City Implementing New Alarm System Database

May 17, 2021 - Effective June 1, 2021, the City of Corvallis will be beginning a new partnership with CentralSquare False Alarm Solutions to reduce false alarms generated by residential and business alarm systems.

In the last year, the Corvallis Police Department responded to nearly 1,000 alarm calls, with more than 97% of these calls being false alarm activations.

False alarms represent a drain on limited police resources, as they require the time and attention of public safety dispatchers and police officers. Responding to false alarms and educating business owners about how to correctly maintain their security systems means that officers are unable to respond to other calls for service, or engage in proactive community policing activities. Ultimately, this increases the cost to provide public safety services for the Corvallis community.

Per the Municipal Code, commercial and residential alarm systems must be registered with the City of Corvallis. To improve the efficiency of this alarm program, the City has engaged CentralSquare, a public safety software provider, to administer the registration system. In May of 2019, the City of Corvallis joined a consortium of public safety agencies in both Linn and Benton Counties who utilize CentralSquare’s suite of software for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), report writing, mobile interface and jail management. This latest step brings new efficiencies to the system.

CentralSquare will operate a web portal on the City website to gather registration information and process payments on behalf of the City. Through direct integration, dispatchers will have rapid access to alarm operators information to make prompt notifications of issues or emergencies occurring at their properties.

The goal of this system is to build a comprehensive database of alarm systems in Corvallis, which will help police respond safely and effectively to calls for service.