How good is your alarm system?

Even the most state-of-the-art system is of little value if no one responds in a timely manner, or not at all.

In 2006, the Reno Police Department responded to over 11,000 alarms. That same year, only 2,105 burglaries were reported to the Reno Police Department. This means that at least 98% of all the alarm calls that RPD responds to are false. Because of this, your alarm is considered 'low' priority, and since RPD dispatches calls on a 'priority basis,' more serious calls, such as a robbery, fight in progress, or domestic dispute are dispatched first.

Also, the Reno Police Department presently has what is called an 'at will' response to alarms. What this means is that a Police Officer will receive notification that an alarm response is needed at your home or business, and the Police Officer may or may not respond to that alarm determined by what they are presently doing or what other calls may be pending. In addition to this police, Reno Police supervisors may cancel response to an alarm on an individual basis at their discretion. Personal Injury crime takes priority over property crime, period.

A Police Officer may arrive at your home or business several hours after the alarm is reported. Currently, after two false alarms in any 12 month period, the Reno Police presently assesses a fine to you of $94.66 for each alarm. If there are six false alarms, police response will be suspended.

Most recently, changes in the City's alarm ordinance are being proposed to further restrict responses to false alarms that put an additional burden on already strained police resources. These proposed changes can be found on the Reno City webpage, http://www.cityofreno.com/Index.aspx?page=198. Proposed changes in the alarm ordinance include the following:

  • Every alarm user must have a permit with a $25.00 application fee and a $25.00 annual permit renewal fee.
  • A $100.00 fee for each false alarm at an unregistered site.
  • A $75.00 fine to the permit holder for a false intrusion alarm.
  • A $200.00 fine to the permit holder for a false robbery or panic alarm.
  • Alarm response will be suspended after the third false alarm

These fines can be appealed but that doesn't help the cost factor. The bottom line is that Reno Police Department does not view your alarm as a priority.

What does this mean for your home or business?

It means that additional protection is needed to ensure that once an alarm occurs, it is responded to in a quick, efficient manner. Martin-Ross and Associates, consisting of former law enforcement and FBI personnel along with highly trained armed alarm-response officers, will step in to provide that needed defense.

  • We will provide armed response by a highly trained security officer immediately upon receiving notification from your alarm company, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • We will arrive at your home or business within 15 minutes after being dispatched by your alarm company
  • We will determine the status of your home or business by physically checking doors and windows, and notify the appropriate authorities only if there are signs of an actual burglary or other problem.
  • We will respond to all alarms, whether fire, medical, panic or burglary.

We will provide all of these services to your home for $25.00 per month or to your business for $60.00 per month.



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