1. CheckVideo, Inc., 11507 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA. 20190 (703) 483-3000, www.checkvideo.com 1
Verified Alarm Response – Is Your Business Protected?
“In keeping with emerging standards successfully implemented by law enforcement agencies throughout the
country, the Department will adopt a Verified Response Protocol. This change will occur on January 1, 2012.
Consequently, the San Jose (California) Police Department will no longer respond to alarms solely on the request
of alarm monitoring companies.1
What Is Verified Response and Where Did It Come From?
Verified Response policies or protocols specify that the police will not respond to property crime alarms reported
by alarm monitoring companies unless the alarm monitoring company can show that an alarm has been visually
verified by an eye witness or video camera.
Cities and municipalities started implementing Verified Response policies in the early 1990’s after the City of Las
Vegas was the first city to do so in 1991. A growing number of cities and municipalities, about 40 so far, have
implemented either by ordinance or policy a “verified response” policy similar to San Jose’s. Many more police
departments actually operate under an informal verified response policy.
The primary justification for Verified Response is the nation’s massive false alarm problem which is a major drain
on police resources and costs local government millions of dollars a year. The problem has been amplified by the
growing number of cities and municipalities that are operating in the red and have been forced to reduce spending
on services including cutbacks in law enforcement.
The problem is only getting worse. In a landmark study in 2002, the FBI reported that in the United States, police
responded to approximately 36 million alarm activations, at an estimated cost of $1.8 billion. Experts estimate
that this cost has at least doubled over the last ten years. Multiple studies conducted over the last two decades by
the Justice Department, FBI and local law enforcement agencies have consistently found that the vast majority of
alarm calls – between 94 and 98 percent are simply false. These findings are echoed in studies conducted by the
San Jose police department which served as the primary justification for its verified response policy.
Many cities have not yet resorted to Verified Response as a means to address the false alarm problem. Instead,
the alarm industry in conjunction with law enforcement agencies has developed a range of alternative policies in
an effort to reduce responses to false alarms including Enhanced Call Verification, aka ECV. ECV requires the alarm
monitoring provider to make two or more calls to offsite personnel to determine if there is an actual threat.2
Problem is ECV and none of the other three policy alternatives described below in footnote 2 ensure a timely or
effective police response.
1 Source: http://www.sjpd.org/Records/Verified_Response.html
2
Source: Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SAIC). Known Agency Requirements, Last Modified 11/23/2011.
Premises Verification Required (PV) – A call from the monitoring company to the protected premises is required before a call
to police can be made. Special requests to supersede this procedure are usually prohibited by municipal policy or ordinance.
Multiple Zones Required (MZ) –Usually an interior and an exterior or at least two different burglar alarms must be activated at
the premises before the police will respond.
Broadcast and File – The monitoring station is permitted to notify the police department that an alarm has been activated.
Police may or may not respond to an alarm based on factors including a) officer availability, b) known
crime patterns, c) historical false alarm problems and fines for excessive false alarm activations.

2. CheckVideo, Inc., 11507 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA. 20190 (703) 483-3000, www.checkvideo.com 2
Why You Should Care About Verified Alarm Response Policies
News spreads fast among criminals. They know that in cities where Verified Response has been implemented a
burglar alarm will not get a prompt response or no response from the police. The alarm industry worries that
Verified Response will exacerbate a problem that is already enormous and getting worse as property crimes in
2010 resulted in losses estimated at $15.7 billion.3
Businesses and home owners in the U.S. spend roughly $32
billion a year on burglar alarms, security systems and monitoring services.4
However, since most Verified Response
policies have been implemented over the last few years the vast majority of these monitored alarm systems are
not designed to provide video verification and therefore don’t comply with verified response policies.
The growth of property crimes alone suggests that businesses need to seriously consider doing something different
to protect their property. With the advent of Verified Response maintaining the status quo is not an option.
Alternatives for Complying with Verified Response
Businesses have started to embrace four basic alternatives to comply with Verified Response policies and enhance
security in general.
