Executive Summary
Few joint projects have yielded such valuable information as the "Model States False Dispatch Reduction Program". To just say this project was successful falls short of what was really accomplished. Success can be measured in many ways, yes we reduced the "raw" number of false dispatches in most cities, and we learned what works best and what works quickly. But the most exciting accomplishment of this program had to be the fact that the public and private sector can work together to effectively reduce dispatches to the benefit of all.
We found roughly 20% of the users caused 80% of the dispatches. By focusing on those accounts and contacting the responsible Alarm Company for corrective action, you can reduce dispatches significantly in less than a year. Of the 55 cities that participated, 28 yielded sufficient data for this report, 21 of those reduced dispatches, some as high as 62%. Six of the seven agencies with increases were from California, where the program had not yet reached maturity due to their late entry. Most agencies did very well ?primarily due to the Chief or Sheriff making it clear to all, that this project was important and a high priority for the department.
Despite our best effort to control the variables going into this project, we found unique issues and differences from state to state and city to city that delayed or impaired many of the jurisdictions in their attempt to pass ordinances, collect data, or generally implement the program:
Best Practices - In order to establish an effective false dispatch reduction program there are best practices that should be considered. Experience has shown us that these practices should be looked at as building blocks, not as an all or none package. The practices listed below were found to be effective regardless of the jurisdiction size.
|
| |
| MODEL STATES REPORT Best Practices in Reducing False Dispatches | |
| - 8- |