Intergovernmental Bureau
False Alarm Enforcement Unit
7617 SW 117th Avenue
Miami, FL 33183-382
Phone: (305) 596-8899
Fax: (305) 273-8495
About the False Alarm Enforcement Unit (FAEU)
The Miami-Dade Police Department is requested to respond to over 80,000 false alarms each year. Alarm legislation was adopted because of concerns over law enforcement safety and to eliminate the misuse of their resources. Unfounded alarm calls reduce the effectiveness of the Miami-Dade Police Department and undermine our ability to respond to more critical calls. The FAEU currently processes all the alarms received by the MDPD, tracks all annual registrations in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and maintains the database in which all this information is stored. The FAEU’s primary commitment is to reduce the number of false alarms the MDPD responds to so that officers can concentrate on higher priority calls for service. The FAEU educates the citizens of Miami-Dade County at Citizen Advisory Committee and homeowners association meetings. Additionally, the FAEU educates MDPD officers in the Police Academy and at District Station roll calls. Through this education the number of false alarms in Miami-Dade County will be reduced. Since the ordinance's inception, false alarms have been reduced by 38% to date for a savings of $1.7 million.
Responding to False Alarms
Responding to false alarms can consume thousands of personnel hours at a cost to taxpayers. When this type of call is received, two units are dispatched. Most importantly, false alarms place the safety of citizens truly in need of law enforcement response in jeopardy.
Citizens who have alarm systems should become familiar with prevention and causes of false alarms to successfully partner with the Miami-Dade Police Department in this reduction program. The FAEU is a member of the False Alarm Reduction Association and the Alarm Association of Florida, and complies with guidelines to reduce false dispatches.
Responsibilities of FAEU
- Registers alarm companies
- Processes alarm registrations
- Sends notification of false alarms
- Issues citations for excessive false alarms to alarm users
- Coordinates formal appeal hearings through the Clerk of the Court
Goals of the FAEU
The mission of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s FAEU is to :
- Encourage alarm users and alarm companies to properly use and maintain alarm systems and to reduce or eliminate false alarms that may unduly divert law enforcement personnel from responding to criminal activity.
- Develop and promote programs, which will address abuse and waste of emergency resources, reduce unnecessary safety risks posed to County emergency response personnel and citizens during false alarm responses, and reduce the number of false alarm dispatches within Miami-Dade County.
Causes of False Alarms
- Using incorrect keypad codes
- Failing to train authorized users
- Weak system batteries
- Failure to secure doors and windows once the alarm is turned on
- Wandering pets
- Failure of businesses to notify monitoring company of unscheduled openings and closings
- Failure of the monitoring company to notify persons on the contact list before calling the police.
How Can I Help?
Make sure your house numbers are easily visible from the street, day & night. If you have an address that is difficult to find, be sure to give specific directions to your alarm monitoring company AND on your registration application. Have a current list of at least two emergency contacts on file with the FAEU. Request that your alarm company contact two (2) phone numbers on the contact list prior to calling the police.
False Alarm Classes
False Alarm Classes will be conducted to educate alarm system users on provisions of the False Alarm Ordinance and proper maintenance and use of their alarm systems.
Contact the False Alarm Enforcement Unit to discover how you can benefit from False Alarm Classes. Please call 305-596-8899 for information.
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