Houston's emergency center has started a new alert
system that streamlines getting notifications for emergency dispatches
from alarm monitoring companies,
The computer-aided dispatch system named the Automated Secure
Alarm Protocol ends the need for alarm monitoring
companies to call the center about alarm notifications, the article states.
Under this system, an alarm company directly notifies police dispatchers without having to go through the city's emergency, as in the past. The system was developed through a partnership between the Central Station
Alarm Association and the Association of Public‐Safety
Communications Officials International and is expected to save up to $2 million annually, according to the story.