Contact 6 investigates ADT security alarm response

A City of Milwaukee resident learned the hard way that police don't respond to ADT security alarms until they are first verified by a security alarm first responder, who is the one to call the police. Cristina and Kent Richards' home was broken into, and items were taken from all three floors of their home, and Cristina says it took 41 minutes for someone to respond! Contact 6 helped Cristina get out of her contract with ADT.

Cristina says ADT told her it took 41 minutes for someone to respond, and won't say who responded. "The staff was so uncaring, and just wanted to say 'hey, we did our job, we dispatched." I agree, but I am trying to say I want out of this contract because it doesn't do any good in the City of Milwaukee," Cristina said.

The Milwaukee Police Department made a policy change back in 2003 after responding to 27,000 false alarms in one year! Now, by forcing alarm companies to first verify alarms, police have responded to just 700 false alarms. Police say an alarm is verified when the alarm business' first responder arrives on the scene and notices an open door or window. Then, they're asked to stay in a safe place, and call police.

After the break-in at Cristina's home, she says she didn't feel the ADT security alarm system was worth it, and wanted out of her contract with Safe Streets USA, the company that installs and monitors the ADT system. Safe Streets refused, and a friend encouraged Cristina to contact Contact 6's Katrina Cravy. Contact 6 sent an email to Safe Streets' President Barry Simmons, who responded within one hour, terminating Cristina's contract, which saves her about $2,000!

After multiple calls and emails, ADT still won't say who responded 41 minutes after Cristina's alarm went off, because Cristina is no longer a customer.

If you have an ADT security system, Contact 6 recommends calling them and finding out what guard company is your designated first responder.