AUDIT COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Audit of SAPD Alarm Permits
Report Issued January 22, 2021
Audit Objective
Determine if Alarm Permit issuance, monitoring, and revenues are appropriately managed.
Background
All monitored alarm systems operating within the City of San Antonio are required to have a valid permit issued by the San Antonio Police Departments (SAPD) Alarms Unit.
Permit renewals should occur annually and may be subject to fees due to non-compliance or excessive false alarms. Regardless of citizen adherence to ordinance, SAPD responds to all alarm calls.
Scope & Methodology
The audit scope consisted of the alarm permit application and renewal processing for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. We reviewed permit applications to determine if applicable fees were applied appropriately and charged in accordance with Municipal Code requirements. Furthermore, we reviewed completed permit applications to determine if payment collections and deposits were properly segregated, independently verified and accurately recorded.
Conclusions
The SAPD Alarms Unit properly processes and records the collection of alarm permit applications. However, they lack controls for the monitoring and effective management and collection of outstanding service fees. Additionally, the Alarms Unit does not have adequate controls for cash handling and enforcement of penalties for excessive false alarm notifications. Lastly, user access to department shared drive was excessive and password requirements to False Alarm Management System (FAMS) were not in compliance with City AD 7.3A.
SAPD management agreed with our observations and has developed positive action plans to address them.