Police Dispatch, Registration and Fines

Son-Mar Security (SSI) wants you to know that we appreciate your business and we are very proud that you’ve chosen us for your Security needs. We will do all we can to ensure that you receive the best possible service.

Automatic Police Dispatch Procedures (unless otherwise stated):

If an alarm goes off at your premise the monitoring station will automatically

call the premise # first if there is no answer they will then
call the police and then
your contact/key-holder list that you provide us.

If you do not want the police called until the entire key-holder list is called, then you need to stipulate that to the tech when he’s asking you about your contact list or you may contact the monitoring station at anytime and verbally tell them who you want to add or delete from your contact list and in what position you want them called.

Note: Not everybody on your list has to be a contact. You can add people on your list that are just users (meaning persons first and last name and Passcode, no phone #’s) If the monitoring station calls the premise because of a false alarm the user can cancel the alarm with the monitoring station by providing their name and code.

How to Avoid Police Fines

To avoid Police Fines, please make sure you:

1. Call the Monitoring Station immediately at 888-766-5366 and tell them it is a false alarm

2. Make adjustments to your key-holder/Contact list ie. put the police 3rd, 4th or even last on your list or you can make arrangements with a security guard company to be called instead of police. Please contact us for further details

3. Call us and make an appointment for a tech to go and check your alarm (Fees may apply)

**Please make sure everybody using your alarm knows how to use it correctly and that they know how to call the monitoring station to cancel a false alarm. The phone # for the monitoring station is 888-766-5366. We strongly recommend you copy this # into your cell phones in case it is needed in the future.**

Please see below for more information on Police Alarm Programs and False Alarm Fees in your City

NOTE: *** Son-Mar Security (SSI) and the Monitoring Station are not responsible for any fines as a result of false alarms. You the customer agree to pay for all false alarm fines and Police Registration Fees according to Police False Alarm Rates in your area.

**** We have attempted to verify the accuracy of this information, but we cannot guarantee that changes have not occurred. To be 100% accurate, please consult your local police department regarding False Alarm Fines and Programs in your area.

Sudbury (New as of jan 1 2024)

Verified Security Alarm Response Program (per Sudbury Police website at https://www.gsps.ca/en/crime-prevention-and-community-safety/verified-security-alarm-response-program.aspx)

As of January 1, 2024, the Greater Sudbury Police Service will be joining many other police services in the province by launching a Verified Security Alarm Response Program (VSARP). This will require Alarm Monitoring Services to verify any alarm signal they receive prior to notifying police. Verifying an alarm signal prior to calling police will also be required by home and business owners for residential and business alarms.

GSPS is adopting a VSARP to improve service delivery to residents and business owners of the City of Greater Sudbury, and to decrease the time spent responding to false alarms, as we continue to effectively and efficiently deploy resources.

To dispatch police, alarm monitoring services will have to verify that a criminal offence has occurred or is occurring or that there is imminent threat to personal safety, medical or fire emergency through a verified response such as:

Audio signal (confirmation of criminal activity by sounds detected within premises);
Video signal (confirmation of criminal activity through visual images);
On-scene witnesses (who can confirm existence of suspected criminal activity); and/or
Multiple alarm activation points (at least two separate/different sensors in a manner or sequence which indicates suspected criminal activity is or has taken place).

Greater Sudbury Police will not dispatch officers to any alarm that has not been verified under the Verified Security Alarm Response Program (VSARP) and will not dispatch officers to any alarm that is communicated via an automatic dialing device.

If a panic, hold-up or duress alarm is received, officers will be dispatched. Verification for these types of alarms is not required.

Verified alarm activations are treated as high priority calls for service. Police response is determined by the nature of demand, priorities and resources available at the time of the request for police response.

As of January 1, 2024, we will now be billing the alarm monitoring services instead of the property owners. Additionally, we will now be charging a partial fee (Cancelled Accepted False Alarm) for alarm calls that are cancelled after officers have been dispatched but have not yet arrived on scene.

