HYPERLOCAL NEWS HUB BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM
Slow Police Response Alarms Owners of Underground Art
by Lindsey Lowry/MicroMemphis reporter
On June 7, 2011, at 1:30 am, Star Adams heard a loud and abrupt noise outside, instantly followed by the security alarm ringing. The alarm came from Underground Art, the neighboring building. She looked out her window and saw shadows scurry away. Adams did not call the police; she assumed the alarm would notify the police to respond immediately.
“Luckily they didn’t get in. But it took 30 minutes for the police to arrive. That’s ample time for the burglars to get what they want,” said Adams.
Underground Art owner, Angela Russell, awoke to a dispatcher informing her that two people tried to break down the door, sounding the alarm. She hastily arrived on the scene to meet the police. “The police asked me if there was anything they wanted to steal inside and I said 'no. I don’t know why anyone would try to break in,'” said Russell.
“Twenty minutes after my husband and I arrived the police were lagging around. They didn’t dust for fingerprints. They didn’t get in their cars to go look for them. I couldn’t understand why it took so long for the police to get there…and why they didn’t search for who did this.”
In a June 7 entry on the Underground Art Facebook page, Russell laments, "Last night [two] folks tried to break into our sweet little shop, ruining the door and our peace of mind... As for thieves, we are happy that nothing more was taken or damaged, while trying to remember that you never know what motivates people...searching for forgiveness and all that...through our seething anger."
Russell has been in Memphis for 18 years without an unfortunate event like this occurring, "So I guess we've been pretty lucky..." she said in a discussion on the business' Facebook page.
According to Russell, a representative from her business' security company, Security Consultants, informed her that security alarms are not a priority due to frequent false alarms.
Russ Lauria, the owner of Security Consultants, explained how the alarm system notifies police. After the alarm is triggered, notification through phone wires is sent to a monitoring station. The monitoring station then notifies the key holder. The key holder then decides if the police need to be alerted.
Lauria said, “The alarm going through the phone lines could take several minutes, causing a delay. Police dispatchers take the call and send it out to a car if one is even available.”
He said the dispatchers “prioritize calls. An alarm is considered a lower priority than a domestic disturbance or a homicide. I’ve been a police officer for 28 years and a detective for some time. So I know what I’m taking about.”
When asked if 30 minutes was an appropriate response time, Lauria said, “Thirty minutes isn’t surprising at all to me. It takes at the very least 11 minutes from start to finish.”
Lieutenant Chorcie Jones, a supervisor at the Union Station (Cooper Young’s precinct), confirmed Lauria’s assessment that an alarm system is a lower priority “than an aggressive assault or a shooting, which are higher priority that need immediate attention. So the response time to a security alarm really depends on what else is going on at that time.” He said the response time could be as soon as five minutes in the absence of “higher priorities.”
Jones explained that a panic alarm or a call from a neighbor spotting the whereabouts of the suspects would have heightened the priority. He also added that since the suspects used a tool to break into the door and immediately fled the scene, the officers assessed that it was not possible to dust for fingerprints. He added that at least six of the sixty officers on duty every night are trained to dust for fingerprints.
In the meantime a new security door guards Underground Art, restoring “peace of mind” to Russell, her employees, and her clients.
On June 7, 2011, at 1:30 am, Star Adams heard a loud and abrupt noise outside, instantly followed by the security alarm ringing. The alarm came from Underground Art, the neighboring building. She looked out her window and saw shadows scurry away. Adams did not call the police; she assumed the alarm would notify the police to respond immediately.
“Luckily they didn’t get in. But it took 30 minutes for the police to arrive. That’s ample time for the burglars to get what they want,” said Adams.
Underground Art owner, Angela Russell, awoke to a dispatcher informing her that two people tried to break down the door, sounding the alarm. She hastily arrived on the scene to meet the police. “The police asked me if there was anything they wanted to steal inside and I said 'no. I don’t know why anyone would try to break in,'” said Russell.
“Twenty minutes after my husband and I arrived the police were lagging around. They didn’t dust for fingerprints. They didn’t get in their cars to go look for them. I couldn’t understand why it took so long for the police to get there…and why they didn’t search for who did this.”
In a June 7 entry on the Underground Art Facebook page, Russell laments, "Last night [two] folks tried to break into our sweet little shop, ruining the door and our peace of mind... As for thieves, we are happy that nothing more was taken or damaged, while trying to remember that you never know what motivates people...searching for forgiveness and all that...through our seething anger."
Russell has been in Memphis for 18 years without an unfortunate event like this occurring, "So I guess we've been pretty lucky..." she said in a discussion on the business' Facebook page.
According to Russell, a representative from her business' security company, Security Consultants, informed her that security alarms are not a priority due to frequent false alarms.
Russ Lauria, the owner of Security Consultants, explained how the alarm system notifies police. After the alarm is triggered, notification through phone wires is sent to a monitoring station. The monitoring station then notifies the key holder. The key holder then decides if the police need to be alerted.
Lauria said, “The alarm going through the phone lines could take several minutes, causing a delay. Police dispatchers take the call and send it out to a car if one is even available.”
He said the dispatchers “prioritize calls. An alarm is considered a lower priority than a domestic disturbance or a homicide. I’ve been a police officer for 28 years and a detective for some time. So I know what I’m taking about.”
When asked if 30 minutes was an appropriate response time, Lauria said, “Thirty minutes isn’t surprising at all to me. It takes at the very least 11 minutes from start to finish.”
Lieutenant Chorcie Jones, a supervisor at the Union Station (Cooper Young’s precinct), confirmed Lauria’s assessment that an alarm system is a lower priority “than an aggressive assault or a shooting, which are higher priority that need immediate attention. So the response time to a security alarm really depends on what else is going on at that time.” He said the response time could be as soon as five minutes in the absence of “higher priorities.”
Jones explained that a panic alarm or a call from a neighbor spotting the whereabouts of the suspects would have heightened the priority. He also added that since the suspects used a tool to break into the door and immediately fled the scene, the officers assessed that it was not possible to dust for fingerprints. He added that at least six of the sixty officers on duty every night are trained to dust for fingerprints.
In the meantime a new security door guards Underground Art, restoring “peace of mind” to Russell, her employees, and her clients.
Safety in Cooper-Young
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Lt. Jones claims that judging by what he hears nightly on the radar, Cooper-Young does not have major crime problems.
He said the number one crime in Cooper Young is car vandalism and theft from motor vehicles. He advised that this “impromptu crime" can be prevented by following a few common-sense tips:
Lt. Jones’ Tips to Keep Your Home Safe:
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Lindsey Lowry/MicroMemphis Reporter
Lindsey is a summer intern for MicroMemphis. She is covering general assignment reporting in Cooper-Young and will continue reporting for the site in Fall 2011.
Click here to contact Lindsey. Follow her on Twitter.