what is enhanced call verification?

What is Enhanced Call Verification and how can it prevent false alarms?

In July 2006, the legislators of the State of Florida made Enhanced Call Verification (generally referred to as “ECV”) became state law; F.S. Statute 489.529 and it as later signed endorsed and signed into law by then Gov. Jeb Bush. The new state legislation is under the heading of Alarm Verification Calls Required within the Florida State statute.  The new legislation requires all central monitoring stations that handle residential or commercial intrusion/burglary alarm activations to make “two” (2) phone calls in an attempt to verify the validity of any monitored alarm activation. This is done prior to calling local police/sheriff’s departments to request a dispatch. All alarm monitoring stations, no matter where they are located in the United States and conduct alarm monitoring in the State of Florida, are now mandated to call both the premises generating the alarm activation signal, and if no answer is received, or false verification cannot be determined, the monitoring station then must make a second attempt via a telephone in order to try and contact the alarm system owner or key holder. If the monitored location utilizes visual or auditory sensors that enable the monitoring personnel to properly verify the alarm signal, then “ECV” is not required.

This newly enhanced manner of attempted verification has wide support from Florida’s many Chiefs of Police, Duly elected Sheriffs and the Alarm Administrators/Coordinators from each agency that tracks false alarm activity. The Alarm Association of Florida has played a significant role in seeing this legislation brought to fruition in their attempt to lower false alarm responses by both Police and Fire Personnel first responders. The national alarm industry related association known as S.I.A.C., officially called the Security Industry Alarm Coalition has also come out in full support of this type of legislation on a national basis.

The Law Enforcement Agencies and Associations who support Enhanced Call Verification include the following:

• The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA)
• The International Association of Chiefs of Police (I.A.C.P.)
• The False Alarm Reduction Association (F.A.R.A.)

The Alarm Industry Associations who worked for and publicly support  Enhanced Call Verification include the following:

• The Alarm Association of Florida (A.A.F.)
• The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (S.I.A.C.)
• The Central Station Alarm Association (C.S.A.A.)

One of law enforcement’s international associations referred to as F.A.R.A, the False Alarm Reduction Association, has several hundred active members in the United States and Canada. Palm Bay’s Alarm Administrator, Stan Hanson (a member of the FARA Board of Directors) has welcomed the new Florida State statute in hopes that the new legislation will prove to have a positive effect on reducing false alarm responses in future years to come. This will have a direct impact in saving Palm Bay taxpayers thousands of dollars in man-hours and equipment usage as false alarm responses begin to lower over time.

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