Syracuse Police Department has responded to over 200 residential alarms in the past 12 months. Almost all of these alarms were false, meaning they were triggered by accident or operator error. To further complicate this matter, in more than half of these calls, alarm companies were unable to contact or provide the responding officer with information related to the responsible party. This results in wasted time and a reduced level of service.

Syracuse City does not currently have a permit requirement for alarms, but most alarm vendors will request that homeowners provide the names and phone numbers of at least three people who can be contacted in the event of an alarm. Problems arise when this information is not provided, not current, or when more than one of the people on the list are out of town at the same time.

Syracuse Police Department asks those with alarm systems to please make sure family members know how to operate the system. Additionally, please contact your alarm company and ensure your profile information is up to date.