THE REAL NATURE OF THE PROBLEM BECAME APPARENT WHEN LINE SERGEANTS REPORTED THAT POLICE OFFICERS ANSWERING ALARMS HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY CARELESS. WITH A TOTAL CITY RATE OF FALSE ALARMS BETTER THAN 95 PERCENT, OFFICERS FELT SAFE IN ASSUMING THAT THEY WERE RESPONDING TO ANOTHER FALSE ALARM. WHEN A REAL HOLDUP OCCURRED, THE SCENE BECAME CONFUSED AND CONGESTED UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF A SUPERVISOR AND OTHER POLICE CARS. A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE PROBLEM OF POLICE RESPONSE TO FALSE ALARMS, AND THE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT FOUND ITSELF CONFRONTED WITH DOWN TIME FOR POLICE, INAPPROPRIATE ATTITUDES ON THE PART OF RESPONDING OFFICERS, AND A LACK OF COORDINATED EFFORTS. TO COPE WITH FALSE ALARMS, A SEMINAR WAS SET UP FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL BANKS. EACH BANK LOCATION WAS VISITED PRIOR TO THE SEMINAR AND THE MANAGER WAS SHOWN A COMPUTER PRINTOUT AND MADE AWARE OF BANK ALARM ACTIVITIES. A NOTATION WAS MADE AS TO WHAT TYPE OF ALARMS EACH BANK HAD. THE SEMINAR CONCLUDED WITH AN AGREEMENT THAT EVERY BANK WOULD BE APPRAISED OF ITS ALARM ACTIVITIES EVERY 6 MONTHS DURING JANUARY AND JULY AND THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD FURNISH A 6-MONTH COMPUTER PRINTOUT FOR BANK ALARM ACTIVITIES. WHAT CAME OUT OF STUDIES TO EXPLORE POLICE TACTICS IN ROUTINE PATROL WAS A FIVE-STEP PROGRAM: (1) KEEP THE CALLER ON THE LINE, (2) ASCERTAIN IF ROBBERS HAVE LEFT THE BANK, (3) DETERMINE IF ANYONE IS HURT AND OBTAIN GENERAL DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION ABOUT ROBBERS AND WEAPONS, (4) SEARCH THE AREA FOR A 'DUMP CAR' IF IT IS ASCERTAINED THAT ROBBERS HAVE FLED THE BANK, AND (5) KEEP TELEPHONE LINES AT THE BANK OPEN AND LET A POLICE OFFICER TAKE OVER THE TELEPHONE AT THE BANK FOR DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH THE DESK OFFICER AT THE POLICE STATION. THE PROGRAM ALSO SPECIFIES PROCEDURES FOR CONTAINMENT, BACKUP CARS, BANK FILES, AND TRAINING FOR DEALING WITH BANK ROBBERIES. (DEP)