about their security and boost their overall safety.
Research tells us that about 60% of burglars will avoid houses with a security system. And you’re 300% more likely to be burglarized if you don’t have one. But that also means that 40% of bad actors aren’t deterred by traditional security systems… and this statistic continues to grow year after year.
Couple that with the fact that there were 6.4 million property crimes in 2023, and it’s clear that there are a lot of break-ins taking place at homes with and without security systems in place.
The truth is that home security systems don’t always offer the level of protection you may think — and a big reason is because of the average alarm response time.
How long does it take home security companies to respond to alarms?
During an attempted burglary, your security provider’s response time is the difference between an emergency and safety.
Here’s what most people think happens: Your alarm goes off, and your security company springs into action. They immediately call you to confirm you’re okay, and then also call 911 when necessary.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
You may be surprised to learn that response times can vary wildly from company to company. And for most, the average response time can take minutes — which is often more than enough time for crimes to be successfully carried out.
How is response time measured? Response time refers to the total time for two separate actions to take place:
- The allotted time you’re given to enter your code before the alarm is triggered,
- And the time it takes the security provider to be notified of a triggered alarm.
And these response times can quickly add up:
With many providers, the user can program a delay between entering and an alarm triggering. This gives you time to punch in a disarm code. Some, like Brinks, may be up to 45 seconds. ADT ranges from 10 to 30 seconds and Frontpoint ranges from 30 to 45 seconds, while Guardian and Xfinity are up to a solid minute. That’s how long it takes for the alarm to go off in the first place. And these numbers represent the average. Several providers allow the homeowner to set the delay up to 2-3 minutes.
Then, once an alarm is actually triggered, the service provider needs to be notified and initiate their response. That can easily tack on another 15-45 seconds or more, depending on a variety of factors like cell reception or whether you’re using a wireless or landline system.
This means that the response time could be as long as two and a half minutes in total. And when there’s a true emergency, each second that goes by can lead to more damage.
Plus, as all this time has gone by, no one has notified the homeowner or the authorities yet.
What actually happens when a home alarm is triggered?
For most providers in the home security industry, the typical response after a triggered alarm is to attempt to reach the homeowner or primary contact. They’ll call the contact number — not once, but two or even three times. If the provider can’t make contact or the homeowners don’t know why the alarm is going off, then (and only then) are the police informed of a possible break-in.
From start to finish, you’re looking at an average of eight minutes before the police are notified. Then add however long it then takes them to respond (an average of ten minutes, according to most sources).
That’s where the traditional alarm system proves ineffective. In eight minutes, most burglars have more than enough time to break in, take what they want, damage your home, and get out.
Unfortunately, most police departments do not respond to home security alarms.
In order to take action, most police departments need some additional verification of a crime or emergency in addition to the alarm.
For more than 40% of residents living in U.S. cities with a population of 50,000 or more, the police will not respond or will not guarantee a response to residential alarm calls. And among American cities with 1 million or more residents, that number jumps to 80% without a guaranteed police response.
Several police departments across the U.S. have recently introduced no-response policies. In other words, without verification they don’t respond at all. The Seattle Police Department is the most recent to announce such a policy.
That’s because 95% of the time when home alarms go off, it’s due to a false alarm. Forgotten codes, mail deliveries, or even a squirrel on the porch can all trigger an alarm. With statistics like that, is it any wonder that most police departments can’t prioritize home security alarms?
U.S. police agencies respond to over 36 million home security alarms every year at the cost of $1.8 billion. Most of them are false alarms, wasting valuable time and money while taking resources away from actual crimes in progress.
RELATED POST: Do Police Respond to Home Alarms?
How can homeowners guarantee a police response when their alarm system is triggered?
If the home security company can verify that a crime is in progress, then law enforcement will respond accordingly.
What does verification look like? Verification can take several forms, including video surveillance, audio monitoring, or confirmation from a witness. Verification reduces false alarms by 95% while significantly decreasing the average response time. Most often, verification needs a human witness to confirm something is wrong.
So in order for a security solution to guarantee a police response, it must do four things:
- Quickly weed out false threats such as pets, visitors, animals, and deliveries.
- Identify an actual threat at the perimeter of your home, not once someone has set foot in your home.
- Put human eyes, ears, and voices on the scene immediately, and then call the police to verify the emergency.
- Provide law enforcement with up-to-the-second details of a verified crime in progress when necessary.
This kind of solution would take the total response time from minutes to seconds. It’s the kind of solution that the police would design themselves. And it’s the solution that prevents crimes instead of just detecting them.
So what security solution does that? A proactive surveillance camera system with live security guards, like Deep Sentinel.
Without real-time human verification and engagement, a home security system is much less effective at preventing crime. Deep Sentinel takes real-time steps to deter criminals and alert police as the situation unfolds beyond the front door. All in 30 seconds or less.
When selecting your next security solution, count every second.
Because every second counts.
Need a Solution that Prevents Crime?
Deep Sentinel is the only security technology that delivers the experience of a personal guard on every customer’s home and business. Visit deepsentinel.com or call 833-983-6006