Do Police Respond to Home Alarms?

Does law enforcement respond to home alarm systems like Ring or ADT? Unfortunately, not always. In fact, more cities are implementing “no response” policies for unverified alarms. Discover how police response data works and find out how to select an alarm system that offers effective protection.

Property owners with security systems often feel safer and more protected, which is a natural reaction to having measures in place to deter crime.

But there’s an important question to consider: is this sense of security really justified? For example, when an alarm goes off, can a traditional system reliably alert the police when it matters? Plus, once they’re notified, how effectively do law enforcement agencies respond to home alarms?

Research and statistics show different response times and rates of false alarms, which can make people skeptical about how effective these systems really are. Plus, some police departments have recently implemented new policies that they no longer dispatch officers to burglary alarms without any supporting evidence.

Let’s take a closer look at these questions to uncover the realities behind home security systems and how they affect our peace of mind.

When home alarm systems are activated, does law enforcement respond?Title

Unfortunately, not always. A police response is not guaranteed when alarms go off — and those responses are likely to become even less common.

Why is that? A big reason for the police response to home alarms has to do with the prevalence of false alarmsA. Sometimes alarm systems go off accidentally, whether it’s due to user mistakes, pets, or other non-emergency situations. In fact, the vast majority of alarms are false. These false alarms can lead to unnecessary call-outs, wasting precious police time and resources.

Some police departments have implemented new no-response policies for home alarms.Title

The Seattle Police DepartmentA is the most recent to announce such a policy. Moving forward, Seattle officers will not respond to home burglary alarms unless there is supporting evidence.

What counts as evidence, you might ask? Think video or audio proof, panic alarms, or actual eyewitness accounts.

But that’s not good news for those homeowners who don’t have monitored surveillanceA. Most home alarm systems have sensors that can trigger false alarms without a live guard to verify their legitimacy. These policy changes should encourage homeowners and security companies to seek out more reliable options.

RELATED POST: The Harsh Reality of Home Security Systems & Their Response TimesA

What does the data reveal about police response rates?Title

We wanted to know: What’s the truth about police response rates to home alarms? To find out, we launched our own study. We looked at all 765 U.S. cities with a population of 50,000 or more to see how police respond to home alarms — and the results were surprising.

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. (For reference, cities with populations near 50,000 include Galveston, Texas, and Coral Gables, Florida.) This might seem counterintuitive since larger municipalities generally have more substantial police coverage than rural or remote suburban areas.

Among American cities with 1 million or more residents, nearly 80% have no guaranteed police coverage for their alarms. Police in these cities, ranging from New York City to San Jose, either have a policy that they will not respond to alarm calls or cannot guarantee they will respond to these calls.

A total of 26 cities with a combined population of 7,218,593 residents categorically will not respond to alarm calls. This represents 6% of the total 126 million people covered by the study.

These figures are, for lack of a better word, alarming. Do police respond to home alarms every time? Absolutely not. Not even close.

Here are the 10 biggest U.S. cities with no response policies to home alarms.Title

Police response to home alarm calls varies from state to state. In the map below, states with lighter colors are more likely to respond when alarms notify the police. Those in deep red — with cities that will not respond or do not guarantee a response — are more likely to be in danger during an emergency.

These findings dispel the myth that police rush to the scene when alarms sound from providers like ADT, Vivint, Protect America, SimpliSafe, and others. And yet, almost all consumers who have installed an alarm system believe that when their systems contact the police, they will respond.

So why aren’t the cops coming?

An estimated 95% of alarm calls are false.Title

A key reason for the lack of police response to home security calls is the prevalence of false alarmsA. According to data from the Center for Problem-Oriented PolicingA, police respond to more than 36 million alarm activations every year in the United States, which costs an estimated $1.8 billion. The vast majority of these calls are false.

We spoke to law enforcement agencies across the country — and found that 95% of alarm calls are false.

As a result, officers have mostly just stopped responding to alarms from alarm companies. This is because responding to these alarms can be really expensive and takes up agency resources that could be better spent on tackling actual offenses.

Many cities have even started handing out fines for false alarms, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Jacksonville.

“After conducting preliminary surveys with law enforcement officers, agencies, and consumers, we learned that police view alarm companies like most people view car alarms. They overwhelmingly believe that a majority of alarm calls they get will be bogus, with only 1% being the real deal,” said David Selinger, CEO and Founder of Deep Sentinel. “We chose to dig a little deeper to get a broader view of the problem across America. Our research offers a better understanding of how false alarms affect homeowners who have installed alarm systems. They are living with a false sense of security by thinking that installing an alarm means that the police will respond.”

RELATED POST: 2023 Property Crime Statistics: 10 Stats Property Managers Should KnowA

How can homeowners ensure a police response to alarms?Title

If you believed that your alarm system provided police protection in the event of an emergency, you’re certainly not alone in that misconception. So what can you do to ensure a more reliable police response?

One effective solution is to consider a monitored surveillance system like Deep SentinelA, which is proven to have a higher police response rate than traditional alarm systems.

Unlike traditional alarm systems, Deep Sentinel employs live security guards who verify threats in real time through CCTV monitoring. This live verification ensures that when an alert is sent to local law enforcement, it’s based on a confirmed threat, significantly increasing the likelihood of a police response.

It’s proven that law enforcement agencies have been more responsive to Deep Sentinel’s verified reports, acknowledging their reliability and the reduced risk of false alarms.

By opting for a security solution like Deep Sentinel, homeowners can gain peace of mind knowing that their system provides a tangible and effective layer of protection, ensuring a prompt police response when it’s genuinely needed.