Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Launches ASAP Service to Improve Efficiency and Emergency Response

New system automates alarm notifications, helping telecommunicators save time and get first responders to emergencies faster

Hennepin County, Minn. (October 22, 2025) — The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced today that it has launched ASAP (Automated Secure Alarm Protocol) Service, a digital alarm service that automates the exchange of alarm information between alarm-monitoring companies and emergency communications centers (ECCs). The service marks a significant milestone in HCSO’s ongoing efforts to enhance public safety operations and support its emergency communications staff.

By automating alarm data exchange through ASAP Service, HCSO expects to reduce repetitive and time-consuming interactions between alarm-monitoring companies and telecommunicators, freeing personnel to focus on higher-priority voice calls and helping offset staffing challenges experienced by ECCs nationwide.

Addressing Call Volume and Staffing Challenges
“Our telecommunicators handle hundreds of thousands of calls every year, and alarm activations alone can involve multiple back-and-forth calls for a single event,” said Tony Martin, HCSO director of emergency communications. “By implementing ASAP Service, we’re streamlining that process, improving accuracy, and helping responders get to the scene faster.”

ASAP was developed by The Monitoring Association (TMA) to lessen the impact of alarm notifications that typically enter an ECC over nonemergency administrative telephone lines. ASAP Service enables alarm-monitoring companies to send alarm event data directly into the ECC’s computer-aided-dispatch (CAD) system — eliminating the need for voice calls, minimizing transcription errors, significantly reducing response times for police, fire/rescue, and emergency medical units, and improving situational awareness by sending photos, video links, and attachments.

From Planning to Launch in Just Four Months
ASAP implementation was completed in just over four months, demonstrating HCSO’s commitment to adopting innovative technology and reducing the strain on ECC personnel. Each year, HCSO receives and processes approximately 650,000 to 700,000 emergency and nonemergency calls, including about 300,000 emergency (911) calls. Within that total, roughly 20,000 alarm-related calls originate from within the county’s coverage area.
“Many of our neighboring agencies that launched ASAP Service have seen great results,” Martin said. “We’re proud to bring this to HCSO as part of our broader effort to reduce telecommunicator workload, improve retention, and continue modernizing how we serve the community.”

www.ASAP911.org | info@ASAP911.org
As of go-live, the following alarm-monitoring companies are transmitting alarms via ASAP Service to HCSO’s ECC: Affiliated, Alert 360, Becklar/Avantguard, Brinks, Dynamark, Everon/Protection One, Per Mar, Quick Response, Rapid Response, Security Central, Securitas, Tyco/JCI, Vector Security, Vivint, and United Central Control.