No—not every SimpliSafe alarm automatically calls the police. A siren sounding and emergency services being requested are separate events. For a monitored alarm, the response depends on the alarm type, whether you disarm or cancel it, the monitoring service and local dispatch rules. Even when SimpliSafe requests dispatch, that does not guarantee police will be sent or arrive.
Does SimpliSafe automatically call police?
Not simply because the siren sounds. With professional monitoring, an alarm signal can lead the monitoring center to contact you or your designated contacts, take verification steps and decide whether to request emergency dispatch. SimpliSafe’s terms give monitoring personnel discretion to report or not report an alarm code after verification steps. The service is therefore not a promise that police will be called for every alarm. See the SimpliSafe Terms of Service.
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Dispatch is a monitoring service, not an automatic feature of owning an alarm system. If you do not have an eligible professional monitoring service, do not assume that a siren or hardware purchase alone will bring emergency responders.
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The exact workflow varies by alarm and plan. For relevant alarm events, primary contacts may receive an alarm text, and the first primary contact may receive a call from the monitoring center. That call is to reach the account holder; it is not itself a call to police. Supported text and app flows can let contacts cancel the alarm or request help. SimpliSafe says that if a contact cancels by text before the center calls, the center does not need to call. See SimpliSafe’s guidance on alarm texts.
#1 Best Overall
- Simple to set up. Seriously secure - Get ready to protect right out of the box. Just plug in the Base Station, download the SimpliSafe App, place your sensors, and start protecting your home. No wiring or drilling required. Or contact SimpliSafe directly if you need help installing your system.
- 1 FREE month of professional monitoring for fast police response when you need it most. With optional monitoring services, our agents keep watch even when you can't, ready to instantly alert emergency responders. Starting at less than $1/day with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. (SimpliSafe products and professional monitoring services are only offered for sale and supported in the US)
- Complete control of your system with the SimpliSafe App - Arm, disarm and protect anytime, anywhere.
- Protection for entry points - Entry Sensors protect windows, doors, and cabinets and alert you when someone tries to enter. Customizable and can send Secret Alerts so you are quietly alerted if someone accesses private areas, without sounding an alarm.
- Blanket a whole room - Motion sensors detect motion within 35 feet, have a 90 degree field of view and get along great with pets under 60lbs. Perfect for full room coverage when placed in a corner.
Monitoring personnel may try to contact account holders or use available alarm-related video or audio as verification. They may then decide whether to report the alarm to authorities or another responder. Local rules can impose additional requirements, especially for burglary alarms.
How the response changes by alarm type
Burglary alarms
A burglary alarm may prompt contact and verification rather than an automatic police request. In some cities or counties, police dispatch requires visual verification. SimpliSafe says camera-based video verification can meet that requirement in some locations; elsewhere, an eyewitness may be required. Its guard service is available only in select markets. Check the guard-service information and your local rules.
Rank #2
- 1 FREE month of professional monitoring for fast police response when you need it most. With optional monitoring services, our agents keep watch even when you can't, ready to instantly alert emergency responders. Starting at less than $1/day with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. (SimpliSafe products and professional monitoring services are only offered for sale and supported in the US)
- Complete control of your system with the SimpliSafe App - Arm, disarm and protect anytime, anywhere.
- See what's happening inside - The SimpliCam Wired Indoor Security Camera lets you see what’s happening at home anytime from your phone, and it comes with a built-in stainless steel shutter for complete control over your privacy.
- Protection for entry points - Entry Sensors protect windows, doors, and cabinets and alert you when someone tries to enter. Customizable and can send Secret Alerts so you are quietly alerted if someone accesses private areas, without sounding an alarm.
- Blanket a whole room - Motion sensors detect motion within 35 feet, have a 90 degree field of view and get along great with pets under 60lbs. Perfect for full room coverage when placed in a corner.
Smoke alarms
SimpliSafe says that if a smoke alarm is not answered or canceled at the keypad in a timely manner, its monitoring team will automatically request dispatch from the local fire department. The company’s stated rule is specifically about smoke alarms; do not assume the same automatic-dispatch procedure applies to every carbon-monoxide or other life-safety event. Life-safety texts and app notifications are alerts, not a way to cancel or request dispatch. See SimpliSafe’s alarm-response guidance.
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On a plan that includes 24/7 emergency dispatch, entering a Duress PIN causes monitoring to request dispatch immediately. The system does not sound a siren or send the usual primary-contact alarm notification; secondary contacts are notified after the dispatch request. See how SimpliSafe duress alarms work.
