Alarm Systems:
· Make sure that all members of your family are familiar with the operation and functions of your system. If you make an error in punching in a code on a monitored system upon entering your home, call your alarm company so that they can cancel a police response.
· Keep all sensor locations clean of dust and spider webs.
· If you allow pets in your home while you are away, disarm the motion sensors so that your pets are not constantly setting off the alarm.
· Make sure that relatives or neighbors have a working knowledge of the system if they are taking care of your home while you are away.
· When the weather changes, check all contact points for secure connections. We get dramatic increases in alarm calls, primarily due to extreme cold, rain, heat, and most frequently high wind and power outages.
· Business owners. If you have people come into your business at night to clean up, PLEASE ensure that they are familiar with the operation of your system, and that they know the CORRECT CODE to use upon entering.
· If you hear a neighbors alarm system activate, PLEASE take a quick look out your window and then CALL US IMMEDIATELY even if you don’t see anything unusual. I’ve actually had neighbors grab a flashlight and go check yards themselves before calling us, thinking that they are doing their friends and us a favor! What are you going to do if you confront someone committing burglary? Chances are you are setting yourself up to get hurt. Help us by CALLING us and watching until we get there. Leave the Chasing of Bad Guys to us. We get paid for it and are properly equipped to get the job done. The guy in his bathrobe and a flashlight is not!
I think your advice for checking on a neighbor’s alarm is a good one. I would normally not expect the worst but that might put me in real danger.
Sadly in todays world – you really need to balance the reality with the bubble many live in – thou that balance is not always easy to achieve without becoming very paranoid.