Burglary Alarms - Procedures to Request Police Response to Alarm

• Before requesting a police response to an alarm signal, an alarm business must attempt to verify every alarm signal, except a duress or hold-up alarm activation, by a telephone call to the alarm user or other person(s) designated by the alarm user.
• In the case of a duress or hold-up alarm activation, the alarm business must attempt to verify the alarm signal only after requesting police dispatch.

• Alarm companies are prohibited from requesting dispatch for seven days after registration of the alarm system, unless there is a waiver granted by the FARS due to imminent danger to people or property. This is referred to as a “burn-in” or “soak” period.

• An alarm business must not request a police response to an alarm signal until the alarm user has initially registered the alarm system with the False Alarm Reduction Section or designee.

An alarm business must provide the following information when contacting the Department of Police, Emergency Communications Center (ECC), to report an activated alarm signal and to request a police response.

• Name and license number of the alarm business reporting the activated alarm, name or employee number of the alarm business employee making the report, and a call-back telephone number.
• Registration number issued to the alarm user.
• Location of the activated alarm, including complete business or homeowner’s name, street address and telephone number.
• Type of alarm (such as audible or silent, robbery, hold-up, duress, panic, burglary). If the alarm system is zoned, give the specific location of the alarm activation (such as interior, perimeter, vault, motion detection).
• Any available information about the nonresidential site, (such as if the business is open or closed, guards on site, guard dogs, dangerous or special conditions within the location).
• Any available information about the residential site (such as if the homeowner is present or out of town, presence of pets, handicapped individuals).
• If a representative of the alarm user or alarm company is responding and their estimated time of arrival.

An alarm business must not request a police response to an alarm signal if the alarm business has been notified by the False Alarm Reduction Section or designee that:

• the alarm user has an unpaid alarm response fee due under Section 3A-4 and has not appealed the false alarm under Section 3A-5; or
• the alarm user did not conform their alarm system to the County installation standards under Section 6 of this Executive Regulation.

• An alarm business must notify the alarm user or designee within seventy-two (72) hours after the alarm business requests police response to a signal from the user’s alarm system. An alarm business may provide such notification to the alarm user or designee by fax or by placing written notice in the mail within seventy-two (72) hours after the alarm business requests police response.
• The alarm business must keep a record of the date and time for each alarm signal which required a police response.
• The alarm business must also keep a record of the date, time, and method by which the registered alarm user or designee was notified.
• Such record must be retained for at least one (1) year (12 months) and must be made available for inspection, upon request, within five (5) working days, by any Montgomery County Police Officer or member of the False Alarm Reduction Section designated to inspect such records.

• An alarm business must cancel any request for police response immediately when the alarm business determines that the alarm signal is a false alarm.