One thing every new homeowner should have as a primary concern is their family’s safety and well-being. A home security system is one of the best ways to protect home belongings and those most precious, the family. One company that should be considered when buying a security system and home monitoring service is ADT. But before making that decision, it’s good to consider a few essential things, such as if ADT will call the police.
ADT will call the police if there is an emergency that activates the alarm. ADT will attempt to call the homeowners first. If the homeowners cannot be reached, a phone call will be made to the local police dispatch.
If you plan on using ADT as a home monitoring service, this is useful information to have. We would all feel more comfortable knowing that a phone call will be made to the needed authorities in an emergency. Knowing that ADT will call the police dramatically adds to that feeling of comfort and peace of mind afforded from having a home monitoring service.
When Does ADT Call the Police?
Several things must occur before ADT will call the police. The first action that must occur is the activation of the alarm. The homeowner will typically have the option to set two parameters when setting the alarm; those two choices are “stay” and “away.”
How Does the “Stay” Function Work?
When a homeowner uses the “stay” function, the alarm will be set to activate when any of the doors or windows—with sensors installed—have been opened. Any motion-sensing devices connected to the alarm system will be deactivated while the “stay” function is set. This is the ideal setting to use when sleeping at night.
This is the feature a homeowner should use the most, especially during the night time when everyone is asleep. Having the alarm go off when an intrusion occurs in the middle of the night can give the homeowner the reaction time needed to counter any threats.
How Does the “Away” Function Work?
The “away” function is used with the alarm system when those who occupy the home are not home. With this option set, all the home’s sensors, including the motion sensor, will be activated to detect movement.
With these two options set, if the alarm is activated by motion detection, it will sound, and the homeowner will usually have twenty to thirty seconds to enter a code in an installed keypad. We can’t count how many times users have probably been close to setting off the alarm by not reaching the keypad in time.
If that code is not successively entered in time, the alarm will sound, and a signal will be sent to ADT. ADT will then attempt to call the homeowners to verify if the alarm activation is indeed a genuine alarm and not a false alarm or one set off by accident. With some of the newer alarm panels available today, ADT can interface with the customer through the panel.
If the homeowners cannot be reached in a timely manner, ADT will call the police. This should take place between ten to fifteen minutes after the activation of the alarm to give the responding police officers enough time to arrive at the scene of the alarm before any intruders can depart.
How Does ADT Verify a Homeowner’s Identity When an Alarm Is Activated?
After setting up the alarm system and monitoring service, ADT and the homeowner will have established a code word uniquely known between the two parties. This code word is shared if ADT has to call the homeowner during an alarm activation. This code word should not be shared with anyone outside of the household.
As with any code word, it should be a word that is easily remembered. For instance, if you had someone in the household who worked as a plumber, the code word could be simply “plumber,” making it unique and easy to remember for every household member.
Will ADT Call Other Emergency Services?
If you have an ADT installed smoke detector, ADT will make a phone call to the local fire department in the event of an emergency related to a fire. There are also presets on most ADT keypads that are one-touch buttons for calling emergency services, including calling for ambulatory services if needed.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there is great comfort in knowing that in the event of an emergency, ADT will call the police. With criminals becoming bolder and more sophisticated in their methods, it is to the homeowner’s advantage to have a service that can directly interface with emergency services.