Monitored video security systems that generate video verified alarms: There are several variations of this
approach but the two most common are, 1) Video cameras connected to a special device or DVR wired into an
alarm panel that activates the camera when a door or window sensor is tripped. When the camera is activated it
sends a message with a short video clip to the monitoring center. 2) Systems that utilize motion detectors coupled
with video cameras. When a motion detector is activated by movement in its detection area it sends a signal that
tells the DVR or alarm panel to transmit a message containing a brief video clip of what the video camera is seeing
at that moment to an alarm monitoring company (central station).
There are significant shortcomings with both of these alternatives. First, video cameras that activate during or
shortly after a break in do not give the monitoring company or police any advance notice. Being alerted during or
shortly after a break in occurs usually does not reduce the impact of the crime or give the police enough time to
stop the perpetrators. Crime statistics show that professional burglars can get what they are after and be gone in
less than five minutes. While motion detectors often can sense burglars approaching, these devices are “blind”,
have relatively small detection areas and tend to generate a high number of false alarms especially when deployed
outdoors. Birds, small animals, wind and weather conditions can trigger motion detectors. This can get very
expensive as monitoring companies charge high fees to service false alarms. This also diminishes the value of
motion-based systems as a reliable source of verified alarms.
Audio alarm verification: Many verified alarm policies acknowledge audio verified alarms. Audio verification was
an important innovation in alarm technology first introduced in the early 1950’s and is still in use today. The
typical audio verification system uses hidden microphones installed inside the premises that signal the central
station when activated by sound and enables the monitoring company and police to listen in to determine if a
crime is in progress. Audio verification is useful in indoor settings and has been a key factor in facilitating many
apprehensions but is not very practical for helping secure outdoor areas as there are far too many miscellaneous
sounds that can create false alarms. Audio generally does not serve as an early detection solution because it is
3
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uscr/crime-
- Losses from organized theft of stolen goods exceed $70 billion a year and reported losses from cargo theft exceed $90
billion a year in the U.S. Source CNBC News, Crime, Inc. Special Reports, www.crimeinc.cnbc.com.
- Arsons of industrial/manufacturing structures resulted in losses that averaged $133,717 per arson. Source:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uscr/crime-
- Graffiti and vandalism is a $10 billion a year problem in the U.S. Source: http://www.crimeshots.com
4 Source: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uscr/crime-

3. CheckVideo, Inc., 11507 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA. 20190 (703) 483-3000, www.checkvideo.com 3
designed to help detect intruders after they have entered the premises. So while audio can play a meaningful role
in verifying a crime is in progress its fundamental shortcomings are that it is “blind” and can’t provide anywhere
near the level of situational awareness and verification that video surveillance provides.
Private guarding services: Many businesses, institutions and home owners associations retain on premises
private guarding services, roving patrols or off premises guarding services that respond to monitored alarms.
While guarding services are an important alternative and extremely effective in many situations, crime statistics
show that the effectiveness of guards varies greatly. In addition guarding services are labor intensive and by far
the most expensive alternative. It is not uncommon for basic guarding services to cost several thousand dollars
per month.
CCTV systems that are not monitored: Millions of businesses and organizations have installed CCTV systems that
simply record what the camera sees to a DVR and no alarms or alerts are sent to a monitoring company. While this
approach does not comply with any form of verified response its worth mentioning here because in the majority of
cases it is easy and affordable to modify existing CCTV systems to automatically detect the presence of people,
vehicles or motion and transmit video clips of events of interest to a monitoring company. The solution for this is
noted in the last section of this paper. If not modified in this manner CCTV systems rarely deter burglars. CCTV
does have forensic value as it provides a means to record and review what happened. However, criminals know
this and use disguises, or simply locate the DVR unit and destroy or steal it.
A Better and More Cost-effective Way to Address Verified Response and Enhance Security
While no single solution is a panacea there is good news for millions of businesses and organizations who use
monitored security systems that are currently not compliant with Verified Response policies and protocols. As
tends to be the case with many of today’s toughest business challenges the answer comes in the form of an
extremely affordable solution that is based on breakthrough technology.
