RECOMMENDATION(S)

A. THAT Council approve the recommendations for amendments to Security Alarm System Bylaw No. 7111 as detailed in this Report.

B. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to bring forward amendments to the Security Alarm System Bylaw in accordance with Appendix A.

C. THAT Council approve a 17% increase to the Annual Permit Fees to reflect staffing/administration cost increases since the Program began ten years ago; anticipated revenue increase for 2004 total $86,700, annualized at $200,000 to be credited to General Revenues without offset.

D. THAT Council approve the proposed Business Plan as detailed in this Report including:

· Reduction of false alarms by 10% annually resulting in greater public and police member safety;
· Systems and computer upgrades (utilizing AMANDA Software) totalling $87,500 (one-time);
· Credit/Debit Card Services totalling $10,000 (on-going); and
· Communications Plan totalling $47,500 (one-time) and $15,000 (on-going).

Funding required for 2004 of $78,000, for 2005 of $67,000, and for annualized on-going funds of $25,000 to be provided from False Alarm Permit Fees.

POLICY

In accordance with Security Alarm System Bylaw No. 7111

PURPOSE

This report details the rationale to amend Security Alarm System Bylaw No. 7111 and enhance the infrastructure of the False Alarm Reduction Program. The basic premises of this report are to:

BACKGROUND

In 1992, the Vancouver Police attended approximately 40,000 False Alarms with approximately 23,000 "known" alarm systems. With approximately 56,000 systems in Vancouver today - double the amount in 92' - the number of false alarm incidents could have also doubled to 80,000 calls for Police Service. In 1993, the Vancouver Police Department implemented an Alarm Permitting System which effectively: maintains public expectation of police service & protection to alarm incidents, reduces police calls for service, and instils alarm user and alarm company accountability.

The reduction in the incidence of false alarms within the City of Vancouver has steadily improved. From 40,000 in 1992 with 23,000 alarm systems to 15,850 with over 56,000 alarm systems gives Vancouver one of the lowest false alarm factors in North America. Due to the annual increase in new alarm systems (approximately 5% per year), the total number of false alarm incidents (although still decreasing annually), is still higher than desired. Lower incidence of false alarms equal fewer requests for police response and a savings in the use of valuable police resources.

Program Overview

The City of Vancouver implemented Security Alarm System Bylaw No. 7111 on July 5th, 1993. Under the Bylaw a permit is mandatory for any premise with an alarm system (whether monitored or not). The Permit Fees levied go to the City and help off-set policing costs related to alarm response. Permits are renewed annually under three classifications priced as follows: Residential - $15.00, Small Commercial (with premises less than 140 square metres in size) - $25.00, and Large Commercial with premises greater than 140 square metres in size) - $50.00.

A Permit Holder is allowed three false alarms (as defined in Appendix A) within a 12-month period.

On the fourth false alarm, within the 12-month period, the permit is cancelled. The permit holder can either appeal the cancellation to the Vancouver Police Board (in writing) or pay a reinstatement fee as follows:

DISCUSSION

Bylaw Format

To further enhance the efficiency of the False Alarm Reduction Program, the proposed amendments to the Bylaw are being presented with a view to make the document more readable and easier to reference. Some of the language has been modernized and the document reflects procedural changes prior to reporting alarm incidents to the police.

Appeal Board Composition

The composition of the "False Alarm Appeal Panel" is to be changed from four or more to one or more. Section 279B(3)(c) of the Vancouver Charter provides that the power to regulate alarm systems shall include the power to provide an appeal to the Vancouver Police Board for a decision granting, refusing, suspending or cancelling any permits. Bylaw No. 7111 includes provisions that the person whose permit was cancelled or refused may appeal such decision to the Vancouver Police Board. A quorum of the Board was required (4 members) for the appeals.

In September 1999, the Board carefully considered the Appeal Applications and the Board resources required. Given other priorities, the Board decided to submit a request for an amendment to the Vancouver Charter to enable the "delegation of authority to hear appeals" for "any one or more Board members". City of Vancouver Legal Services made the submission on behalf of the Board and on March 27, 2003, Bill 22 was passed by the Provincial Government which included the requested amendment to the Charter (Section 18 of Bill 22 - 2003: Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services Statutes Amendments).

The revised Security Alarm Bylaw being proposed to the Board takes into account the recent Charter amendment and enables the Police Board to proceed with delegation of authority for alarm appeals.

