Key Terms
- Audio Verification (AV)
- – The transfer of sounds from the protected premises to the monitoring company, as a result of activation of one or more devices, in an attempt to confirm the validity of the alarm signal.
- Broadcast and File
- – A police officer will only be assigned to respond to a burglar alarm if there is eyewitness verification of a crime in progress. Otherwise, the alarm is broadcast to all police units and no car will be obligated to respond – generally, within 15 minutes to one hour. If no officer has responded to the broadcast, it is closed with no further action.
- Cross Zoning (CZ)
- – A technical term utilized within control panels that requires two different zones to be tripped within a specified time period (usually 30 seconds) before the panel produces a valid single alarm signal. This feature is used to deal with specific or unusual conditions within a limited protected area. It is not meant to be used or applied as a general fix for false alarms or mandated by ordinance for all systems. The term is sometimes confused with “Multiple Trip†requirements – see entry.
- Enhanced Call Verification (ECV)
- – A monitoring procedure requiring that a minimum of two calls be made prior to making an alarm dispatch request. The two calls must be made to different phone numbers – the first to the protected premise; the second call to the cell phone of the property owner or manager, or another number where a responsible party typically can be reached.
- Eyewitness Verification (EV)
- – Physical verification by the owner or manager, designated person or a guard response service that an actual criminal event occurred, is occurring or was at least attempted.
- False Alarm Rate
- – The total number of dispatches deemed false for a defined period of time, typically 12 months, divided by the total number of alarm systems during that same time period. This tells you the average number of false alarms per alarm system location for that period.
- Full Cost Recovery
- – The alarm permit fees cover the cost of administering the alarm ordinance and the response fee charged for each alarm response by a police officer that is deemed false.
- Multiple Trips (MT)
- – Activation of a zone or zones of the alarm system causing more than one signal to be received by the monitoring company. This term is sometimes confused with Cross Zoning.
- Verification by Other Electronic Means (VOEM)
- – Video verification, listen-in technology, cross zoning or multiple-trip activation.
- Verified Response
- – Law enforcement will not respond to a burglar alarm without eyewitness verification of a crime in progress.
- Video Verification (VV)
- – The transfer of video images to the monitoring company reflecting conditions existing at the protected premises at the time an alarm was activated.
- Zone
- – The separation of detection devices into areas of protection to indicate the general location from which an alarm system signal is transmitted. (For example: Zone 1 – Front Door Contact; Zone 2 – Front Entry Motion Detector.)
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