General Alarm System Instructions

How To Turn OFF the Alarm System (Disarm)

How to Turn ON the Alarm System (Arm)

	1) First make sure all the room doors are closed and you are standing still in order to not trigger the motion sensor.
	2) Press the CMD button
	3) Press the button underneath the ARM text on the keypad screen.
	4) Enter your assigned numeric alarm system code
	5) After you enter your code, press the CMD button.
	5a) If after pressing the CMD button you see keypad screens similar to the ones pictured above, that means one or more of the room alarm sensors are being triggered. In this event, press the "OKAY" button to continue with the arming sequence. Alternatively, if you want to cancel the arming process you can press the "STOP" button (rightmost button). DO NOT choose the "BYPASS" option. If after pressing the "OKAY" button you get a "No Authority" error message, then that means the room doesn't support the option to continue the arming sequence. In this event you'll need to try starting up the arming sequence again but this time make sure you are not triggering any of the alarm sensors. So make sure the room doors are closed and you are standing still when you attempt to arm up again.
	6) Wait for the countdown timer to begin and the red light on the left side of the keypad to turn on which indicates the arming sequence has begun.
	7) Exit the room and make sure the room door is closed and locked.

What to Do if You Accidentally Trigger the Alarm

If you take too long to turn off the alarm system, the keypad will start making a siren noise and the keypad will turn red. This indicates that the University Police Department (UTPD) has been notified of an intrusion into the area and they will immediately send a police officer to investigate. Usually the police officer will arrive at the room within 10 minutes. If you accidentally trigger the alarm system YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY notify UTPD of this. Failure to report the false alarm is technically a criminal offense. Once you notify UTPD of the false alarm, they will contact the police officer who is currently enroute to the room so that they will know they do not need to investigate the incident. Here is an overview of what you need to do in the event of a false alarm:

1. Attempt to turn off the alarm system by doing the following:
   1. Enter your numeric alarm code and then press the CMD button
   2. The keypad screen will then present two options - CANCEL and VERIFY. Choose the CANCEL option. The CANCEL button option will be the leftmost button on the top row. The CANCEL option will go away automatically so you need to press the button quickly when it is available. If after a few tries you are unsuccessful at turning off the alarm system, proceed with calling UTPD.
2. Call UTPD at (512) 471-4441. If you call using one of the office desk phones in the building, then you only need to dial 1-4441. After you dial, you are presented with a menu of options to choose to route your call. The option to report false alarms is the “non-emergency” line which is option #9.
3. When you call UTPD, tell them that you want to report a false alarm in Room 1234 in the Sanchez building. Change 1234 to be whatever the room number is of the area which you accidentally triggered the alarm. If you are in the Bellmont building then state that instead of Sanchez.
4. The UTPD operator will then ask you for your name and possibly ask for other identifying information. When you give your name, make sure it is your full legal name as it appears in the UT Directory.
5. Once the UTPD operator verifies your identity, they may ask you if you were able to "reset the alarm". "Reset the alarm" means if you were able to turn off the alarm. If you were unable to turn off the alarm, tell this to the operator and they will inform the responding police officer that you need assistance turning off the alarm.

How to Get an Alarm Code for the Room

Alarm codes are assigned to individuals and cannot be shared. This is because each alarm code and "Personal Identification Code" are uniquely assigned to each person and UTPD is given a listing of each person who has access to alarm systems along with their assigned "Personal Identification Code". Contact the Information Technology Office Helpdesk at help@education.utexas.edu or https://help.edb.utexas.edu and request an alarm code.

What To Do if You Forget Your Alarm Code or Personal Identification Code

Contact the Information Technology Office by sending a help request to the helpdesk system at help@education.utexas.edu. When you send an email to the helpdesk system, a help request ticket will automatically be generated for you. The first available technical support technician will assist you in retrieving your numeric alarm code and Personal Identification Code. Alternatively, you may create a help request ticket by logging into the helpdesk system's web interface at https://help.education.utexas.edu/.

What is the Personal Identification Code?

A "Personal Identification Code" is a code word that is uniquely assigned to individuals who can turn on/off room alarm systems. The purpose of the Personal Identification Code is so that UTPD has a way of verifying the identity of someone that calls them up to report a false alarm. UTPD is given a list of everyone with an alarm code for the room along with the person's assigned Personal Identification Code. When you call UTPD to report a false alarm they will ask you for your name and Personal Identification Code. They will then verify your information with the list that they have. Do not share your numeric alarm code or Personal Identification Code with anyone.