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 more of these that an agency adopts, the greater the cumulative effect and likelihood that reductions will be achieved.

Definition: Responding agency alarm dispatch cancellation is the process in which a dispatch is cancelled or officer recalled when the alarm company providing monitoring verifies with the alarm user or responsible party that a false alarm has occurred and that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement agency response.

• It is a waste of law enforcement resources to respond to known false activation’s; terminating dispatch reflects a more responsible use of resources to the taxpayer.
• Increases available manpower for response to more urgent calls.
• Decreases likelihood of associated accidents, injury and liability to all parties.
• Cancelled calls should not be included in the overall count of total dispatches, unless officer has already reached the alarm location.
• An ordinance or department policy that accepts cancellations may realize up to a 35% reduction in false dispatches.