Importance of Security Alarm Verification During Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic

We are sailing through uncharted waters, with many unknowns ahead as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything from the closing of restaurants, cancelled sporting events, work from home initiatives, school closures, and 14-day quarantines are happening now, or are in our foreseeable future.  Security and safety are at the forefront of everyone’s mind.  This is when SONITROL and our partnership with law enforcement, our communities, and customers becomes more important than ever. SONITROL’s mission is to provide the highest level of security to our clients, reduce false alarms, and provide critical information to law enforcement to increase their safety, maximize their utilization, and provide fast police response to our clients in their time of need.

Stressed staffing resources equals fewer police on the streets

Law enforcement agencies are not immune to these pressures and are creating plans on how they will manage operations with expected staffing impacts due to this pandemic. According to PoliceOne.com, a trusted Law Enforcement Publication, “Many agencies are already working with staffing shortages due to the police recruitment crisis, officers retiring, and other attrition.” With these staffing pressures potentially escalating, agencies are reevaluating how to prioritize police response calls for service. Considering that 98% of alarm calls received by police dispatchers are false alarms, it is reasonable to assume that these calls will have lower priority in areas where staffing resources are stressed.

Businesses more vulnerable to crime while facing short-term closures

Many businesses like restaurants, bars, and movie theaters are being forced to close for an indefinite period of time. Other businesses are asking staff to work from home. This creates opportunities for thieves who know that your business is unmanned while police resources are stressed. Many businesses will struggle with the economic loss from having to close. Adding potential property damage and loss of equipment is just another financial burden that may force them to go out of business.

Alarm Verification Leads to Priority Response

Businesses leveraging alarm verification technologies, such as impact-activated audio, and/or video verification, are at significantly lower risk. Trained central monitoring station operators are able to verify if the alarm signals they receive are false alarms or if there are actual crimes in progress. They are then able to relay this critical information to law enforcement personnel who are able to prioritize response because they know that something is actually taking place.  SONITROL’s patented impacted activated audio verification technology has helped law enforcement apprehend more than 183,000 criminals since 1977.

Security Assessment

SONITROL is here for our clients in their most critical times of need, always on the job, even when you can’t be there. Now is the time to evaluate your security plans by leveraging SONITROL’s free security assessment. 

See an actual alarm apprehension to witness what we can do for your business.

By: Julie Beach, Vice President of SONITROL