HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7084 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7084
^� January 14, 198
tlif�jO:^'}}RP To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
v s
"' rEXP�a Subject; Commercial False Burglar/Robbery Alarm Ordinance Status
Report
The following information is provided relative to a request by Councilman
Williams.
In Informal Report No. 6986 submitted on November 6, 1984, staff informed the
City Council that it was too early to judge the effectiveness of the false
burglar and robbery alarm ordinance, but that there were signs that the
desired effect was taking place. Since that report was issued, a complete
fiscal year of data on commercial alarm activity has been compiled. From the
information collected, it is increasingly evident that the ordinance is having
its intended effect on false alarm calls at commercial locations.
Since October of 1984, there has been a consistent decrease in the number of
false alarm calls made to commercial locations. As shown in the graph below,
false calls have declined from 1888 in October of 1984 to 1302 false calls in
September of 1985.
FISCAL YEAR 1984--85 FALSE ALARM CALLS
2.4
2.3
2.2
2.1
2
1,9
1.8
1.6
M
W o 1.4
IL o
1.3 t ._--t------
t 1.2
1.1
w 1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.3
OCT NOV CEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP
fJQNTtfS
C1 REStDEfiTIAI. 0 TOTAL
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS ---
INFORMAL. REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS Noe 7084-P.2
+a'ria+4
Sasso ,* To the Mayor and Members of the Cher Council January ��} 1�$�
artxwg+ Subject: Commercial False Burglar/Robbery Alarm Ordinance Status
Report
In comparing the false alarm activity experienced in the last six months of
fiscal year 1985 to the activity in the first six months of the same fiscal
year*, the following can be noted; (See chart below)
- a 7.5 percent reduction in total false alarm calls.
- a 15.6 percent decrease in commercial alarms.
ALARM DATA
FISCAL YEAR 1984 - 1985
)st Six Months Last Six Months Percent Change
ALL ALARMS
Total 13.5.+6 12,5A7 - 7.0
Total False 1 1,881 11.918 7.5
Percentage FAlse 95.1 14.6 - 0.5
Average False Monthly 2,146 1,985 - 7.S
Mrs/Mns Spent on False 6615/42 6566/42 - 0.7
COMMERCIAL ALARMS
Total 10,271 8,744 -14.8
Total False 9,677 8,164 -15.6
Percentage False 94.2 93.3 - 0.9
Average False Monthly 1,612 1,360 -15.6
Hrs/Mns Spent on False 4656/20 4390/09 - 5.7
RE5IDENTIAL ALARMS
Total 2,932 3,366 +14.8
Total False 2,866 3,310 +14.6
Percentage False 98.4 98.3 - 0.1
Average False Monthly 481 551 +14.6
Hrs/Mns Spent on False 1650/48 1856/18 +12.4
• GOVERNMENTAL ALARMS
Total 332 452 +40.3
Total False 297 420 +41.4
Percentage False 92.2 92_9 + 0.7
Average False Monthly 49 70 +42.8
Hrs/Mns Spent on False 206/22 310/44 +$0.6
Based on the $19.41 cost per false alarm call figure derived in the 1985 cost
allocation study, the cost of commercial false alarms was reduced by more than
40 percent over the course of the year as a result of the ordinance (see
Attachment I).
Further, officers spent 266.18 less hours responding, to false alarm calls in
the second half of the fiscal year 1985 than in the first six months of the
same year. As a result, an additional 6.65 weeks of officer hours were
returned to the Police Department to spend on more productive police matters.
* The "last six-month to first six-month" comparison is necessary because
individual statistics for commercial, residential, and governmental sites are
not available prior to September 1984.
L ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS �---
,INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7084-P-3
UISIYO��- To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Jdnudry 14, 198b
� Subject: Commercial False Burglar/Robbery Alarm Ordinance Status
,silk
Report
The Alarms Unit personnel have maintained a good relationship with the active
members of the Greater Fort Worth Alarms Association (GFWAA). The cooperation
of these security companies have contributed to the reduction in false
commercial alarm calls. Of the more than ninety (90) alarm companies that
sell , monitor or install 90 alarm systems in Fort Worth, the active members of
the GFWAA consistently maintain the lowest false alarm rates. These same
members now concur that the ordinance is working and should be continued. In
view of the escalating number of alarm system installations, Mr. Leroy
Surlison, GFWAA Secretary, believes that if not for the ordinance Fort Worth
Police Officers would be responding to a minimum of 165 alarm calls per day.
The current daily average ranges from 60 to 75 alarm calls.
Overall , the ordinance has been well received. Of the 4,526 commercial alarm
systems that have been permitted, less than 25 percent have experienced more
than four false alarms in a twelve-month period, and subsequently assessed a
service fee. Also, less than one percent of the alarm permits have been
revoked for non-payment of service fees.
While these statistics indicate that the ordinance is having the intended
effect on false alarms calls at commercial sites, the rise in the number of
residential false alarm calls is negating the benefits derived from the
ordinance. In the second half of the last fiscal year, residential false
alarms increased by 14.6 percent over the calls received in the first half of
the year. The cost of residential false alarm calls during the last fiscal
year was $108,864. Over the same period, 87 weeks of officer hours was spent
responding to residential false alarms.
In an effort to reduce the rising number of residential false alarm calls, the
Alarms Unit will continue to monitor problem residential alarm sites, and
begin to contact the owners by letter. Only those owners with alarm systems
generating more than three false alarms in a single month will be contacted.
The Police Department correspondence will explain the impacts of the false
alarm calls and request that the owner take voluntary steps to improve their
alarm record. Should this effort prove ineffective, other measures will be
reviewed by staff and forwarded for City Council consideration.
Additional information will be furnished upon request.
Dougl s)Harman
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER - - — — FORT WORTH, TEXAS