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Reno Council Adopts Enhanced Call Verification to Reduce False Alarms

The Reno City Council Wednesday approved changes in the City’s alarm ordinance to help reduce the number of false alarms that result in impacts on police resources that would otherwise be available for emergency and other real calls for service. 

The nearby city of Sparks already has a similar ordinance. Officers there say they've seen a 25 percent decrease in false alarm calls since the changes went into effect last year. Reno police hope once the ordinance is in place, the number of false alarm calls will go down 50 percent within a year.

Doug McPartland, Reno patrol commander, said the number of false alarm rate in the city has held steady for the past 10 years. "Our goal is a 40 (percent) to 60 percent reduction in false alarms."

The alarm ordinance revision that was approved by the Reno City Council includes the following to take effect on February 1, 2008: 

• Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) requiring alarm monitoring companies to make two attempts to contact a responsible party for the alarm site to determine validity of an alarm. 

• Requirements for every alarm user to have a permit with a $25.00 annual fee and an annual $25.00 permit renewal fee. The alarm permit rate for senior citizen residential alarms systems will be $10.00. This will include residences and businesses connected to a central alarm station as well as those with only audible alarms that are not connected to a central station. 

• A $100.00 fee for each false alarm at an unregistered site. 

• A $75.00 fine to the permit holder for a false intrusion alarm. 

• A $200.00 fine to the permit holder for a false robbery or panic alarm. 

• An appeal process for permit holders assessed fines for false alarms. 

• Alarm installation and monitoring companies will be required to provide user training to residents and business owners with alarms on the alarms systems and the prevention of false alarms. 

• An acclimation period for new alarms systems due to the high rate of false alarms with new systems. 

• Other requirements include those dealing with permit/response suspensions for repeated false alarms at a location; permit/response reinstatement requirements for inspection and repair of systems, completion of on-line false alarm awareness classes; requirements that alarm control panels meet industry specifications; a 90-day information period from the point of adoption of the new ordinance that provides for alarm companies to notify alarm users of the new fees and permit requirements.