APD advice about having a home alarm system

From APD:

A little advice about having an alarm system.

I believe that if you have the stickers and signage posted prominently, that is a great deterrent to a potential burglary.  If you chose to purchase an alarm, please look up the City of Albuquerque’s False Alarms Ordinance 13-1987 (Amended 9-1998) or speak to the supervisor in that unit (www.cabq.gov for the ordinance, 768-2059 for the Alarm Ordinance Unit) so you will understand the ordinance.

If you get an alarm system installed, I recommend sharing the code with a trusted family member or neighbor and knowing that the code will be under the strictest confidence and custody with that person of your choosing.  If there is an emergency and you are out of town, that alternate person can available for you and law enforcement.  If you decide to remove that person’s access, update your system and provider and change the code.

I would also make a choice between having a monitored system (where the alarm service has a person monitoring any alarms from your home) or unmonitored (the alarm just rings but no one is contacted).  If you go the unmonitored route, please let your neighbors know that if they hear that alarm, to contact you and the police and to not go investigate or attempt to enter your home if the door is open or window, etc.

There are many wonderful new options on the market today and some include alerts to a mobile device, cameras, etc.

Jill Garcia, Crime Prevention Specialist
Foothills Area Command, Albuquerque Police Department
12800 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM  87112
jcgarcia@cabq.gov
332-5240 Front Office
323-4644 Direct Line
332-5249 Fax

The things that matter most begin at the grassroots level -- consider forming a Neighborhood Watch group on your block today!