Tucson Police Department released alarm responses vs. calls received for alarms during fiscal year 2011. During fiscal year 2011, TPD received 18,400 alarm calls, they responded to only 10,150 alarm calls, this showing that Tucson Police failed to respond to over 45% of alarm calls they received.
"Note!" These figures fail to mention that during non response times, thunderstorms or when other issues take priority, Tucson Police Department did not take any alarm calls from alarm companies.
Tucson Alarm Company now offers guard response. This assures a response to your alarm 100% of the time. Let me ask you, "Do you only arm your alarm half the time? Then why would you rely on an alarm company who only gets a response, half of the time you need one?"
Customer Safety: Tucson Alarm Ordinance requires a responding party meets the police at the crime scene within 1 hour. This requirement does not only place citizens in danger, attempting to arrive within 1 hour, it also leaves them vulnerable to becoming victims at the hands of an intruder. Remember, Tucson Police Department may not respond at all.
Reliability: Tucson Alarm Dispatches guards who respond every time they are called.
Responsibility: Tucson Police Department is under government immunity from any liability. Our guard service is licensed, bonded and insured.
Cost Effective: Quote from Assistant Chief Leavitt, "The sole reason for this ordinance is to raise a Million Dollars." To use TPD, you will be required to pay $20 a year to start with. This will cover interring your information in TPD's data base so they have it available to asses fines. Fines range from $100 to $400.
Guard response is a flat rate of $25 per response. If you don't need them, there is no annual fee.
Background Checks: Guards are licensed by the State of Arizona. They receive fingerprinting and background checks every two years. Tucson Police Officers are fingerprinted only at time of hire. Tucson Police Department demanded that all alarm agents and owners be fingerprinted annually, claiming fingerprints can easily be changed, but Tucson Police Officers are not required to follow the same standards.
TPD dispatches a police officer who does not even meet the same background checks of an alarm installer, or a security guard licensed by the State of Arizona.
Fact (A): City of Tucson implemented the alarm ordinance under recommendations from the Arizona Alarm Association and ADT's recommendation. The permit fees are a way of excusing the industry for poor quality alarms and lackluster service provided by the industry. It is a pay off allotted to the City for turning a blind eye to the alarm industry and places the cost of lackluster performance on behalf of the alarm industry. The City of Tucson agreed to allow companies to continue to sell poor quality alarms that cause multiple false alarms, as long as the City of Tucson could pick your pocket while your alarm company held you to your contract.
Fact (B) Three local alarm companies, Tucson Alarm Company, Young Alarm Company and Advance ProTechtion, fought against this ordinance. We pointed out that; (A) Fines should be placed onto the alarm service provider, not the customer. (B) Permit fees attack responsible alarm users. (C) Consumers who are tied into multi year monitoring contracts will become victims of the alarm company and the City of Tucson. (D) Releasing client information, including to TPD, without the client's permission is a violation of citizen's privacy. (E) TPD is charging for a service that they admit they fail to perform half the time that they are called upon to perform such service.
Tucson Alarm will dispatch TPD: only if we have received written permission to do so, from our customer. This assures us that our customer is aware of the Tucson Alarm Ordinance and the possibility that Tucson Police will not respond. Any dispatching of TPD, will also require a dispatch of a Private Guard, guaranteeing a response is made in a timely manner.
Roger D. Score (Owner)
Tucson Alarm Company . (520) 290-8515 . located @ 7425 E. 22nd St. . tucsonalarm.com
tucsonalarm.com
I do applaud your ability to stand up to TPD and make your customers number one. It is a shame that any entity can levy taxes at anytime without the consent of the people..sounds sort of like Taxation without Representation, sound familiar.
ReplyDeleteIt is also a shame that we the people have to be checked, rechecked and verified more than the people who make the laws in the first place.
Making your customers number one, thats what a good business should focus on. Thats what makes the difference when you show them you care.
Thanks for your efforts.
"If you'd like to post this comment on your site, you're free to do so -
ReplyDeleteThis year the Tucson Mayor and City Council adopted a new fee that will be charged to people who purchase a home or commercial alarm system. I believe that was a mistake and so I voted against the ordinance.
At a time when we are seeing a rise in violent crime in Tucson, and property crime is a never ending problem, causing people to pay more to protect their own assets is bad public policy. Add to that the difficulty our local businesses are already having in this economy and the argument against the measure is even more compelling.
Roger Score, owner of Tucson Alarm was one of the prime movers in opposing the ordinance. I thank Roger for his work in trying to prevent the additional fee. He's one of the local businessmen who are keeping our economy moving. Give him a try when you're out shopping for your security system. He'll get you a fair, honest and reliable deal - and you'll be supporting one of our home grown businesses in the process."
Steve Kozachik
Tucson City Council - Ward 6