Rank #3
- Simple to set up. Seriously secure. Get ready to protect right out of the box. Just plug in the Base Station, place your wireless camera and sensors where you want, and start protecting your home. No wiring or drilling required.
- Complete control of your system with the SimpliSafe App - Arm, disarm and protect anytime, anywhere
- Stop crime in real time - With the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera and 24/7 live guard protection exclusively from SimpliSafe, monitoring agents can actively see and speak to intruders during an alarm through the two-way audio feature
- Blanket a whole room - Motion sensors detect motion within 35 feet, have a 90 degree field of view and get along great with pets under 60lbs. Perfect for full room coverage when placed in a corner.
- Smash-safe Keypad - Easily arm and disarm your system with a wireless Keypad that you can place anywhere. And backlit buttons light up when you need to see it and go dark when you don't.
Panic-button alarms
The panic button can be configured for audible, fire or medical behavior. The selected setting affects the alarm response, so check the configuration and the monitoring workflow rather than assuming every panic-button press requests police. See SimpliSafe’s panic-button settings guide.
Will police come if my SimpliSafe alarm goes off?
Not necessarily. A monitoring center may request dispatch, but local verification rules and the center’s response process affect whether authorities are contacted. A dispatch request also cannot guarantee that police will be sent or arrive. SimpliSafe’s terms of service describe verification and leave personnel discretion over whether to report an alarm.
Rank #4
- Simple to set up. Seriously secure - Get ready to protect right out of the box.
- 1 FREE month of professional monitoring for fast police response when you need it most. With optional monitoring services, our agents keep watch even when you can't, ready to instantly alert emergency responders. All with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. (SimpliSafe products and professional monitoring services are only offered for sale and supported in the US)
- Complete control of your system with the SimpliSafe App - Arm, disarm and protect anytime, anywhere.
- Keep watch outside 24/7 - Outdoor Camera Series 2 has an ultra-wide wide, 140 degree field of view, 1080p HD resolution and color night vision with spotlight so you can see clearly day and night. Wireless and wired installation options available with the included rechargeable battery and outdoor power cable.
- Designed to prevent crime before it happens. With optional SimpliSafe Active Guard Outdoor Protection, the Outdoor Camera uses advanced AI technology to identify potential threats to your home. Then, alerts our team of security agents who use the camera to see the intruder, speak to them directly, sound the built-in siren, and even request police dispatch if needed. Available with select monitoring plans and requires the Outdoor Camera to be wired using the included power cable.
Some jurisdictions require visual verification before police are requested for a burglary alarm. SimpliSafe’s Video Verification information says the optional feature requires a SimpliSafe camera, system and eligible monitoring plan, and is off by default. Whether video is sufficient depends on local requirements; some places require an eyewitness.
How do I stop a false alarm from sending police?
- Disarm promptly. SimpliSafe says that if you disarm within moments of the initial alarm signal, the monitoring center treats it as a false alarm and does not request emergency services.
- Cancel through a supported contact channel. If you receive an alarm text, use its supported response flow to cancel. SimpliSafe says a cancellation sent before the center calls means the center will not need to call. Check the alarm-text instructions for the current options.
- Answer the monitoring-center call or use the keypad when appropriate. For smoke alarms, SimpliSafe’s instructions specifically say to answer or cancel at the keypad in a timely manner to avoid an automatic fire-department dispatch request. Do not treat this as a universal procedure for all alarm types.
If you believe there is a genuine emergency, do not cancel the alarm to prevent a response. Follow the instructions for your alarm type and contact emergency services directly when necessary.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Simple to set up. Seriously secure - Get ready to protect right out of the box. Just plug in the Base Station, follow the steps in the SimpliSafe App, place your sensors and start protecting your home. No wiring or drilling required. Or contact SimpliSafe directly if you need help installing your system.
- Smart home compatible - Arm your system at home with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
What to check before relying on dispatch
- Confirm whether your account has professional monitoring and which emergency-response features your plan includes.
- Make sure primary and secondary contact details are current and that contacts know how to recognize and respond to alarm texts or calls.
- Review the configured panic-button behavior and any Duress PIN procedures.
- Check local permit and verification requirements with your city or county; requirements can determine whether police are requested for a burglary alarm.
- Review SimpliSafe’s current instructions and terms, since plan eligibility, workflows and local requirements may change.
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