CheckVideo™ – Comply with Verified Response and Restore the Effectiveness of Your Security Systems
“See how easy and affordable it is to add "we're watching the bad guys before they break-in" capability to your
current "we’re watching the bad guys after they’re long gone" technology. Delight your customers with
intelligent video monitoring from CheckVideo.” J.D. Benfer, president of Response Center USA, San Antonio, Texas
This quote from a leading alarm monitoring company pretty much summarizes the advantages of CheckVideo over
the alternatives. CheckVideo is the first and only system on the market that packages proven, advanced video
analytics detection software, DVR and remote video surveillance capabilities into a complete cloud-based
solution.5
CheckVideo automatically “watches” video 24/7 for events of interest and sends critical, real time alerts
users can act on to notify authorities of an incident, helping to shorten response times and stop crimes in progress.
Because CheckVideo only detects the presence of people and vehicles, not just motion, the alarms it generates are
far more accurate and reliable resulting in a dramatic reduction in false alarms. To complete the solution the
CheckVideo seamlessly integrates with off the shelf and proprietary central station automation software to enable
third-party monitoring. Another important advantage of CheckVideo’s cloud-based design is cost savings. It saves
money by eliminating the costs of dedicated servers, network infrastructure, proprietary video management
software, motion detectors and alarm panels.
5 Refers to cloud computing. Many vendors claim their systems are cloud-based because they simply have the ability to
communicate over the internet. That is a far cry from a cloud computing system. A cloud computing system
meets the following four criteria established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) . 1) The system
must be hosted, 2) massively scalable, 3) support multi-tenancy or the ability to process and support many independent
instances of applications and databases, and 4) must be a metered service that is available on demand and billed in units
of usage or on a subscription basis.

4. CheckVideo, Inc., 11507 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA. 20190 (703) 483-3000, www.checkvideo.com 4
Events of interest could be video clips of people or vehicles approaching a location at a time when they shouldn’t
be there or of people attempting to enter restricted areas. So CheckVideo “knows” what it’s seeing and produces
more reliable and actionable results in the form of 10 second color video clips and live video that are instantly sent
to a central monitoring station, smart phone or computer over the internet and wireless networks.
The video analytics detection technology in contrast to motion detection and other forms of detection technology
recognizes user defined events of interest. Depending on the cameras used, CheckVideo’s software will work at
distances ranging from 40 feet to more than 200 feet, day or night. This means video verified alarms are sent in
advance of an intrusion giving the monitoring company extra precious time to review and report a verified
incident. Police normally will respond on a priority basis to alarms verified by CheckVideo. The video clips provide
the police with extremely important information or situational awareness in addition to greatly improving their
chances of apprehending the perpetrator(s).
CheckVideo may be deployed as both a primary or supplemental security system depending on the application and
situation. For example, it may be used as the main system to protect outdoor sites such as parking lots or
construction sites or as the first line of defense to protect the perimeter of a car dealership, retail store, office
building or residence in conjunction with existing alarm systems.
Unlike other video surveillance systems, CheckVideo can easily be added to most existing CCTV systems and
instantly transform existing cameras into intelligent sensors with video analytics and proactive remote video
surveillance capabilities.
It is important to note that CheckVideo is also an excellent solution for enhancing the productivity and
effectiveness of private guarding services and controlling costs. It provides guards with an automated tool that
extends a guard’s coverage area and increases the number of checkpoints a guard can monitor.
Conclusion
It is clear by the enormity of the false alarm problem why verified alarms are now mandated in a growing number
of communities and are the only alarms besides armed robbery, distress alarms and 911 calls that receive priority
response from police. CheckVideo eliminates false alarms and generates monitored alarms that comply with
verified response policies and protocols. It is also a proven solution for security in general as it serves as both an
early warning system and a remote video surveillance system that helps stop and reduce the impact of crimes.
Even if your community doesn’t have a verified response policy, businesses need to seriously consider doing
something different to protect their property. The property crime problem is massive and growing and it’s obvious
that conventional security systems are not getting the job done in many cases. So it behooves all users to conduct
an assessment of their security systems. We recommend you start by finding out about the alarm response policy
in your community to help determine what alternatives are best for your business.
We invite you to contact CheckVideo to help. Our sales consultants and support team stand ready to discuss your
requirements and assist with designing a system tailored to your needs. Whether you are a business, educational
or government institution or a homeowner, CheckVideo can help address both your fundamental and most
challenging security and enforcement requirements.
About the author:
This white paper was written by Steven Angelo who is a technology sales and marketing business consultant. He is
currently Check Video’s Director of National Account Sales and Channel Development.