Each false alarm requires approximately 20 minutes of police time, usually for two officers. This costs the public as much as $1.5 billion per year in police time. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, the cost of responding to false alarms is not recouped through fines. Jurisdictions that try to recoup costs generally omit the lost-opportunity costs, potentially a significant part of the equation.

Typical costs include:

• personnel costs of police call-takers and dispatchers;
• personnel, equipment and training costs of responding officers, along with those of any backup personnel;
• personnel costs associated with analyzing false alarms;
• software, hardware, office space, and equipment costs for false alarm management;
• administrative and staff costs of notifications, permitting, billing, and education programs;
• costs of developing, printing and distributing publications to educate the public and alarm companies about false alarms;
• lost-opportunity costs, since police are unavailable to work on actual crime problems; and
• costs associated with call displacement, because other 911 calls take longer to respond to.

Povided By "False Burglar Alarms" A Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series Guide No. 5 by Rana Sampsonc found at http//www.cops.usdoj.gov