NCJ Number
145459
Journal
Security Sales Dated: (July 1993) Pages: 50,52,54,56
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Security specialists conducted a study in a Pennsylvania town to determine whether home alarms systems provide net benefits to a community and its police department, given the existing level of false activations.
Abstract
The effects of alarm costs to the community were analyzed according to installation outlays, monthly charges, and costs to the police department of responding to false activations. Benefits of using alarm systems accrued to the community in terms of avoided burglaries, nonmonetary costs of burglary (personal injury and psychological discomfort), cost of property stolen, incomplete burglaries, demoralization costs, and avoidance of fire, including demoralization costs from fire and costs to the fire department. This analysis showed that the overall community, including houses both with and without alarm systems, benefited by 67 cents per households. Calculations at the same rate for 93 million households in the U.S. would represent a national savings of $62 million from alarm systems. 2 tables