Columbus Will Reduce False Alarm Calls with CentralSquare False Alarm Management
Thursday, July 30th, 2020
CentralSquare Technologies, an industry leader in public sector software, announced today that its False Alarm Management software (Powered by CryWolf) implemented by the Columbus Police Department, GA, will help the agency reduce responding to 22,000 false alarm calls annually. The managed-services solution from CentralSquare tracks alarm system registrations, processes false alarms and manages collections.
Alarm-triggered calls into the department’s 911 center require response by two officers. With 96% of those alarms subsequently determined as false, the department recognized a need to recoup lost staff hours when officers were needlessly dispatched to homes and businesses. An ordinance was passed in late 2019 to curb the large number of false alarm calls, paving the way for the department to implement CentralSquare’s false alarm reduction solution.
“Columbus Police Department responds to an average of 60 false alarm calls a day, while the fire department responds to roughly seven in a day,” said Assistant Chief Gil Slouchick. “When our officers are spending 30 minutes on each of these calls, they’re not able to use that time out in the community serving the public.”
According to research from the Urban Institute, 90%-99% of all alarm calls received by police are false. By implementing the CentralSquare solution, the Columbus Police Department seeks to minimize the number of non-emergency calls that officers are deployed to investigate. This will enable them to spend more time in the community and focus on responding to true emergencies.
The false alarm program will give residents and businesses the ability to register alarm systems, pay fees, update account information and view all false alarm incidents remotely. As a core component of the services provided by CentralSquare, the company will manage alarm correspondence, invoices and public-facing webpages to help maximize compliance and engagement among the public.
Columbus residents can access the department’s false alarm reduction program website here.
