Alarm Number Error, Police Didn’t Respond

A misunderstood permit number relayed from an alarm company to a Denver (Colo.) 911 dispatcher created a potentially dangerous situation—police didn’t respond to the alarm, and the homeowner arrived to check the house with the burglars hiding inside. A local TV station spotlighted the woman’s complaint, and police officials say they are investigating. A city of Denver ordinance (pdf) requires that all monitored alarms have a permit, intended to reduce the number of false alarms and police responses. In this case, the alarm company called the police and correctly gave the calltaker alarm number “332901.” However, the 911 calltaker read back the number as “322901,” and the alarm company dispatcher confirmed the incorrect number. At that point, the dispatcher said the permit number wasn’t on file and, “We will not be dispatching.” The female homeowner was notified by the alarm company, drove to the home, and found nothing amiss inside. But the next day she arrived to find the house ransacked, and she now believes the burglars were hiding inside while she checked the house. The alarm industry estimates it makes 32 million telephone calls a year to PSAPs to report alarms. The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) has developed a standard for directly transmitting alarms to PSAPs, to reduce telephone calls and improve reporting accuracy. Read more about the Denver incident here.