Re: Commercial Alarm - help

[robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx]

> Let's try it this way.  Suppose the alarm industry set a goal:  cut the
false alarms down to 50% of all dispatches.

The objective is (or at least it should be) to cut the total number of
false alarms.  You don't adjust the percentage and you certainly can't
adjust the number of burglaries.  But cutting the number of false
dispatches will have the affect of reducing the *precentage* of all
alarms which are false.

> But that would mean that the total number of false alarms could not exceed the total number of burglary attempts at locations with alarms.  No matter how many alarm systems are in use.  Does it make any sense to equate the number of false alarms to the number of burglaries?

You don't need to equate the number of false alarms to anything.  You
only need to reduce the total number of false alarms.  The ratio will
take care of itself.

One possible side benefit of a significant decrease in false alarms
would be an increase in police confidence in alarm signals.  This in
turn could cause the police to respond faster to alarm signals,
occasionally resulting in captures.

> Of course, ideally the mere presence of an alarm would keep anyone from ever attempting a burglary, for fear of getting caught.

If there were less false alarms, perhaps better response might actually
have that result.

> Does it make any sense to expect a reduction in false alarms because the number of burglaries went down?

Nope, but if you studied statistics you wouldn't pose the question.
:^)

> Anywhere there is a large number of alarm systems and a relatively small number of burglaries, the false alarm percentage will be extremely hig...

That's patently untrue.  The fact is that police in the inner cities,
where burglary rates are highest, usually experience the highest
numbers (and percentages) of false alarms.  The problem isn't the
number of burglaries.  The problem is the number of poorly installed
systems and the number of poorly trained alarm users.  As long as
people spend time making silly pseudo-statistical arguments rather than
look for solutions the problem will continue to grow.

> and there is nothing alarm companies can do about that figure.

That is absurd.  During the more than two decades I owned a small
central station alarm company we maintained a very low percentage of
false alarms.  There were several things we did to accomplish that.
First, I selected high quality merchandise.  Second, we installed our
systems carefully, placing motion and other sensors where they would
have the least probability of falsing.  Third, we carefully trained the
entire family after each residential installation.

This isn't a boast.  I always believed that what we did was not
exceptional -- it was the minimum that every alarm company should do.
Sadly, many alarm companies -- especially most of the so-called
"authorized dealers" -- pay little or no attention to system design and
customer training.  There are plenty of good, competent installing
firms out there.  They do their best to install quality systems and
teach their clients to use them right.

Unfortunately, the industry has been inundated over the past 15-20
years with companies whose management couldn't care less about false
alarms.  They slap in the cheapest junk they can get and exit the
premises the moment the customer signs the check, hoping to finish the
second installation before the end of the day.

Regards,
Robert L Bass
www.BassBurglarAlarms.com