KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ
ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE
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more on false alarms - should there be cut off by central station
January 20, 2018
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Ken
    I don't know if you care to get into a dialog about this or not,  but ....
    The greatest perpetrators of False signals are the larger companies and the government and municipalities. Yet on the other side, if every home owner who has an alarm system has one false alarm a year in a community, it is likely equal to all of the others. "False" alarm signals are not intentional. They are accidental or due to lackadaisical care. Accidents are going to happen no matter what efforts are made. Fining the lackadaisical  may be a wakeup call ..... to some. But, it has to go further than just issuing a fine. There has to be a "cut--off " of service looming in the distance. And central stations have the means to accomplish this while maintaining service and controlling what signals are processed. 
    The central gets the fine who charges the dealer. If the dealer doesn't pay, all of his accounts get cut off. The dealer passes the fine down to the end user. If they don't pay, either the dealer has to be willing to eat the fine or cut the subscriber off. Believe me, the dealer will cut them off. 
    It seems to me that " I " have accepted the purpose and utility of fines but you and the rest of the industry has not ..... and that is, to reduce the number of unwanted signals to which authorities respond. And in doing so, eliminate the source of those signals. 
    It doesn't make any difference what you or I call them, it's what the authorities and politicians proclaim them to be. It is THAT to which we must respond. Once this industry wraps it's head around the fact that the Central Stations are the pivot point that can provide the greatest amount of control of .... and processing of unwanted signals, with the least amount of expended time and expense, producing the maximum results ......  the so called "False Alarm Problem" will be under control. It's going to take data processing to mitigate the false signal issue and only central stations have the means to do that. 
    Under present conditions, when the end user gets fined, the alarm installation companies are never going to shut down an account because it causes false signals. And so, chronic and lackadaisical users will continue to be a problem and accidents will still happen.....and  the coffers of the municipalities get fuller  .... and the problem never gets controlled. It just keeps rolling along at the same pace.
    Central stations have the means to dictate how alarm panels are programmed so as to better enable them to gather statistical and real data on all signals, ultimately creating an algorithm of what is likely a legitimate signal and what is not. And, as a result, develop a given response to any particular kind of signal received from any given subscriber. Can an alarm dealer do that? Can the police department do that?            NO?           Well ...... lets' see now ....... who can?   
    NOW, stepping back into reality...... on the other hand ....  If you think  .....  that I think .... that this will happen anytime soon ..... NO ... I don't.
    This trade has had no leadership since it's beginnings nor is there any organization in existence now who is willing to muster support for this (or anything for that matter)  movement. I'd guess they would have a hard time rallying voters to get a dog catcher into office.  I will make a prediction however. Long after I am gone ...... someday,  ... someone reading this today will say,  Hey ......ya know what? What a great idea!  Remember that guy Ken who used to have the alarm blog?  Well I remember this was talked about years ago on Ken K's Blog.
Gene
Reliable Alarm
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Ken,
    My Reply to Joel Kent from his comment on December 27, 2017.
    After reading all you say, all I have to say is, Why is there still a False dispatch signal problem?
Maybe because there is no enforcement?   Maybe because there is no entity to control how a panel is programmed and how it's not programmed?  Central Stations can set requirements of how alarm companies program their panels before they will monitor an account.
    Can you think of any other way to "MAKE" alarm installers use all of the "CP-01" and "artificial intelligence' ?
The results that we see in the real world today would indicate that very few are making any effort to use these attributes, wouldn't you say?  So, ..... with all of the "teach" and "train" and "codes" and "telling" and "showing" that you espouse, obviously ..... not too many are doing it.  What now? Just fine the end user and let the problem continue on it's present path? Or maybe there's a way to actually control how panels are programmed by installers and used by end users. 
    Don't get me wrong Joel. I REALLY don't think this will ever happen in my lifetime. But I do believe it will happen. Only central stations have the ability to process and control what comes in from the end user and goes out to the authorities. 
Gene
Reliable Alarm
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Response
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    I am not a fan of false alarm fines, certainly not if the alarm company is getting fined.  I am also not convinced that AHJs define false alarms accurately.  Many false alarms are simply the equipment functioning as designed and installed.  Unfortunately, I don't have the answer, though I think that mandated verification, by video or ECV should help.  Get the subscribers to pay for that.
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Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq
Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC
Attorneys at Law
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Garden City, NY 11530
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