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WATCH: NOPD Shares Helpful Tips to Avoid False Alarms

by Ambria R. Washington

May 1, 2017

Categories: Announcement, Videos

Topics: Modernizing Policing, Partnerships

With more than a month away from implementing the false alarm ordinance, NOPD has gathered some tips from local technology experts and home security vendors for businesses and homeowners to consider ahead of the ordinance. 

ADT Shares Tips on How to Reduce Home Security False Alarms:

False alarms can negatively impact your home and personal life, as well as affect your security provider and community. False alarm fees can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. They can also create dissatisfaction with your security alarm. Police resources across the country are limited, and should never be wasted. Thousands of police and fire patrol hours are spent investigating home alarm reports that turn out to be false.

Here are several steps to reduce false alarms. The first is to identify their causes.

For homeowners, some common of the common causes would be:

  • Using incorrect keypad codes.
  • Failing to train authorized users.
  • Failure to secure doors and windows once the alarm is turned on.
  • Wandering pets.
  • Re-entering the home just after leaving without disarming (assuming the exit delay is long enough to compensate).
  • Objects hanging by or around motion detectors.
  • Weak system batteries.
  • Faulty equipment.
  • Acts of nature (strong winds, electrical storms, etc.).

False alarms due to faulty equipment or acts of nature are rare. The single largest cause of false alarms is human error. 

Click here to read more from ADT about other basic steps to avoid false alarms.