The Greater Sudbury Police Service deals directly with alarm monitoring services regarding alarm management. Officers will respond to all alarm calls placed by alarm monitoring services once there has been verification of criminal activity, medical or fire emergency. Please ensure that your information is current with your alarm monitoring service.

As part of the new program, there will no longer be an annual fee for registration. However, as of January 1, 2024, a new fee schedule will apply as follows:
FALSE ALARM SUDBURY POLICE FEE $160.00 + 10% PROCESSING FEE FROM MONITORING STATION + HST
Cancelled accepted false alarm SUDBURY POLICE FEE $80.00 + 10% PROCESSING FEE FROM MONITORING STATION + HST

*** PLEASE NOTE: SON-MAR SECURITY DOES NOT CHARGE ANY EXTRA FEES ON TOP OF THE ABOVE FEES. THEREFORE, WE DO NOT MAKE ANY PROFIT FROM THESE CHARGES. WE ARE STRICTLY COLLECTING MONIES FOR WHAT WE ARE BEING CHARGED *** ” FEES MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE”

Sault Ste. Marie

Note: As soon as the monitoring station dials the Police there is an automatic charge of $73.50 + tx and up to the premise owner.

If the police are dispatched but cancelled before the police go on site then the fine will be $23.50 + tx and up

All false alarm fines are sent to Son-Mar (SSI) and our billing department will pay the false alarm fines and then pass on these charges to you.

For more information, click on this link http://www.ssmps.ca/community-information/false-alarm-policy

Timmins

The user fee for each occurrence of a false alarm shall be: $86.25 and up (eighty-six dollars and twenty-five cents) plus applicable tax. The administration fee for each occurrence of a false alarm shall be: $25.00 and up (twenty-five dollars).

The user fee for cancellation after the dispatching of police services for each occurrence of an alarm activation shall be: $40.25 and up (forty dollars and twenty-five cents) plus applicable tax. The administration fee for each occurrence cancellation shall be: $25.00 and up (twenty-five dollars). Interest on any unpaid user fees shall be charged at a rate of two per cent (2%) per month, compounded monthly

For more information, click on this link http://www.timminspolice.ca/non-policing-services/schedule-of-fees/

All false alarm fines are sent to Son-Mar (SSI) and our billing department will pay the false alarm fines and pass on these charges to you. Son-Mar Security (SSI) and the Monitoring Station are not responsible for any fines as a result of false alarms. You the customer agree to pay for all false alarm fines and Police Registration Fees according to Police False Alarm Rates in your area.

Toronto/York Region

As of 11/18/15 The York Region Police charge for False Alarms, those charges are as follows: $200.00 and up for each false alarm $130.00 and up if the alarm is cancelled while police are on route. All false alarm fines are sent to Son-Mar (SSI) and our billing department will pay the false alarm fines and then pass on these charges to you.

For more information, click on this link https://www.yrp.ca/en/community/New-Alarm-Program.asp

Barrie

Cost Recovery Fee – Effective January 1, 2017

The Barrie Police Service is committed to providing a safe and secure community and strives to reduce the number of false alarms that generate unnecessary deployment of police resources. The Cost Recovery Fee is to assist with increased demands for unnecessary police resources when responding to residential and commercial security alarms. The intention is to reduce false alarm dispatches to front line officers and pass the cost onto the consumer who utilizes the service rather than taxpayers in general.

Fees

False Alarm

$190.00 and up will be charged for every dispatched alarm call that is deemed to be false by the attending officer. An invoice will be issued to the alarm subscriber and is to be paid in full within 30 days. Outstanding fees will be subject to finance charges and may be added to the Property Tax Roll or assigned to a Collection Agency.

Cancelled Alarm

$130.00 and up will be charged for every dispatched alarm that is cancelled prior to an officer’s arrival at the premise. An invoice will be issued to the alarm subscriber and is to be paid in full within 30 days. Outstanding fees will be subject to finance charges and may be added to the Property Tax Roll or forwarded to a Collection Agency.

First False Alarms and/or First Cancelled Alarms for residential property owners will be forgiven and a letter cautioning future false alarms will be sent.

