SOCIAL COST-BENEFIT-ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BURGLAR AND FIRE ALARMS

This paper evaluates the net benefits yielded by residential and comme rcial burglar and fire alarm systems. The policy issue addressed is wh ether or not alarms should be encouraged by local police departments a s a crime prevention measure. It is shown that the total benefits of b urglar alarm ownership outweigh the total costs for the combined and s eparate commercial and residential units. Police respond to each activ ation with two patrol cars. On the average, alarms are activated 1.12 times a year, and 94 to 98 percent of all activations are false. Thus, alarms impose a significant burden on police resources. Additionally, the fear of being fined is not an effective deterrent against the ins tallation of a burglar alarm. The data was gathered from a suburban co mmunity in Pennsylvania that is a prototype for many U.S. suburban loc alities. The data is regarding individual properties collected from po lice files on the attributes of burglaries and alarm ownership. Attrib utes of properties were derived from the real estate board of the coun ty. Data on incidents and the value of property stolen was obtained fr om questionnaires sent out to all burglary victims.