THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF ALARM Cincinnati Police
District 2
Crime Prevention
Alarms:
The following information is provided for informational services only. It is in no way intended to be an endorsement for any type of alarm, alarm system or alarm company.
TYPES OF ALARMS
No single method of protection can offer the home owner a burglar free environment. With enough effort any system can be defeated. However, when properly used a residential alarm system seems to "stop" most burglaries from occouring. When a burglar enters an alarmed dwelling the system "trips", thus contacting your monitoring system to alert them of a problem.
Some surveys of police departments indicate that homes without alarm systems are five to
six times more likely to be broken into than alarmed homes.
Residential systems include one or more control panels, intrusion detectors and a siren or
bell. Beyond the basics, an alarm can offer smoke and fire detection, panic alarms and
first aid emergency alerts.
An alarm may only offer an audible warning device and be referred to as a "local system". Other systems may be monitored by a central station.
Central station alarms are offered by most alarm installers for an additional monthly
charge. With the monitored system, the local police or fire department are notified when
the alarm company receives an alarm.
One of the cheapest available alarms is a self-installed auto dial system. Unless you are
an expert you are highly discouraged from installing this type of alarm as they are
"highly" prone to false alarms.
THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF ALARM
Remember your grandmother or father reading you The Boy Who Cried Wolf as a child? Well an improperly installed alarm system can be just that. The police respond time after time for alarm drops at an address only to find the user or system to be at fault. Then one day after the police have responded twenty times a burglar decides he wants to pay you a visit. Besides the huge bill you'll get from the city for all the false alarms, the officer responding to your home thinks your system is acting up again.
The best bit of advice we can offer to new alarm owners is to make sure ALL members of your household understand how
the alarm works. Alarm companies are also real big into installing panic switches or codes
on the alarm keypad. Serious consideration should be given to having these installed or
not as they account for 30-40% of all false alarms.
Current time
Updated on December 02, 1999
Created by P.O. Eric Franz on Aug 13, 1996