Whereas
about 90 percent of all alarm calls made to police are false or unfounded and in many jurisdictions those calls constitute 10 to 15 percent of all police calls for service; and

Whereas
the number of false alarms is growing along with the number of alarm systems in use, thereby taking police away from real emergencies and making each alarm system less reliable, credible and valuable; and

Whereas
professionally installed and monitored alarm systems are useful instruments to deter crime and provide peace of mind for residential and business users of those alarm systems; and

Whereas
this is a national problem (with both national and local solutions) that warrants the interest and concern of state chief's associations; now, therefore be it

Resolved
that IACP will continue, through the efforts of its Private Sector Liaison Committee (PSLC), to study the false alarm problem; and be it further

Resolved
the IACP recommends that false alarms remain an issue for the PSLC and that the PSLC work with the state chiefs' association and the alarm industry to stimulate state-level initiatives to lessen the problem; and, be it further

Resolved
that IACP urges police chiefs to attempt to reduce their false alarm response workload by considering various options, some of which could include the following:

• Encouraging or requiring alarm central stations to attempt to verify alarms by telephone or by other electronic means before calling the police
• Moving the alarm industry towards self-regulation by suspending services to chronic abusers of alarm systems
• Supporting alarm system user education
• Utilizing supplementary or alternative response (leaving initial alarm response to private, contract responders or to municipal employees other than commissioned officers)