Page 64 - Security Today, May/June 2019

Taking the Sting out of Surprise Why audio alarm verification is important to law enforcement
BIy Kaleigh Burton
t is a story as old as time. Burglars and thieves break into a business, cause ma- jor damage to the property, and get away with valuables that can be costly to re- place—not to mention potentially com-
pany proprietary information. Even with a security system in place, a lot of these break- ins generate slow police response or go un- detected with law enforcement not notified until the owner arrives the next morning. So, what went wrong? Was the system poorly designed? Was there an equipment malfunc- tion? Did the police not arrive in time to catch the criminals? Maybe the technology being used does not provide for verification?
The successes related to having au- dio alarm verification can be ascertained through industry research, which shows there have been over 179,000 documented apprehensions and counting since 1977. It is widely known that audio alarm verifica- tion is unique and assists to decrease police response time, and significantly increase the chance of apprehending criminals and pre- venting the loss of goods.
In fact, audio alarms provide law enforce- ment critical intelligence before entering an active crime scene that cannot be received from a non-verified alarm system or by a video verification alone. Additionally, they help reduce the number of false alarms, al- low better alignment of the number of re- sponding police resources, and is proven to help apprehend more criminals.
What is a Verified Audio Alarm?
The company who invented audio alarm ver- ification, Sonitrol, created a unique, patented audio technology—effectively intelligent mi- crophones combined with human operator intelligence. Upon arming the security sys- tem, the audio sensors are constantly listen- ing for unusual or impact-activated sounds of entry, or they are triggered by other de- vices such as motion sensors, door contact, glass breaks sensors, etc.
The initial sounds of entry along with live audio is then transmitted in real-time to a central station operator, who is then able to determine if there is an actual alarm event occurring, and if so, will immediately dis- patch police. The audio quality is such that the central station operators are able to iso- late and determine where the audio is coming from in the facility (different rooms or places within a business), and in many cases, what
the intruders are saying. This critical infor- mation may also be provided real-time to live 911 dispatchers. If video verification is also added to the business’ security system, they also can see live video of the intruders, and permit the central station operators to visu- ally report what the intruders are doing, and where they are located in the facility, provid- ing an additional level of verification. See a powerful example of an actual break-in and apprehension by clicking on this link and see for yourself the power of a Sonitrol verified audio and video alarms.
When law enforcement officers are able to receive this crucial, real-time information related to the active alarm event in progress, they have the critical advantage needed to ensure their safety and permit them to suc- cessfully apprehend the intruders.
“As officers are responding to crimes in progress, having as close to ‘real-time’ intel- ligence as we can get about what is occur-
ring, including how many possible suspects, what they are doing and saying, helps shape the first responding officers tactical plan- ning, enabling officers to update and modify in-progress crime responses as the situation evolves, ultimately resulting in increased offi- cer safety,” said Gary Woodruff, deputy chief of police at Lawrence Police Department.
Providing Vital Information
Audio alarms also provide law enforcement with vital information such as how the crimi- nal came into the building. Conventional ways of criminals getting into a building would be to break-in through the front/back door or smash a window. However, uncon- ventional ways, such as entering through the ceiling, or through the HVAC ductwork, not only provides for earlier detection of the event but gives officers a better understand- ing of an active criminal mindset.
Every second counts in stopping crime
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