For more information, click on this link https://www.barriepolice.ca/alarm-response-policy

Kitchener/Waterloo Area

On January 1, 2020, the Waterloo Regional Police Service adopted a Verified Alarm Response Program (VARP) to improve service delivery to residents and business owners of Waterloo Region.

It is anticipated that VARP will have a significant impact on reducing the number of false alarms that Waterloo Regional Police respond to, thereby increasing the capacity for officers and 9-1-1 personnel to respond to emergencies.

Officers will now be dispatched when an alarm is verified (i.e. when there is proof of criminal activity or an emergency) through one or more of the following:

Audio device
Video device
Multiple zone activations
An eyewitness on scene

As part of the new program, alarm monitoring stations or any party calling the police to report an alarm will be required to confirm whether police response is necessary.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service will continue to respond to hold-up, panic, or duress alarms, and will not require verification in such circumstances.

As part of the new program, there is no other annual fee, however a flat fee of $170 will be applied for false alarms.

This program is the result of a review on how the WRPS can improve its delivery of service, the efficiency and effectiveness of the deployment of officers, and increase the safety and wellness of our community.

For more information, click on this https://www.wrps.on.ca/en/services-reporting/verified-alarm-response-program.aspx

Guelph

As of 11/18/15 The Guelph by-law has changed and currently there is no registration needed for your Alarm System. However their are fines for False Alarms, those charges are as follows: $170.00 and up for each false alarm $90.00 and up if the alarm is cancelled while police are on route

This police department does not hand down cautions or suspensions. All false fines are sent to Son-Mar (SSI) and our billing department will pay the false fines and pass on these charges to you. Son-Mar Security (SSI) and the Monitoring Station are not responsible for any fines as a result of false alarms. You the customer agree to pay for all false alarm fines and Police Registration Fees according to Police False Alarm Rates in your area. Please Contact our office if you require further information regarding the prevention of False Alarms.

For more information, click on this link https://www.guelphpolice.ca/en/request-for-information/alarms.aspx

Hamilton

$160.00 and up for each false alarm

$85.00 and up if the alarm is cancelled while police are on route

For more information, click on this link https://hamiltonpolice.on.ca/prevention/business-security/false-alarm-reduction-unit

Kingston

Premise Registration $ 61.50 and up + HST = $68.20 (for customers who were not registered in 2016 or customers who had a false alarm in 2016)

Pro-Rated Registration $ 4.29 and up/mth + HST (For NEW customers registering after January)

Premise Registration FREE (for those customers who did not have a false alarm in 2016)

Unregistered False Alarm $ 146.20 and up (HST applied to registration portion)

2^nd False Alarm $ 88.00 and up

3^rd False Alarm $ 127.00 and up

4^th False Alarm $ 167.00 and up

5^th False Alarm and any subsequent false alarms $ 212.00 and up

Please note that the fee schedule published in the by-law is not correct as the by-law is not updated annually. There is a provision (Section 3.0 ADMINISTRATION) in the by-law that does allow for fee increases.

London

**London (city) Police requires that the monitoring station attempt to contact all contacts on file before dispatching the London (city) Police for all burglary and panic alarms. **

A caution notice will be issued to the alarm premise after ONE FALSE ALARM. *Once a caution Notice is issued by police to alarm system users, it is the user’s or the alarm and/or monitoring companies responsibility to identify and correct the problem.

Termination – One subsequent false alarm in the same 365 day period will result in TERMINATION of police response to alarms at the premise.

Re-instatement – After Termination, you can choose to Re-instate with London Police by paying a fee of $250 and up (cheque or money order) AND having your alarm company perform a current physical on-site inspection of the alarmed premises by a qualified alarm technician. The inspection report from the alarm company must be received by London Police WITHIN 21 DAYS of the premise inspection date along with your $250 and up cheque to be considered.

Mandatory Registration – When the alarm system is installed, it is the responsibility of YOUR ALARM COMPANY to register any alarm system that they install within the city of the London with the London Police Alarm Co-ordinator.