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Fayetteville PD Propose Fines For False Alarms

Alarm systems that cry wolf could cost under a proposal by Fayetteville police.

Police have asked the Fayetteville City Council to approve an ordinance fining alarm owners when police respond to more than one false alarm in a year. The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance Nov. 20.

Enforcement and fee collection will be handled by a private company if the proposed ordinance is approved by the City Council.

Businesses and residences with alarms must register with the city within 120 days if the fees become city law. Gabbard said registration is free.

The first false alarm also comes without a price, according to the rules in the proposed ordinance. Fines will be collected starting with the second bogus call to the property.

Gabbard said the private company will handle all billing and collection of the fines.

"We are just not set up to handle the operation," Gabbard said of the police department.

The private company will retain a portion of the money to recoup its costs, Gabbard said. The rest of the money, if any is left over, will go to the police. Police Chief Greg Tabor wrote in a memo to city officials there is no way to calculate how much the police department could collect until a private company is chosen and a contract is prepared.

Tabor also noted in the memo the private collection companies typically recover two-thirds of the fees assessed.

Gabbard said the bottom line is Fayetteville police want to discourage false alarms and recoup costs if possible. Most false alarms can be traced to "user error" or poor use of the alarm system, Gabbard said.

"These are correctable problems," he said.

Cara Maxwell, co-owner of Service Security in Fayetteville, agreed.

"If the system is designed properly and maintained properly, false alarms should be rare," Maxwell said.

She noted security system providers have procedures in place to eliminate false alarms. Companies often call the residence or business if the alarm activates to make sure it wasn't an accident or malfunction.

Sam Perrein, assistant operations director for Arkansas Security in Fayetteville, said alarm companies are becoming more accustomed to cities fining for false alarms. Springdale instituted a fine system for false alarms in 1998.

Perrein said cities in Northwest Arkansas have "done their research" when creating ordinances. He said Fayetteville's ordinance was crafted using national standards, which is fair for alarm companies and their clients.

Charging after the second false alarm, Perrein said, still might be extreme.

"Normally, it is after the third or fourth one," he said.

If a problematic alarm persists, the proposed ordinance also gives police the power to refuse response service on the alarm.

Gabbard said not responding to an alarm will be a last resort, once a "significant" pattern has been set. He stressed the fines are not meant to be a cost-saving measure for the city.

"Where we want to see a reduction is in the calls," Gabbard said.

# of False Burglary Alarms                  Fee
1                                                         $0
2                                                         $75
3                                                         $100
4                                                         $150
5                                                         $200
6 or more                                            $250 each

# of False Robbery Alarms                     Fee
1                                                             $0
2-3                                                         $100
4 or more                                                $200