Hennepin County (Minn.) Sheriff Office Implements ASAP Service

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota (HCSO) has launched the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) Service, a digital system that automates alarm notifications between alarm-monitoring companies and emergency communications centers (ECCs).

The move aims to increase efficiency, reduce manual call handling and improve response times for emergency incidents across the county.

According to HCSO, the new service minimizes repetitive and time-consuming interactions between alarm-monitoring companies and telecommunicators, allowing staff to prioritize higher-urgency calls. The system was developed by The Monitoring Association (TMA) to help emergency centers handle alarm notifications more effectively by transmitting data directly into computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems.

“Our telecommunicators handle hundreds of thousands of calls every year, and alarm activations alone can involve multiple back-and-forth calls for a single event,” stated Tony Martin, HCSO director of emergency communications. “By implementing ASAP Service, we’re streamlining that process, improving accuracy, and helping responders get to the scene faster.”

Digital alerts speed response

ASAP Service eliminates the need for voice calls and reduces transcription errors by enabling alarm-monitoring companies to send event details electronically to the ECC. This approach enhances situational awareness and shortens response times for police, fire, and medical units by including photos, video links, and attachments in the transmitted data.

HCSO completed implementation in just over four months, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and modernization, according to the announcement. The agency processes between 650,000 and 700,000 emergency and nonemergency calls annually, including approximately 20,000 alarm-related calls. Neighboring agencies that have already adopted ASAP Service have reported improved efficiency and reduced workload for telecommunicators, Martin said.

At launch, 15 alarm-monitoring companies began transmitting alarms to HCSO’s ECC via ASAP Service, including: Affiliated, Alert 360, Becklar/Avantguard, Brinks, Dynamark, Everon/Protection One, Per Mar, Quick Response, Rapid Response, Security Central, Securitas, Tyco/JCI, Vector Security, Vivint, and United Central Control (UCC).

For more information on the program, go here.