99 Percent of Commercial Alarms Are False

Kent Police Officers respond to 3,000 commercial alarms on average per year and of those approximately 99% are false. For safety, department policy dictates that alarm responses are two-officer calls. That equates to 5.48 staff hours per day responding to false alarms, which costs the city approximately $80,000 a year. This also equates to over half of an officer per day.

Kent Police Department responded to approximately 97,000 dispatched calls for service last year. In an effort to better prioritize limited resources, provide better service to the community and more timely response to valid alarms, the Kent Police department will now be conducting verified alarm response. Kent PD will only respond to high risk alarms such as gun stores or drug companies, those with multiple trips, alarms such as Sonitrol that may hear suspects inside, or alarms with verified response.

Verification may come in the form of sound, video, or eyewitness accounts that indicate a crime is occurring and thereby constituting a “verified” response. Alarm verification can also be accomplished when an alarm company agent, property owner or any witness is at the scene of an alarm activation and affirms that police are needed because a crime is occurring or has occurred.

Kent PD will not be changing its standard response to residential alarms, panic or hold-up alarms. The department will be communicating with alarm companies to better provide verified response and increase alarm effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: If I arrive at my business and discover that a crime has been committed, will the police respond?

A: Yes. Call 9-1-1, remain outside of your business in a safe location, and wait for the police to arrive.

Q. If I arrive at my business and there aren’t indications of a crime, but would like an officer to assist me with a walk-through, will the police respond?

A. Yes. Call 9-1-1 and wait for the police to arrive. Please note that this will be a lower priority call, and it may take some time for police to arrive.

If you have additional questions, please call 253-856-5800 and ask for the Community Education Unit.