We already know that security alarms systems have a tremendous impact on preventing crime before it happens and catching crimes in progress. You have multiple resources at your disposal as a business, including video cameras, monitoring services, and motion sensors. Live 24/7 monitoring isn’t cheap, so many companies opt for monitoring that activates only after an alarm is tripped or no monitoring at all.
This leads to a common issue called false alarms with many side effects.
It’s estimated that 95% of alarm activations are false alarms costing residents, businesses, and law enforcement. A video verification system is the best way to prevent false alarms and appropriately dispatch law enforcement when an intrusion happens at your company.
What Is A Verification Video System?
Verification video allows your security monitoring company to offer visual proof that someone is on your premises when they shouldn’t be. Standard protocol after a security breach is first to alert the primary contacts, then the police. Law enforcement agencies want to catch crimes in progress just as business owners do. The accuracy provided by video verification allows them to respond quickly.
How Verification Video Works
A video verification system works with door and window motion sensors that activate most burglar alarm systems. When one or more motion sensors are triggered, they’ll activate security cameras. Your alarm company monitoring professional will access the resulting video recorded on-site, review whether an intruder is present from their central monitoring station, and notify authorities providing them with the information. Video can also be verified and monitored by on or off-site business employees with most security camera systems.
Why Alarm Verification Is Important
Traditional burglar alarms typically only provide law enforcement with the name of the business, address, and the location of the triggered alarms. This doesn’t give police enough information to determine the appropriate response.
As we said earlier, law enforcement wants to catch criminals, but with 95% of alarms being false alarms, this can strain their resources and ability to stop actual crimes. According to the Center From Problem-Oriented Policing, law enforcement agencies respond to more than 36 million alarm activations every year in the U.S, costing $1.8 billion.
With these statistics, it’s no wonder that police agencies don’t respond quickly to alarm alerts. Many police departments only respond to verified alarms meaning a traditional burglar alarm is useless.
Less false alarms mean less money spent by everybody, including law enforcement agencies, businesses owners, insurance companies, and security companies. Alarm verification saves everybody involved (except for criminals!) money making it a no-brainer.
If you need further proof of the importance of a video verification system, then hear this:
Data from the National Insurance Crime Board (NICB) and the FBI show that video verification alarms deliver 60% higher arrest rates compared to all other burglaries. One arrested burglar can prevent dozens of burglaries as many criminals make a career out of burglarizing homes and businesses.
You may be surprised to know that many police departments apply priorities to alarms. The lowest priority may warrant no response, while the highest priority alert will get a swift police response. Can you guess which type of alarm falls into the high priority category?
Video verified alarms!
Most Common Causes Of False Alarms
With an estimated 95% of alarm activations being false alarms, there’s a desperate need for a solution to this issue. Certain cities have started taking matters into their own hands by imposing fines for businesses after their first false alarms. In San Francisco, the first false alarm in a calendar free doesn’t come with a penalty, but subsequent false alarms cost $100, $150, $200, and $250.
Three of the most common causes for false alarms:
- Poor Equipment/Installation: Faulty equipment and installation are among the top causes of false alarms. Most installers use trusted equipment, but poor installation that’s not customized to the setting can yield poor results. DIY home security installations are more susceptible to false alarms.
- Human Error: Employees or even business owners who aren’t used to their new security system can create false alarms. Train necessary employees on how to arm and disarm the alarm system and plan when it isn’t working, or an employee is having trouble arming it.
- Pets And Loose Objects: Pets are a common cause of false alarms at homes, and wild animals can cause false alarms in businesses. There are special motion sensors from companies like Fortress & Amtek that can ignore movement from pets. Secure any loose objects that may move overnight.
Human error is a part of business, and heck, life in general. Video verification can take this into account and prevent business owners from receiving fines and wasting police resources over innocent mistakes.
What To Discuss With Your Security Camera Installation & Monitoring Company
When getting a camera system installed, there are a few topics we suggest you discuss with your installer:
- Ask your installer if the system comes with video verification functionality or if it can be upgraded to include it.
- Discuss the differences between continuous live feed monitoring and a video verification system. For instance, live monitoring CCTV or IP cameras are more expensive and require more human resources to operate.
- Discuss the average response time of your monitoring company. Criminals can be in and out of your premises in minutes, meaning the time it takes for your monitoring company to be alerted and them to notify the police should be no more than a few minutes.
- Lastly, discuss specific features that can be added to your security system that still fit your particular budget. Additional lighting, loudspeakers, and closing/opening doors can effectively prevent and apprehend criminals. Video verification can be paired with card/fingerprinter readers as well.
Final Words
Businesses without a video verification system are more likely to be disappointed by their security system’s increased cost and/or lack of effectiveness. Law enforcement and insurance companies can pass their increased costs on to you. However, your business may never recover from burglary’s financial and emotional loss. If that’s something you want to prevent, get in touch with the team at Safe And Sound Security to discuss installing a video verification system.