Alarm Company Notification

Approximately 70% of all recorded false alarms are due to user error. It is alarm users who have the greatest "control" over their alarm systems. When a monitored alarm is activated, the monitoring station typically makes one call to the premise with a view to determine whether or not a "legitimate user" is present. This is in keeping with the current Bylaw [s.16. (1)] which directs alarm companies to "attempt" to make contact. If there is no answer the monitoring station typically then calls the police. More effective Alarm Reporting Protocols are necessary and amending the Bylaw regarding "Alarm Company Notification" will yield immediate results (a study in the U.S. saw that when two or more attempts were made to contact permit holders, the incidence of reporting false alarms to the police was reduced between 25-56%). The proposed amendment (s.27) places greater responsibility on the alarm (monitoring) company to actually "make contact" with a Keyholder/Permit Holder (property reference) prior to contacting the police. This procedure will allow Permit Holders a better opportunity to cancel alarm calls prior to police dispatch (thus avoiding false alarm incidents to be charged against their record and the wasting of expensive police resources).

Cancelling Police before Dispatch

Once an alarm is reported to the police and is shown to be false for whatever reason, it becomes part of that Permit Holder's false alarm record (even though it may have been cancelled prior to the police being dispatched). In order to promote a greater sense of "fairness", it is proposed that the alarm company and/or the Permit Holder, be allowed to cancel the police prior to dispatch - without penalty. This should help reduce the number of "false alarms" as newly defined in the proposed Bylaw amendments. Complete details of the proposed Bylaw changes are attached as Appendix A.

BUSINESS PLAN

By effecting changes to the Bylaw and implementing the proposed Business Plan, the False Alarm Reduction Program hopes to achieve the following goals:

Increasing Public and Police Member Safety
Responding to an alarm call can be dangerous. Consider the following:

Reducing False Alarms by 10% Annually

While the Program is working well, our goal is to further reduce the false alarm incident workload of the Vancouver Police Department by an additional 10% annually. Provided that all elements of the Bylaw/Business Proposal are implemented, the number of False Alarms reported to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) may drop by as much as 25-50% over the next two years. The "10%" stated is the "sustainable decrease" in the occurrence of actual False Alarm incidents over the long term as part of the Programs' Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).

Improving Program/Office Efficiencies

The Staff of the False Alarm Reduction Program are routinely asked as to whether or not payment of fees can be made by debit or credit card. If this service were made available to the public (as it is virtually everywhere else in today's business world), a number of benefits would be realized:

Plan to Enhance Program/Educational Outreach - (Communication Plan - Appendix C)

Our Communication Plan includes:

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Annual Revenue - Permit Fee Increase and # of Allowable False Alarms

In 2003, The False Alarm Reduction Program realized revenues of approximately 1.1 million dollars. Reinstatement fees ($178,850 in 2003) have been steadily declining (approximately 10% per year) as more Permit Holders become more proficient with the use of their alarms and fewer permits are being cancelled. As more alarm systems are installed (at rate of approximately 2,500 per year), the total amount of revenue has remained constant over the last four years. There will come a "saturation point" (when the installation of new systems "top-out") and total revenues will decline. When this will occur will depend on the number of "new housing units" - which is difficult to forecast - as it may be dependant on the amount of "vertical" growth yet to be developed. Salient points include:

· Changing Annual Permit and Reinstatement Fees to reflect staffing/administration cost increases since the Program began ten years ago (proposed fee increases of 17% may realize additional annual revenues between $157,000-$185,000 per annum).

· Changing the current Policy from four allowable false alarm incidents in a twelve month period to three (aligning with the practices of surrounding municipalities) will realize an increase in Reinstatement Revenue of 9% or +$16,097. (Total increased annual revenue of just over $200,000 may be realized).

· 2004 revenue increase estimates total $87,500 and $200,000 on-going.

Permit Fees

Funds Required to Improve Office Efficiencies & Provide Educational Outreach:

A number of expenditures will be required for Program enhancements:

Summary of Funding Requirements

PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS

A smaller Board Appeal Panel will reduce some administrative burden currently faced by Police Board and save staff time and money on related printing and Appeal Package preparation costs.

There are no significant personnel issues as far as staffing levels are concerned. The proposed increase in office efficiencies will offset the increased volume of work within the office. There will be a requirement for minor in-house training regarding new software program upgrades and the use of Debit/credit card interface equipment.

CONCLUSION

The City of Vancouver's False Alarm Reduction Program is highly regarded by the Canadian Alarm and Security Association (CANASA) as a "true false alarm reduction program". The proactive nature of the Program continues to positively affect the incidence of false alarms within the City of Vancouver. The Program has generated over ten million dollars in revenue since it began in 1993 (which has greatly contributed to offsetting policing costs to alarm related incidents). The Program has also been instrumental in reducing the Operational workload of the VPD by decreasing the time spent responding to alarm incidents from 18% in 1992 to a mere 6% in 2003.

The proposed changes to the Security Alarm Bylaw 7111, supported by the proposed Business Plan and the requisite funding, will greatly enhance the Program's overall effectiveness. Not only will the number of False Alarms decrease, but the public will realize significant service enhancements including the provision of timely police response to alarm calls within the City of Vancouver.

LINK TO APPENDIX A

LINK TO APPENDIX B

LINK TO APPENDIX C

LINK TO APPENDIX D

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