Alarms/Calling Inside

[MrJim911]

I'll mention bank alarms first since those are usually handled differently. I would like to know how your PSAP handles bank alarms. Specifically regarding calling inside. We don't call inside until the officer(s) on the scene request that we do so. And then we have a "code question" we ask the employee that answers. Assuming that it IS a employee, they are supposed to know the question and know that it is us calling. Then they tell us what happened but if there is an on-going problem then they give a "code answer". With that answer I can advise units that are on the scene that something is up. Other businesses are the same as far as us not calling inside until we are asked to. Do any PSAPS out there call inside prior to officers arriving on the scene. I ask because this is a big debate out there in dispatch land. Some say by calling prior to officers arrival you risk giving the bad guy a heads up. On the other hand you risk officer safety by letting them get on the scene with out any knowledge of what might be going on. And that is only 2 possible scenarios or ways of handling these situations. Any ideas, thoughts, questions? What are the differences and your policies?

The exception are fire alarms. As soon as we receive those we call inside to see if there is a real fire problem.

[Lupey]

My dept we just dispatch the officers. Usually it is only first shift that calls (only around opening times for business) Besides that they just get dispatched out "code 2" blues and sirens. All the banks have the panic alarms and we just always go under the assumption that they are "real". We never tell the people that answer that we are sending police out. Just ask them if everything is ok.

[CPD-Dispatcher]

It is the policy of most if not all the banks around here, not to trip the hold up alarm until after the robbery is done with and the suspects are out of the building. So if it is a good robbery then the doors will be locked and a color coded card in the door way to let officers know that it is a good robbery & the suspects are no longer in the building.