Policy Text
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE 531.08
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531.08
ALARM ANSWERING SERVICES
1-31-23
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Communications Directive is to establish guidelines for Communications Division personnel when receiving alarms or video feed indicating suspicious activity from alarm companies or private citizens with information on alarm activation and/or suspicious activity related to or near the monitored site.
POLICY
All residential and commercial alarm calls shall be recorded into CAD regardless of status or type of alarm.
PROCEDURE
When receiving calls from alarm companies, dispatchers must determine through questioning which alarm type
code best fits the situation.
A. AUDIBLE BURGLARY ALARMS
1. Audible burglary alarms indicate a potential intrusion into a business or a home . If an alarm company
reports an audible burglary alarm, the dispatcher shall:
a. First ask the alarm company if there is a permit number on file and
b. If provided the permit number, dispatchers shall enter it into the Alarm Number field of the
shift + F1 mask. The permit number should be entered beginning with ‘P’ and omitting any
zeroes at the beginning. ( e.g., if the alarm company advises the permit number is 00422, enter that
permit number in the CAD mask as P422).
2. If no permit number is available, dispatchers shall ask the alarm company for the address
and enter it into the Address field of the shift + F1 mask.
3. After entering either a permit number or address, dispatchers shall review the Penalty
section of the View Alarm Details Screen to determine if the alarm is enhanced (ENH), full
(FULL), or not on file, before proceeding with the call.
B. ALARM PENALTIES
1. Regardless of the penalty, dispatchers shall obtain the following information from the alarm
company:
a. Full name of residents or business .
b. Area(s) of activation.
c. Phone number (s) associated with the location.
d. Indicate if a responsible party has been contacted and whether they on site or en route .
e. If the responsible is not on site and unable to respond, but are requesting police dispatch, indicate if
anyone is expected to be on the premises.
f. If the responsible party is on site or en route, include their:
(1) N ame.
(2) Estimated time of arrival .
(3) Mode of travel and a description of them or their vehicle.
g If no responsible party has been contacted, indicate if the alarm company has made at least
two attempts to reach one.
h. Determine if the alarm company has live audio or video feed of the location and if alarm company
personnel are able to see or hear any suspicious activity . Suspicious activity shall be included in the
text of the initial call and prioritized appropriately.
C. AUDIBLE ALARMS ENHANCED
1. When receiving audible alarms with an enhanced status, the dispatcher shall:
a. Ensure two attempts have been made by the alarm company to reach a responsible party, or that
b. A responsible party is on site or en route , or that at least one responsible party has been reached and
is requesting police dispatch.
d. Ensure the alarm company name and call back telephone number are correct on the call.
SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTIVE 531.08
Page 2 of 3
2. If two attempts to reach a responsible party have been made, enter an alarm call for dispatch using the
933R type code, ensuring that all other fields and standard alarm information is included.
3. If two attempts have not been made and a responsible party not reached, enter an advised incident using
the ALMADV type code and a dvise the alarm company that there will be no police response until they
make at least two attempts to reach a responsible party .
D. AUDIBLE ALARMS FULL
1. When a crime is not confirmed , the dispatcher shall:
a. Enter an advised incident using the ALMADV type code with information from section (B)(1)(a- h) in
this directive.
b Include in the text of the call the status of the alarm (i.e. , FULL).
c. Ensure that the alarm company name and callback telephone are correct on the call.
2. If the alarm company has confirmed a burglary or attempt ed burglary by either on- site visual, video,
audio, or responsible party, the dispatcher shall:
a. Ensure that the alarm company name and callback telephone are correct on the call.
b. Enter a 459ALM call for service. 459ALM indicates that the alarm company has verified a burglary
and a report is needed.
3. Audible alarms to city, state or other government buildings shall be entered using the 933R type code
regardless of alarm penalty status , as the City of Sacramento’s financial penalty ordinance does not
apply to government entities.
E. AUDIBLE ALARM CANCELLATION
1. An alarm company may only request cancellation of an audible alarm if they have received the proper
code, in which case the dispatcher shall request a cancellation of the call by utilizing the supplement
command.
2. Members of the public may not request cancellation of alarms called in by alarm companies. They shall
be referred to their alarm company.
F. MEMB ERS OF THE PUBLIC REPORTING ALARMS
1. If a member of the public is calling in to report an audible alarm, the dispatcher shall ask:
a. the name of the residents