Council flags slow alarm responses and tests panic-button routing to dispatch

Council members raised concerns that the building panic button and alarm routing did not produce a rapid police response during a recent test. One participant said the panic button "didn't" work as expected and that "it literally took them 10 minutes to respond." The council discussed changing the alarm routing to reach police dispatch more directly.

Police chief Brent Milhau explained how alarm companies typically operate: alarm centers first attempt to call listed contacts and, if there is no response or correct code, will then notify police. He described a direct-button option on some panels that "if I hit that, they don't try to call me. They call directly to the police department." Council members agreed to have the alarm routing changed and to add testing and follow-up to the superintendent's to-do list.

Members noted the village no longer has direct wiring to its dispatch center and that alarm companies route alarms through third-party centers, which can produce delays. The council instructed staff to pursue technical changes so a verified panic activation results in immediate police notification.