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Plate and Vehicle Alarms

OPS-COM's alarm system provides critical real-time notifications for specific events, such as a flagged vehicle being scanned or a user triggering a security alert. This article guides administrators on setting up the necessary permissions to view these alarms, as well as how to attach, manage, and clear Plate Alarms and Vehicle Alarms for both profiles with and without associated user accounts.

Setup & Configuration

System Settings

There are a number of system settings you can change on the Alarms tab. 

  • Vehicle Alarm Append Threshold - the number of minutes before an alarm will create a new dispatch log entry instead of appending to an existing one.
  • Plate Alarm Dispatch SubID - You can set the subID for consistency.
  • Allowed Alert Emails - You enter the addresses of the systems that will be populating alerts into OPS-COM. To add recipients of alerts, use the setting in this wiki article.

To enable administrators to view and manage alarms, proper dispatch permissions must be configured for their roles.

Setting up Alarm Permissions
    1. Click System Configuration, then Admin Management, and click Manage Roles.
    2. Select the administrative role you wish to modify by clicking its Permissions button.
    3. Within the Editing Permissions screen, under the Dispatch category, select the permissions related to alarms (e.g., View Alarms, Clear Alarms, Add Alarm Comment).
    4. Click Save Permissions at the bottom of the page when you are finished.

Using this Feature

Understanding Plate Alarms

Plate Alarms are triggered whenever a license plate with an associated alarm is scanned or read by the system. This includes:

  • Fixed Cameras: Entrance and exit cameras.
  • Handheld Violation Entries: By officers in the field.
  • LPR Camera Reads: Mobile and static LPR systems.

When a Plate Alarm is triggered, a "ding" sound is typically made (for mobile LPR units), and an alert appears in the OPS-COM system. You can also configure an email address to send alarm details to. If a fixed camera triggers the alarm, the camera's name will be listed.

Manually Chalking Vehicles from the handheld does not trigger an alert.

Attaching an Alarm to a Plate Without a Profile

Plates can exist in the system without a full user profile if they are initially entered via:

  • Issuing a New Violation, Violation Warning, or Chalking Record through the handheld or admin side.
  • Linking the plate to an Incident from the admin side.

If you search for a plate on the handheld that doesn't exist in the system, you'll see a black plus symbol indicating the vehicle is new. On the admin side, when issuing a violation or creating an incident, you'll have an option to add a new vehicle and its information, which is where the alarm can be added.

To add an alarm to a plate without a profile, there must be an existing incident, violation, or warning associated with the plate. If a plate only has a chalking record, you will need to issue a violation to it or link it to an incident to access the vehicle information fields required to add an alarm. Chalking records alone do not provide a direct option to view or edit vehicle details.

Steps to Add an Alarm to a Plate Without a Profile
  1. Find the Plate:
    • Click Violations, then Vehicles, and click Search by Plate.
    • Enter the Plate you wish to add the alarm to (e.g., "JROCK").
    • Click the Vehicle Info icon next to the search result.
  2. Add the Alarm to the Plate:
    • The Vehicle Information window will open. Click Edit Vehicle.
    • Toggle the Vehicle Alarm checkbox to On. You'll see a checkmark appear.
    • Once toggled, you can add an Alarm Comment in the provided field. This comment will be visible to officers and administrators when the alarm triggers.
    • Click Update Vehicle to apply the alarm correctly.

When this plate is subsequently scanned by LPR (mobile or fixed cameras), a "ding" sound will be made, alerting officers and allowing them to write a dispatch report if needed.

Adding Plate Alarms to Specific Plates (with User Profile)

If you know the user associated with the plate you wish to alarm:

  1. Go to User Management, then User Search.
  2. Search for and select the user's profile.
  3. Click the Vehicles tab within their profile.
  4. You'll see a list of vehicles and their associated plates. Click the target plate you wish to alarm. This will bring up a new window with Vehicle Information.
  5. Follow Steps 1-3 from "Adding the Alarm to the Plate" (above) to toggle the Vehicle Alarm, add a comment, and Update Vehicle.
Adding a Plate Alarm to All Vehicles on a User's Profile

You can apply a Vehicle Alarm to all vehicles associated with a user's profile directly from their basic profile information.

  1. Go to User Management, then User Search.
  2. Search for and select the user's profile.
  3. Click Edit next to the Basic Profile Information section.
  4. On the user's profile page, you should see two checkboxes: Plate alarm and People alarm.
  5. Toggle the Plate alarm checkbox to On.
  6. Add a comment that will be used for this alert.
  7. Click Update to apply the alarms.

The People Alarms and License Plate Alarms for this user will share the same message if both are toggled on the user's profile.

Best Practices & Considerations

  • Clear and Concise Alarm Comments: Use brief, actionable comments that convey essential information quickly to officers and administrators (e.g., "DO NOT APPROACH - WARRANT," "LOST/STOLEN PERMIT," "CONTACT OWNER").
  • Permission Management: Ensure that only authorized personnel have the ability to set and clear alarms due to their critical nature.
  • System Settings for Alarms: Review global alarm settings under System Settings (e.g., Alarm Duration, Email Address for alerts, Generic Alarm Append Threshold) to ensure they align with your operational needs.
  • Understanding Alarm Roll-Up: Be aware that multiple alarms for the same plate/profile will be rolled up into a single dispatch log entry within a 30-minute window to avoid flooding the system with redundant notifications.
  • Manually Triggered vs. Automated: Understand that manual chalking does not trigger alerts, but LPR reads and violation entries do.
  • Regular Review: Periodically review active alarms and dispatch logs to ensure timely responses and to clear alarms that are no longer relevant to keep the system efficient.
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