9.24.24 – KOMO -by Hannah Knowles, KOMO News Reporter
In a letter from interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) released a major policy change regarding the response to alarm calls.
Starting Oct. 1, SPD will only dispatch officers to calls from alarm companies with supporting evidence, such as audio, video, panic alarms, or eyewitness evidence that a person is illegally entering or attempting to enter a residence or commercial property.
“We will no longer respond to calls from alarm companies based only on sensor or motion activations,” the letter stated. “With depleted resources, we cannot prioritize a patrol response when there is a very low probability that criminal activity is taking place.”
According to Seattle police, the Seattle 911 Center receives approximately 13,000 yearly residential and commercial burglary alarm calls from alarm monitoring companies.
The letter said most of those calls are the result of an “unintended sensor trip by a homeowner or business employee. Many others are the result of old or failing equipment.”
According to SPD, of the 13,000 alarm calls in 2023, less than 4% were confirmed to have a crime associated with them that resulted in an arrest or report being written.
The letter was sent to alarm companies on Sept. 13 advising companies to notify customers of this change and that “additional effort may be required to work with them on technology upgrades or alternative options. “
According to Washington Alarm, the policy changewill impact more than 75,000 alarm sites in the community.
“The verified response policy has been tried and rejected numerous times including by cities such as Dallas, Texas, and San Jose, California. It goes against best practices established through a collaborative effort by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association,” Washington Alarm said.
Our industry supports the police and agrees that they need to conserve resources. But there is a better way,” said Washington Alarm.
The letter stated the change in SPD’s response does not impact the licensing and reporting requirements for alarm system monitoring companies as defined in Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) 6.10.