Carmi Police Department

In an effort to maximize the resources of the police department by reducing excessive false alarms, the Carmi Police Department has enacted a policy to establish reasonable expectations of alarm users and to ensure that alarm users are held responsible for their use of alarm systems.

If you have an electronic burglar alarm system installed within the city limits of Carmi, it must be registered and kept up to date. Auto, fire, and medical alarm systems are excluded.

Alarm Policy Highlights:

• Required registration of all burglar alarm systems regardless of monitored status.
• Registration is free.
• Failure to register could result in lack of police response.
• Registration information must be verified every 12 months.

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Registration Form:

Print and complete the following Alarm Registration every 12 months.
 Alarm Registration

About the False Alarm Reduction Policy:
The primary goal of the False Alarm Reduction Policy is to reduce the number of false alarms that the Carmi Police Department responds to, thus allowing the officers to concentrate on other areas of crime prevention and law enforcement.

Reducing False Alarms:
Responding to false alarms is costly to you and your police department. Listed below are some tips that can help you prevent false alarms.

• If your alarm is accidentally activated, don't panic and don't call 911. Call your alarm monitoring station immediately. Give them your pass code and/or password.
• Make sure all alarm users and key holders at your address are trained to use the system.
• You can arrange to have your alarm monitoring station call you or another designated person first instead of the police when your alarm is activated.
• If you expect workers, real estate agents, delivery personnel, etc. do not set your alarm. If you must set your alarm, meet the people at your site to deactivate the alarm. Remember that you are responsible for their actions. You can also arrange with your alarm company to have separate codes for them.
• If your system sends a silent panic/duress signal when an incorrect code is entered, understand that your alarm company may not call you to verify the alarm. You should contact your alarm company if the alarm is false and have them cancel the police.
• Be sure that doors and windows are tight-fitting. Adjust hinges and strike plates on doors.
• Have an arming delay of at least 45 seconds on all doors.
• Do not leave doors and windows open or unlocked while you are away. Be sure all doors and windows are properly closed and locked prior to arming the alarm system.
• Do not leave anything that will move (pets, balloons, drapes, fans, etc.) in a room that is protected with a motion detector.
• Have the sensitivity settings on glass-break sensors adjusted so that sounds, such as thunder and outside construction, do not activate them.
• You can arrange with your alarm company not to dispatch the police for interior motion sensor activations without having other sensors activated (i.e. a door activation with a motion sensor activation).
• If storms or brief power outages of four hours or less activate your alarm system, your system needs to be checked by a professional. These may be caused by dead/low batteries. Alarms during brief power outages cannot be waived. Have your alarm system checked and tested regularly.
• Call your alarm company after each false alarm to determine the cause of the false alarm. You may continue to have false alarms until the problem is repaired or adjusted.
• If a fence encloses your permitted location, the police will need someone to respond so they can properly check the premises. Please ensure that your call list is up to date with your alarm company.