Sandy Springs Revises False Alarm Ordinance Again

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Sandy Springs City Council at its June 19 meeting voted to make another tweak to its false alarm ordinance. The latest revisions, which were approved unanimously, will require companies to provide true, confirmed verification through audio, video or in-person confirmation on alarm activations before calling 9-1-1.

The new requirement will go into effect June 19, 2019, giving companies a year to implement any changes to comply with the rule. This latest change, the city notes, was done to "best maximize use of public safety resources to better protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens."

This week's vote marks the second revision Sandy Springs leaders have made to the ordinance within a month. The previous changes, approved in May, modified the fee structure and overhauled the city's appeal process.

Police Chief Ken DeSimone said the problem is alarm companies are "reporting equipment malfunctions as emergencies," and are not checking to see if true emergencies are occurring. This continues to place a strain on the public safety resources throughout the city, he said.

"Technology today makes it possible to have audio or visual verification, even for the homeowner to do on his own," he added. "By implementing true verification, we will reduce the number of these false calls, enabling a faster response for those calls which are true emergencies."

Sandy Springs implemented its false alarm ordinance in 2013, and has since rolled out several revisions in an attempt to reduce the volume of false alarm calls. While the city has seen a slight drop in the number of calls, they continue to trend around 9,000 per year.

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DeSimone shared the latest false alarm figures with the Council at the June 19 meeting. For the week ending June 2, there were 143 alarms call received by the police department. All 143 of those alarms, DeSimone said, were false. The fire department received 48 alarm calls, and 37 of those were also determined to be false.

The police chief reiterated the national trend for alarm calls shows that between 98 and 100 percent of those calls are false. In Sandy Springs, the year-to-date percentage hovers around 99 percent, according to information shared by SSPD.

“The current system of fining in hopes of a behavior change is not working. To bring about true change, we need to address the problem from a more holistic approach," DeSimone said. "The root cause of the issue is verification of an alarm activation. In researching cities which saw the most dramatic reduction in call volume, true verification was a common factor in their success."

From September 2017 to May of this year, Sandy Springs logged 1,071 violations, which include 281 two-call verification violations, 342 unregistered alarm companies and 448 unregistered alarm sites. The amount of fines levied for those charges was $356,300.

During that same time frame, there were 2,343 false alarms. Broken down, 1,638 were logged for the first time, 525 for the second or third time and 180 for four or more times. The city charged $266,375 in fines related to those calls. Of the $622,675 in fines levied for total violations for false alarms and other violations during that time, Sandy Springs has collected $370,753.

The chief goes on to state that each call takes two to four minutes to verify if the alarm company performed the required two-call verification check, which ties up legitimate calls for assistance. To help reduce the volume of alarm calls bombarding ChatComm 9-1-1 dispatchers, Sandy Springs is now directing them to its call center. City spokesperson Sharon Kraun said this has been a "seamless transition."

If a burglar/intrusion alarm call is received by the center, those taking the call ask if the companies have done the required verification process. If there's proof that the two-call verification has taken place, the call is directed to ChatComm. Kraun notes companies are fined after a call has been transferred to 9-1-1 dispatchers, and first responders determine the alarm was false — not when it first comes into the call center.

Sandy Springs also shared information from what another municipality has done to stem the tide of false alarms clogging up its 9-1-1 center. Salt Lake City adopted a physical verification requirement, with a private guard visiting an alarm site prior to the alarm company calling 911. Representatives from Sandy Springs visited Salt Lake City last month to talk with public safety and 911 center personnel. Salt Lake City implemented its program in 2000, with alarm calls declining 90 percent in its first year, Sandy Springs said.

Sandy Springs will give alarm companies a year to prepare for the true verification standards. Changes approved by the City Council include an update to the terms “verify” and “verified” regarding alarm activation calls. Effective June 19, 2019, they mean: visual or audible confirmation of an attempted or actual crime, fire or other emergency situation at the alarm site by means of:

• Confirmation by the alarm user at the alarm site or via self-monitored audio/visual equipment;
• Confirmation by a private guard responder at the alarm site;
• Audible and/or visual evidence provided by a monitored alarm system, provided that such audible or visual evidence may be made available to the emergency communications center prior to dispatch of the city’s public safety departments.

In addition to the move towards true verification, the ordinance was also amended to require alarm companies to copy the city on required notification to alarm users regarding assignment of permit numbers and when service is suspended for an alarm company for failure to meet the requirements of the ordinance. Those changes take effect immediately.

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