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International Association of Chiefs of Police
515 North Washington Street
Alexandra, VA 22314-2357
Tel. (703)-836-6767
WebSite: www.theiacp.org

Dear Stan:

Clearly one of the most difficult tasks to overcome in police management is the inertia caused by the exercise of police power at the local level. At the Watergate Hearings, Sam Irvin observed, "This country was not founded on the theory of efficiency, but rather on the diffusion of power." This clearly applies to policing. In international policing, America is a model all to its own in that over 80% of all police departments have 25 or fewer commissioned personnel. At the other extreme are the 50 major cities in which over 50% of all Americans reside.

Given the above, I can't articulate clearly enough just how significant the progress has been in advancing the false alarm reduction agenda. Seldom have I seen as positive a reaction as we are receiving these last months through the reports of the alarm reduction coordinators and the chiefs of the agencies involved. Our timing was good, as was the presentation of the case for attacking the false alarm issue. Where a year or two ago we would be told, "Well, we just aren't going to answer those things anymore," today police department CEO's as pointing out the positive resource savings that come with being part of the Model States Program.

This letter is an appeal to you and members of the Alarm Industry to stay the course, as there is still much to be achieved beyond Model States. The proposed regional workshops hold much potential because administrators know this is an IACP agenda in their interests. Working to develop that agenda has taken time and patience. It is like the goodwill found in corporations, which make them worth more than the normal accounting figures indicate. You can already see the results of this goodwill reflected by the recent addition of the IACP Division of State and Provincial Police and the Patrol and Tactical Operations Committee representatives to our Mobile

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