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Home My WebLink AboutCSS 2022-11-28 Item 1C - Update - CryWolf False Alarm Reduction Program with Central Square TechnologiesTO: FROM: BY: City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM Community Services & Safety Committee Eric Dreyer, Chief of Police Jake Berry, Public Safety Finance Manager CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: November 21st 2022 SUBJECT: Tukwila Public Safety Partners with False Alarm Administrator ISSUE The Tukwila Police Department has partnered with Central Square Technologies to administer their False Alarm Reduction Program in an effort to reduce false alarm responses and to better align limited staff time with other Public Safety priorities. BACKGROUND Tukwila police officers were dispatched to 1,522 false alarms in 2019 and are on track for 1,749 by the end of 2022. This represents a nearly 15% increase, despite the false alarm fee structure being revamped effective January 1St 2020 in an effort to curtail these numbers. This increase in false alarms not only takes Officers away from important duties, but the administration of the false alarm program also takes considerable time for non-commissioned Police and Finance Department staff. Each month, staff must take alarm call data from Valley Communications and then isolate which of the alarms were found to be false. The remaining data is then compared to data from prior months to determine which incidents are billable. Invoices created by Finance staff are then mailed to the alarm locations and, depending on time available, invoices that have not been paid are researched and proper follow-up is taken. The administration of this program is exceedingly manual and is being done by existing staff with several other responsibilities. The Tukwila Police Department set out several months ago to research viable options to streamline the process and to capitalize on efficiencies. Through our own research and based on recommendations from neighboring jurisdictions, the Police Department chose to partner with CentralSquare's CryWolf Services product. The goal of this partnership is to reduce the number of false alarms, leverage the expertise of CentralSquare in administering such a program, and to allow Police administrative staff to focus on responsibilities more aligned with department priorities. DISCUSSION CryWolf Services is a product provided by CentralSquare Technologies, the company that powers Tukwila's Financial Enterprise software as well as Public Safety's WebQuery CAD product. CentralSquare administers the False Alarm programs of over 330 agencies that support over 500 cities and counties throughout the United States and Canada. Within the state of Washington, CentralSquare manages the false alarm programs of Renton, Auburn, Bellevue, Everett, Kennewick, Olympia, and Spokane. CentralSquare's goal in operating CryWolf is to reduce false alarms, increase fee and fine collections, expand the use of innovative software and processes, and improve false alarm 45 46 INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 2 processing. Over time, CentralSquare reports a frequent 40% to 80% reduction in applicable false alarms as a result of their services. Once the program has started, false alarms will be processed daily based on isolated data from Valley Communications. CentralSquare will automatically generate notices of false alarm events and will calculate fees and charges based on Tukwila's fee schedule and alarm ordinance. CentralSquare provides secure web -based access for community members who have received a false alarm notice. This Tukwila -branded web portal is available for users to review alarm program requirements, update alarm system information, pay alarm fees and fines, and to review documentation such as Frequently Asked Questions, Appeals Guidelines, and False Alarm Prevention Tips. CentralSquare will also provide the Tukwila community with telephone support (available Monday through Friday, 9:OOam to 5:OOpm) and web support (available 24/7). Via this service, community members can communicate with a knowledgeable Central Square representative to ask about their account or to gain additional information. The customer support center provides language support for 175 spoken languages and accommodates the hearing impaired through email, text relay, video relay, and TTY formats. To ensure comfort and consistency, CentralSquare's program is designed to separate Tukwila's correspondence and calls received from other government clients by providing a dedicated mailing address and toll-free support telephone number. Payments will be processed by a commercial bank -operated payment processing facility. Mailed -in payments will utilize an FDIC -insured, bank -operated lockbox to ensure GAAP - recommended separation of duties so that the personnel that generates invoices is not the same person that processes invoice payments. Designated Tukwila staff will also have access to an alarm billing and tracking database that offers expanded search and review capabilities, the ability to accommodate walk-in cashiering payments, and access to additional financial and statistical reports. All this data is provided via a secure, encrypted TLS certified access point. CentralSquare subjects its CryWolf product to annual Service Organization Control audits performed by an independent CPA firm. The results of these audits will be made available to Tukwila annually and include: • Alarm management internal controls • Financial billing and collections • Administrative processes • Data and cyber security To assuage community members' concerns regarding this change in program administration, Tukwila Public Safety is working with CentralSquare on a marketing campaign that will include the following: 1. Pamphlets for officers to leave on properties where a false alarm was investigated, advising tenants of their response and the change in program administration 2. Advisements on social media (FaceBook, Twitter, NextDoor, etc) alerting followers of the change 3. Other articles and postings as deemed appropriate by the Department The Police Department and CentralSquare expect the new program to go live in December 2022.. https://tukwilawa.sharepoint.com/sites/mayorsoffice/cc/Council Agenda Items/Police/False Alarm Reduction Program Informational Memorandum.docx INFORMATIONAL MEMO Page 3 FINANCIAL IMPACT Tukwila will receive 78% of net program revenue (defined as gross revenue less overpayments, bank/credit card fees, and correspondence mailing costs). Staff expects the short-term net financial impact of this partnership to be in line with program revenues as they were when administered by Tukwila Police staff. While Tukwila will receive 78% of net program revenue, we expect gross revenue in the near-term to rise through the use of CentralSquare's technology, automation, and ease of fine payments. RECOMMENDATION Information Only https://tukwilawa.sharepoint.com/sites/mayorsoffice/cc/Council Agenda Items/Police/False Alarm Reduction Program Informational Memorandum.docx 47