Sandy Springs Could Tweak False Alarm Ordinance

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The city of Sandy Springs could make some changes to its false alarm ordinance that's drawn the ire of some in the industry who have banded together to challenge the constitutionality of the city's law.

Police Chief Ken DeSimone outlined some of these suggested changes to the City Council at its April 17 meeting. The chief also used the time to share some of the latest details about the number of false alarm calls coming into ChatComm.

The changes include updating the ordinance to require "full, confirmed verified response" via audio, video or in-person check before call 9-1-1 (the city would give alarm companies 12 months to implement this change); require companies to notify their customers of any non-response status and their property address has been registered; change the fine structure to be $25 for a first false alarm, $150 for a second and $250 for a third (a property in violation would also be placed on the non-response list for a year); extend the 10-day appeal to 30 days and restate written appeal instructions; and define a medical alarm to be added to the ordinance.

For the week ending April 7, the city received 183 alarm calls and 99 percent, or 182, of those calls were false. The true alarm call that came into 9-1-1 was for an alarm activation at the NAPA store at 6569 Roswell Road, but the company provided the city with the wrong address, DeSimone noted. For the fire department, that agency responded to 25 calls that turned out to be false. The only legitimate call it received for that same week was a case of popcorn that was burned in the microwave, the chief said.

While the city has taken steps to crack down on false alarms, the issue of the number of alarm calls coming into the 9-1-1 center remains paramount. This forces callers with legitimate emergencies to compete for the attention of a dispatcher, the city has argued. Between 2014 and 2017, about 17 percent of calls that came into the 9-1-1 center were alarm calls. DeSimone notes 99 percent of those calls were false. Each call from an alarm company takes between two and four minutes for a dispatcher to handle. In other words, a dispatcher handling a false alarm call is unable to respond to the needs of a person calling ChatComm for an actual emergency.

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More numbers shared by the police chief include:

• ChatComm received 5,067 alarm calls from September 2017 to March of this year, which is down from 5,576 from September 2016 to March 2017.
• The average number of calls from alarm companies also dropped from 825 between September 2016 and March 2017 to 724 between September 2017 to March 2018.
• Total alarm calls dispatched were 3,319 for September 2017 to March 2018. During that same time, the number of intrusion calls ineligible for dispatch due to no registration or failure to 2-call verify was 1,748, or 34.5 percent.

From November 2017 to March, there were five companies representing 46 sites — 39 commercial and seven residential — that have had four or more false alarms, and have been placed on the city's no-response list. DeSimone also said about 60 percent of the fines assessed by the city to the alarm companies were due to these businesses not registering or their failure to comply with the state's mandated two-call verification rule.

From November 2017 to March, there were 166 alarm companies registered in the city, with 11,449 alarm permitted sites.

Other cities that have also implemented various rules to address false alarms include Seattle, Detroit, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, San Jose, California; and Eugene Oregon. DeSimone added Seattle was able to reduce its number of false alarm calls by 50 percent. In Milwaukee, the number of annual calls dropped from 30,000 to about 800 between 2004 and 2018 while Salt Lake City saw its calls plummet over a 10-year period from 10,000 each year to about 500, the chief added.

Along with changing its ordinance, DeSimone also said the city could redirect burglar alarm calls from ChatComm to Sandy Springs' non-emergency number. The calls would be vetted and the true emergencies would be sent to ChatComm. If a company or customer is not registered and the alarm company doesn't follow through with the two-call verification system, it would be asked to complete those steps and call back. In this case, the city would not fine the company for failing to register or complying with the two-call verification system if that call doesn't go through ChatComm.

City Manager John McDonough said when the city transition to that operation, Sandy Springs will explore any additional staffing needs or computer software updates required to make this move successful. He anticipates the change could happen between 30 and 60 days.

Mayor Rusty Paul asked DeSimone how he envisioned the audio/visual verification could work. DeSimone said the technology is advancing so fast that the alarm companies remain akin to "8-track" players with their outdated systems. For example, audio and video systems can be installed at the alarm site, and companies can use contracted guard services to visit the home or business to verify whether the call is legit.

Currently, the average response time is 30 minutes for an alarm. DeSimone said the city recently received one call that took more than an hour to handle because it took the alarm company more than an hour to verify what was happening. With audio and video in play, it would drastically speed up the process of verifying the calls — and also provide Sandy Springs police with evidence in the event of a crime.

City Council member Tibby DeJulio said it was important that the city emphasizes that residents with real emergencies are competing with 11,000 alarm calls that come into ChatComm. Since he and other residents aren't getting any younger, it's important that the city ensure these medical emergency calls are able to get through to 9-1-1 in a timely fashion.

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