Does Ring Alarm Call the Police? (What Happens Next?)

Ring is a popular home security company committed to keeping you and your family safe. Between smart security cameras and alarm systems, your home is sure to be protected from any intruders that come your way. If you are interested in a Ring security setup, you may be wondering – can my Ring Alarm call the police?

Ring Alarm can contact the police if needed. Ring Alarm comes with various sensors that when triggered, can result in the following:

• A phone call from Ring security 
• A call to your additional emergency contacts
• Dispatching of police, fire, or medical response

There are multiple different options to contact emergency response through your Ring Alarm. To learn more about each of these options, read on!

Alarm Response Plans for Ring Alarm System

There are a few different ways the police can be contacted through your Ring Alarm System. 

The four plans are:

• Burglar alarm response
• Panic alarm response
• Duress alarm response
• SOS alarm response

Note that any of these response plans can be customized. For example, you have the option to choose between calling emergency services automatically if you don’t answer the phone, or only having emergency services called if you specifically request it. 

Burglar Alarm Response

The burglar alarm can be triggered by a Contact Sensor, Motion Detector, or Glass Break Sensor. It can also activate in both Home and Away modes. 

Upon this alarm being triggered, a signal will be sent to the Ring monitoring center. From there, an agent will call your first listed emergency contact, which is normally you. 

Police dispatch will be requested if:

• Your emergency contact does not answer
• Your emergency contact cannot remember your verbal password
• Your emergency contact specifically requests for police dispatch

Police will not be dispatched if the emergency contact answers, remembers the verbal password, and does not request for police dispatch.

Panic Alarm Response

The panic alarm can be triggered in a few ways. 

These ways include:

• Pressing and holding the X and checkmark buttons on the keypad (Gen 1)
• Pressing the police button on the keypad (Gen 2)
• Pressing the Panic Button 

From there, the monitoring center will call your first emergency contact and confirm the need for police dispatch. If you do not answer or if you give an incorrect passcode, police will be dispatched immediately.

Duress Alarm Response

The duress alarm can be triggered by entering the duress code on the keypad. This is a silent alarm, meaning the siren will not sound with this code. The monitoring center will get a signal and will request police dispatch immediately. Please note that this should only be used in a true emergency as it cannot be canceled. 

SOS Alarm Response

The SOS alarm is contained in the Ring app. 

There are three options:

• Police dispatch
• Fire dispatch
• Medical dispatch

By tapping an SOS button, a signal is sent to the monitoring center, who will then call your first emergency contact to confirm the need for services. If you do not answer, they will dispatch whichever request you submitted. 

Next Steps After Ring Contacts Emergency Services

After using one of the above alarm response plans, Ring will either cancel the alarm per your request (along with the correct verbal password) or dispatch emergency services. 

Once emergency services arrive, you can communicate with them about the situation at hand and get help for your safety needs.

If you’re concerned about alerting others with an alarm, the duress alarm response is an excellent option. This response is silent, so it will not inform any intruders that emergency services are on the way. Each of these options can help to keep you and your family safe. 

Police Dispatch Settings for Ring Alarm Response

If you want to change your police dispatch settings, you can go to settings in the app to modify alarm responses. 

The two options are:

• If No One Cancels: Police will be dispatched if the call from the monitoring center is not answered.This makes getting emergency services easy in a true emergency.
• Only If I Say: Police will not be dispatched if you do not pick up. The monitoring center will only send out an officer if you specifically request them to on the phone.

Please note that these are only options for the Burglar Alarm Plan. The Duress, SOS, and Panic Alarm Plans cannot be altered in any way. 

Conclusion

If you’re looking to protect your home with a high-quality smart home security system, Ring can help you do so. With so many alarm response options, Ring will do everything in its power to keep you and your family safe and secure – whether you’re home or not. 

Remember that in most situations, police will be dispatched if your emergency contact does not answer the call from the monitoring center. If you do answer, you’ll need to remember your verbal password to cancel the request. Either way, Ring is ready to protect you however you need.