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Police chief proposes outsourcing alarm permitting and false‑alarm billing to improve collections
Summary
Police staff briefed council on a proposed contract with a firm that would manage alarm permitting, false‑alarm billing and collections; staff said current in‑house collection rates are low and the vendor would take a percentage of collections in exchange for full service and customer support.
Des Moines police and records staff briefed the council April 3 on a proposed operational change: contracting a private alarm management firm to take over alarm permitting, false‑alarm management and billing.
Chiefs and records staff told the council that the current in‑house alarm program is labor intensive for records personnel, that collection rates for fines and permits have been modest and that the city does not use outside collection services. The city’s 2023 numbers presented during the briefing showed roughly $45,200 billed for false‑alarm fines with collections around $20,175 (about 50% collection rate), while permitting billing was approximately $53,000 with collections near $33,000 (about 60–70%…
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